Hydrotherapy, is the use of water, either internally or externally, to maintain health and prevent disease. It was formerly known as hydropathy and is probably the oldest form of medical treatment.
The benefits of hydrotherapy have been recognized for thousand of years. In recent years, hydortherapy centres have sprouted all over the world and it is now known as spa. SPA derived from the Latin phrase "Solus per aqua" which means health via water.
Its use has been recorded in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations. Egyptian royalty bathed with essential oils and flowers, while Romans had communal public baths for their citizens. Ancient civilizations recognized the healing power of natural hot and cold springs. Back in the 4th century B.C, the Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed bathing and drinking spring water as a way of treating illnesses. He said "the way to wellness is to take an aromatheraphy bath daily".
A Barvarian priest, Sebastian Kneipp, again revived it during the 19th century. His book My Water Cure in 1886 was published and translated into many languages.
The use of water to treat rheumatic diseases has a long history. Today, hydrotherapy is used to treat musculoskeletal disorders such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, or spinal cord injuries and in patients suffering burns, spasticity, stroke or paralysis. It is also used to treat orthopedic and neurological conditions in dogs and horses and to improve fitness.
According to the International SPA Association (ISPA), hydrotherapy has long been a staple in European spas. It's the generic term for water therapies using jets, underwater massage and mineral baths (e.g. balneotherapy, Iodine-Grine therapy, Kneipp treatments, Scotch hose, Swiss shower, thalassotherapy) and others. It also can mean a whirlpool bath, hot Roman pool, hot tub, Jacuzzi, cold plunge and mineral bath. These treatments use physical water properties, such as temperature and pressure, for therapeutic purposes, to stimulate blood circulation and treat the symptoms of certain diseases.
In Woerrishofen (south Germany) Sebastian Kneipp developed the systematic and controlled application of hydrotherapy for the support of medical treatment that was delivered only by doctors at that time.
Sebastian Kneipp: Father of Hydrotherapy
Born in 1821, the son of a poor weaver in the Bavarian region of Germany, his ambition was to join the priesthood. During his theological studies, Sebastian Kneipp was taken ill with pulmonary tuberculosis, at that ime was a fatal disease. By chance, a small book on hydrotherapy, authored in 1734 by Dr. Hahn, found its way into his hands, which motivated Sebastian KNeipp to take short full-immersion dips in the icy waters of the winter Danube.
The treatment enabled him to stimuate his physical stamina, or immune system, so much. his tuberculosis went into remission and he was able to compete his studies.
Sebastian Kneipp (May 17, 1821, Stephansried, Germany – June 17, 1897 in Bad Wörishofen) was a Bavarian priest and one of the founders of the Naturopathic medicine movement. He is most commonly associated with the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy, a system of healing involving the application of water through various methods, temperatures and pressures.
In Norway he is mostly known for his bread recipe based on whole wheat. Kneipbrød (Kneipp Bread) is the most commonly eaten bread in Norway.
Although most commonly associated with one area of Naturopathic medicine, Kneipp was the proponent of an entire system of healing, which rested on five main tenets:
- Hydrotherapy
- Herbalism – The use of botanical medicines.
- Exercise
- Nutrition - A wholesome diet of whole grains, fruits & vegetables with limited meal
- Spirituality - Kneipp believed that a healthy mind begot a healthy person
During his time in Bad Wörishofen, Kneipp was able to counsel many people. Tens of thousands came from all over the world to receive his healing advice. He was the author of the books "My Water Cure", "Thus Shalt Thou Live", and "My Will".
"Nature has provided us generously with everything we need to remain in good health." (Sebastian Kneipp)
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