HRM  treatment is associated with clinical improvement in diseases of the skin , respiratory , circulatory , digestive and nervous system among others .
The scientific literature of the last decade has shown that a number of non-musculoskeletal disorders are treated with different kinds of  HRM .
Health resort medicine ( HRM ; in German : Kurortmedizin ) is a field of medicine with long-lasting tradition in several European countries .
A number of systematic review s have shown the effectiveness of HRM  in musculoskeletal conditions .
Review s focusing on the effectiveness of HRM in non-musculoskeletal disorders are rare .
This systematic review aims to provide an overview about all types of health resort treatments applied in non-musculoskeletal conditions , to summarize evidence for its effectiveness and to assess the quality of published studies .
Thermal hydrotherapy improves quality of life and hemodynamic function in patients with chronic heart failure.
BACKGROUND Chronic heart failure is characterized by increased peripheral vascular resistance and reduced peripheral perfusion due to adrenergic and renin angiotensin activation and impaired endothelial function . Recent studies have shown that nonpharmacological peripheral vasodilation with thermal therapy by means of warm-water baths and sauna has beneficial effects in chronic heart failure . European hydrotherapy ( according to Kneipp ) additionally uses short cold water stimuli , which lead to prolonged vasodilation and adaptive responses . Studies on the efficacy of hydrotherapy in chronic heart failure are lacking . METHODS We studied 15 patients ( 5 men , 10 women , mean ( + /- SD ) age 64.3 + /- 1.8 years ) with mild chronic heart failure ( NYHA functional class II to III , ejection fraction 30%-40 % ) . Patients were r and omly assigned to 6 weeks of intensive home-based hydrotherapy or 6 weeks restriction in a crossover intervention trial . Quality of life and heart-failure -- related symptoms were assessed by means of a vali date d question naire ( PLC ) . Grade d bicycle exercise test with incremental workloads ( 0 , 50 , 75 , 100 watts ) was performed at the end of each treatment period . The hydrotherapeutic program consisted of a structured combination of daily home-based external warm- and cold-water applications . RESULTS Baseline characteristics were balanced between the groups . With hydrotherapy , a significant ( P < or = .05 ) improvement in 3 of 6 dimensions of quality of life ( mood , physical capacity , enjoyment ) and a significant reduction in heart-failure-related symptoms was found . Heart rates at rest and at 50-Watt workload were significantly reduced by hydrotherapy ;  blood pressure decreased nonsignificantly at rest and during exercise . The hydrotherapeutic treatment was well accepted and no relevant adverse effects were observed . CONCLUSIONS A home-based hydrotherapeutic thermal treatment program improves quality of life , heart-failure-related symptoms and heart rate response to exercise in patients with mild chronic heart failure . The results of this investigation suggest a beneficial adaptive response to repeated brief cold stimuli in addition to enhanced peripheral perfusion due to thermal hydrotherapy in patients with chronic heart failure
HRM  treatment is associated with clinical improvement in diseases of the skin , respiratory , circulatory , digestive and nervous system among others .
The scientific literature of the last decade has shown that a number of non-musculoskeletal disorders are treated with different kinds of  HRM .
Health resort medicine ( HRM ; in German : Kurortmedizin ) is a field of medicine with long-lasting tradition in several European countries .
A number of systematic review s have shown the effectiveness of HRM  in musculoskeletal conditions .
Review s focusing on the effectiveness of HRM in non-musculoskeletal disorders are rare .
This systematic review aims to provide an overview about all types of health resort treatments applied in non-musculoskeletal conditions , to summarize evidence for its effectiveness and to assess the quality of published studies .