of pain or soreness. The softness of the bag’s material enables the pack to contour easily to the body area, surrounding the tissue with a comfortable cooling compress.
If you do not have such a pack on hand, a bag of frozen peas, corn, or other frozen vegetable works just as well as the standard ice pack. For such an application, you can place a thin cloth or towel between the bag and your skin to prevent frostbite. If your skin begins to itch or tingle after you apply the pack, remove the pack immediately as it may be a sign of impending frostbite.
Nearly twenty readings mention an ice pack or ice cap, mostly used in traditional ways: to reduce fever, curb inflammation, or as a cold compress on the head during steam baths or warm tub baths. In the latter case, ice packs or cold compresses to keep the head cool are a welcome relief during such a bath where, as the readings often state, the water should be kept “ . . . as warm, or as hot as the body can well stand; letting the body remain as long as possible {in the Epsom salts bath} just so as not to weaken it too much.” (2768-1) (See also the chapter on “Epsom Salts Bath.”) For the steam cabinet, however, the A.R.E. Spa follows Dr. Harold J. Reilly’s directive: remain no longer than twenty minutes in the cabinet; too long a stay depletes the body’s minerals and may dehydrate a person, resulting in fatigue and lightheadedness. (See also the chapter on “Steam/Fume Bath” for more information.) One principle in hydrotherapy is: less is more.
HOT PACKS
INDICATIONS
Arthritis (not rheumatoid), bursitis, colds, gout, influenza, joint pain, muscle aches, neuralgia, preparation for spinal adjustments, sprains, strains
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Acute inflammation, being already overheated or dehydrated, bleeding, burns, cancer, cardiac disorders, diabetes, hypertension, impaired sensation, Raynaud’s disease, use carefully with persons who cannot communicate (such as babies, elderly, or unconscious people)
Be careful of the range of heat; avoid burning the skin by periodic checking of the skin; feelings of faintness, dizziness, rapid pulse, and nausea might indicate a lowering of blood pressure; when muscles become too relaxed, fatigue and lethargy may result
MATERIALS NEEDED
Towel or cloth—to dip into hot water
Dry towel or piece of plastic—to cover wet towel
Source of hot water and container or bucket to which hot water has been added
Towel or plastic (optional)—to place under the treated area to protect the sheets
Heating pad or hot water bottle (optional)—to maintain heat
FREQUENCY OF APPLICATION
Depends upon the desired effect, the resultant reaction, and the condition being treated; may change hot towel every 3 to 5 minutes until 20 minutes of duration
LENGTH OF TIME OF APPLICATION
Short: 3 to 5 minutes (stimulating—for muscle fatigue)
Long: 5 to 20 minutes (depressive—decreases circulation and increases metabolism)
LOCATION OF APPLICATION
Place directly on injured or painful area
SIZE OF PACK
Large enough to cover injured or painful area
EXPECTED EFFECTS/PURPOSES
Increases metabolism, respiration, pulse rate, and blood volume
Decreases tissue tone and blood pressure
Decreases peripheral white and red blood cell count
Relaxes nerves and muscles (sedative)
Loosens chest congestion (expectorant)
Relieves pain: decreases nerve sensation (analgesic)
DIRECTIONS
Place a dry towel or plastic sheet under the area to be warmed to protect the underlying sheets or bedding. Determine your source of hot water, such as a hot plate, a bucket, or a container with enough hot water to soak thoroughly a towel or washcloth. Dip the cloth into the container, wring it out, and roll it in a backward and forward motion over the skin to acclimate the body area, gradually slowing down the movements and eventually resting the hot cloth completely onto the skin. Wrap the cloth securely and snugly around the injured area, covering the area needing attention. An extra dry towel or a sheet of plastic is placed on top of the wet cloth and tucked in. This extra towel helps contain the warm temperature. To maintain a steady flow of heat, a hot water bottle or a heating pad may be placed over the plastic sheet or dry towel (the plastic or towel also prevents the heating pad from getting damp).
When the wet towel begins to cool (if no hot water bottle or heating pad is used), it can be removed and re-dipped in the hot water, then placed back on the skin and rewrapped with a dry towel or plastic sheet. This procedure may be followed from three to five minutes (for a short pack) to five to twenty minutes (for a long hot pack), depending upon the condition that is being treated.
DIRECTIONS FROM THE READINGS
For a female adult suffering from spinal lesions (reading given on September 23, 1935):
We would make changes in these {lesions} by adjustments. But before making the adjustments we would apply wet heat. This is preferable to dry heat, for it will make for a centralizing of the superficial circulation more about those areas.
So, we would apply heavy wet towels—or packs made with towels that are wet or damp sufficient to draw the heat or the activity of the circulation through the heat at the coccyx (or the lower end of the spine and the sacral area) and from the 5th dorsal to the 2nd and 3rd cervical.
And then make the adjustments. Do this about twice each week.
1008-1
For a twenty-four-year-old woman with a torn ligament in her left knee due to a skiing accident; surgery was advised by her physician (reading given on May 5, 1942):
The specific disturbance that we find from the injury in the left limb or knee—where there is a strained ligament, between the upper and lower portion (and this in the right side of same under kneecap)—it would be better not to have operative measures, but to apply—daily—in the afternoon or when ready to retire—wet heat; that is, heavy towels wrung out of hot water, as hot as body can well stand. Apply these once or twice and then thoroughly massage the knee, especially around the cap and on the inside and under side, with salt that has been well saturated with Pure Apple Vinegar.
1771-4
For a seven-year-old girl whose chief complaint
