Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1884-01-02
The HOt-Water Cure.

1t is remal kable how an old idea may
be "revamped," FURNISHED up, and made
to pass for new. Reader! you may have
had real mother, who blended her life
| with yours, anticipating your wants and
ever watchful of ills that might overtake
YOU, And if you do not remember, You
have heard how she cured YOU of collie
| with warm herb teas, and hot draughts to
your feet; she cured Group by dipping
| strips of flannel in hot water, then wringinp
| them out and enveloping your neck with
| hem; how she cured cold and cough
| by wetting several thicknesses of flannel
in hot water and laying them on your
chest. But the world has forgotten its
experiences, and hot water poses as a
brand new remedy; not only for ailment-
for which it is especially adapted, but il
is recommended by some who ought to
know better for diseases where 1t nigh
| do positive harm.
Do not imagine that because water is
abundant, is found everywhere, even in
stones and metals, it has no potency as a
curative agent. 1t stands at the head OF
the list of remedies, and enters into all
compounds. 1t constitutes five sixths OF
the material from which the bodies of men
and animals are made. A knowledge of
these facts will enable us to see more
clearly how water, and particularly hot
water, acts as a remedial agent. Take,
for example, the case of a person who has
taken cold in the lungs. The circulation
| of the blood in the small blood vessels in
that portion of the lungs affected becomes
sluggish; in some cases it is quite sus
pended; the general circulation is i'm
peded through failure of an important Or
gan to do the work required of it, and the
whole system suffers; the man is i'll.
Now. if we know why the disease exists,
by what unnatural condition it is kept up,
the remedy suggests itself; as, if water
pipe were frozen up, any child knows that
the remedy is heat. And here is just
where water as warm as it can be COM
fortably borne will effect cure in ordin-
ary cases. Let the patient go to bed.
Put bottles of hot water 10 his leet, and
cloths wet in hot water on his chest. Let
him drink hot water rs freely as he can
with comfort; it matters little whether it
is clear hot water. or herb tea, it is new
ertheless hot water. With this treatment
we are employing hot water at its full
value. Its internal use tends to thaw out
the blood vessels, and its outward applica-
ton quickens the circulation in the blood
vessels near the surface; thus drawing on
the deep-seated blood vessels for supplies
to keed up the activity, and thus the con-
gestion is relieved and the patient is
cured.
In dyspepsia, hot water taken internal
ly, under proper restrictions, is no doubt
useful, since dyspepsia depends on con-
gested and der nged condition of the di-
gestive organs. But in consumption and
other diseases attended by general debility
it can only be detrimental. When per-
son is feeble from disease not marked with
acute Inflammation, the hot water treat
ment necessarily increases the debility.
Here tonic treatment is applcable-a
treatment that will increase and enrich
the blood and supply the fuel required to
keep the machinery of life in motion. The
hot water treatment is useful in removing
Instructions from the machinery, but only
in systems where there is q surplus of
vital power.
To recapituate: The drinking of hot
water at proper intervals and in proper
quantities, is useful in dyspepsia, constipa-
ton, torpid liver, congestion of the
stomach, chronic diarrhnar, and in various
affection of the kidneys and bladder; pro-
vided that there are not at the same time
serious diseases OF tLe lungs, with debility.
The water should be as hot as tea is
usually made, that is, from 1lO0 to l5O0,
and should be slipped, not taken rapidly,
The quantity should be from half a pint to
u pint 1t should be taken one to two
hours after meals, and nothing should be
hnt, off NJ war
The evening draught should be just before
going to bed. The hot-water treatment
should continue until Il cure is effected :;
the time required will vary from one to
six months.-HaUS journal of HtdIh.