Footbath In Cold Water: What Are The Benefits?
During the winter, we plan to go home, drink something warm and soak our feet in warm water and essential oils. However, some studies reveal that to enjoy the greatest benefits, a foot bath in cold water must be performed.
Yes: this also applies when the outside temperature reaches 0 ° C. Discover in this article the benefits of a cold water foot bath .
Footbath in cold water: wonderful results
Fear not! You will have to immerse your feet in cold water for only 15 seconds (the minimum necessary, in order not to get sick). Also, you should know that this natural remedy is really simple and beneficial.
Why take a foot bath in cold water?
During the summer, it is a pleasure. But what happens in the winter?
This technique is recommended by natural medicine for its fantastic results. It should be repeated for 15 days in a row to be able to fully enjoy all its benefits.
In a basin large enough to hold both feet, pour plenty of cold water.
Once this is done, add a few ice cubes, so that the water cools down further. The proportion is 18 ice cubes for every 2 liters of water. When the ice begins to melt and the volume of water in the container increases, immerse your feet.
Try to hold out for 15 seconds (which will seem like an eternity). Initially the water will seem unbearable but, just before finishing the treatment, you will be used to it.
By repeating this treatment every day, your feet will not feel the temperature change as much.
Once the recommended time has elapsed, dry your feet by wrapping them with a towel to keep them warm. Finally, put on some cotton or wool socks (the thickest you have), and go to sleep.
Repeat this technique every night for two weeks in a row. If you usually get sick often, we recommend that you do the treatment twice a day.
What is a cold water foot bath for?
We have already hinted at one of the benefits of this treatment: strengthening the immune system. Contrary to what you might believe, to prepare your defenses for the attack of viruses and bacteria, it is good that they “train”.
How? Exposing them to a similar situation (exactly as happens with vaccines).
When our immune system knows how to cope with temperature changes in the feet (the first part of the body that gets cold in winter or when it rains), it is able to avoid any cold-related illness.
But that is not all! The technique of feet immersed in cold water is also useful for women who use heels or uncomfortable shoes every day, but also for people who work standing or sitting for several hours a day and, when they get home, they need to relax your feet.
People who suffer from swelling or water retention in the ankles will notice positive changes in their body from the first day of treatment, just like those with varicose veins.
The explanation in these cases is as follows: when we remove our feet from the ice water, we need “new”, or purified, blood to raise the temperature as soon as possible. This body reaction may be what we need to avoid inflammation, pain and other problems.
The treatment also allows the muscles of the lower limbs to invigorate by filling up with oxygen, and the cells to function better.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not cold water (or low temperatures) that heals us, but the activity carried out by the body to produce heat and reverse this dangerous situation.
The metabolism and the organic change are activated, as well as the circulatory, nervous and muscular reactions.
What if we soak the whole body?
One of the grandmother’s remedies for when someone has a fever is to take a cold shower. You might think that this is a drastic solution, but it is the way in the past that it was possible to lower the body temperature.
The same effect we told you about in relation to the feet also occurs when the whole body is immersed in cold water. Nevertheless, we must know that we cannot wait too long or we will end up getting sick.
The thesis used to explain the results obtained with this technique is that of “diseases that can be treated better outside than inside”.
Cold water on the skin “awakens” the functions of the body, fights fever and congestion of the organs and favors the expulsion of impurities accumulated in the blood.
A bath helps to contract the blood vessels, makes them more elastic and eliminates all the bacteria that accumulate inside our body.
You don’t have to immerse yourself completely in frozen or low-temperature water, rather get wet little by little, in pieces. Violent immersion could cause even dangerous effects on the lungs and heart.
It is therefore advisable to start with the feet, follow with the legs, and then get to the neck. The head should always be left out of the water. The same should be done when going to the beach or swimming pool.
Do not forget that the colder the water, the greater the caloric expenditure that the body will employ, and the more effective the reactions of the same will be.
Try the ice bath, so as not to get sick and to enjoy good health.
