(also referred to as...)
Water Cure, Water Therapy, Water Treatment
Introduction
The word "hydrotherapy" may be unfamiliar to people, but it involves one very common substance -- water. Hydrotherapy is the utilization of water in any form, either internally or externally, to achieve therapeutic benefits in the treatment of illness or maintenance of health. Some synonymous terms for this therapy are water cure, water treatment, and water therapy.
The use of hydrotherapy to bring about improvements in common ailments such as arthritis, back pain, headaches, bronchitis, asthma, common cold, sprains, injuries, hemorrhoids, muscle tension, and many more is not a new concept. Hydrotherapy has a long history, since water is easily accessible and available. However, the finesse in its application has been lost. It had been a wonderful therapy in days when technology was not as we know it and healers had to rely on and use all the elements given by nature, such as air, light, water, and plants, to cure illness.
Our uses of water in the maintenance of health can be quite instinctive as we observe some life examples. We drink water, we bathe, shower and wash with water, we apply an ice pack on a recent sprain or injury where there is inflammation, and we apply a hot water bottle to pains or spasms, such as in menstrual cramps. The extent of the therapeutic effects of hydrotherapy rests on the knowledge of the user knowing how the function of the body can be physiologically changed by the various properties of water and the skill of the user to turn the application of water into an art of healing.
