A traditional European spa kur , he says, might involve 18 baths over two or three weeks, plus good food, daily exercise and an escape from stress. Wealthy Euros of the Middle Ages discovered that just getting out of town could prove healthful. Out in the countryside, plagues were less likely to catch up with you, especially if you were drinking clean water. Spring water was bottled, so that even the town-bound could partake of the elixir. So, while there is some scientific support for wallowing, it seems that mineral-water bathing is one of those holistic treatments that prepares the body to heal itself.
Holistic approaches give science a migraine.
Traditionally, science investigates one variable at a time, matching one remedy to one ill. Yes, science recognizes that happy people often heal more quickly than unhappy people. And yes, you can feel certain that installing a Jacuzzi at your palace would help make you happy. But I suspect even Charlemagne would have had trouble sliding that bill past his health-insurance company. Raisin Skin Tree Spit Lightning Fat Earth Hannah Holmes digs up the dirt on quirky science for Discovery Channel Online from her home in Portland, Maine.