Hydrotherapy is the use of water to treat a disease or to maintain health.
The therapeutic benefits of water are due to the blood circulation-boosting action of water pressure, further enhanced by the thermal reactions of the body to the hot and cold- water stimuli. It takes advantage of water’s unique ability to store and transmit both heat and cold.
Hydrotherapy stimulates the immune system by promoting lymphatic circulation. It enhances the digestion and is a good pain reliever. It bring about relaxation and reduces inflammation.
Ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations are known to use water for healing purposes. Each ancient civilization added variations to the practice of hydrotherapy (some of which have become conventional today). In Greece, Hippocrates promoted bathing in spring water; ancient Rome created communal public baths for the purpose of promoting health and wellness (at the peak of this movement, there were recorded 900 public baths in Rome alone!); and the Egyptians believed that adding aromatic oils and flower essences would aid in the healing process.
By the 19th century, hydrotherapy began to spread globally. With the help of Vincent Priessnitz, a farmer of Grafenberg in Silesia, Austrian Empire, and the Bavarian monk, Father Sebastian Kneipp (often referred to as the father of hydrotherapy), a movement to expand the medical uses of hydrotherapy brought the practice to the forefront of therapeutic treatments. Both are now revered as pioneers in Naturopathic Medicine. Otis G.Carroll invented the Constitutional Hydrotherapy at the beginning of the 20th century and helped thousands of patients in his practice.