The Washington herald., 1915-02-14

gray dawn oil the early morning u
do your little imitation of the polar
bear or sea lion, you want to be
sure that it is really going to do
you good.
/ never take a cold bath just for the
sake Of taking cold bath, but only
because 1 enjoy IT.
Must Enjoy roads = Suty. II Is
only when you can
really enjoy IL that
it will do you any good. And 1 GER
taInly do not take a cold tub every
morning. II the cold water has
strong appeal for me when / get out
of bed, take II; otherwise not. fol-
low my instincts in this respect.
When you need a drink Of water you
feel a thirst for 1t. And when you
need cold bath you will feel crav-
ing in very much the same way for
the delightful sensation of the cold
water upon your skin That is why, in
the hot summer weather. one enjoys
a swim in the sea or lake or river. 1t
feels good. and that's why 1t does you
good. But II you dread the cold bath,
and only do IL as a matter Of duty. the
chances are that 1t viii not do you any
good at all, and it may do you harm.
1 have known of health-seekers, and
probably so have you, who dreaded
and hated the cold bath, but who got
into it each morning with the self
sacrificing spirit of a hero B-r-r-r-r!
1t is true that 1t does help to harden
one. even under such circumstances,
but it uses up lot OF vitality in doing
1t.
Personally. can enjoy any kind of
a cold bath when I want one and /
NHlr haW
ed a good snow
ShsW bath more than any
thing else. And il Is
quite true that IL
you are as strong as a bear you will
be able to take a cold dip at almost
any temperature and under almost any
circumstances. and get away with it.
But what applies to q young brute who
plays football or tries for the wrest- |
ling championship viii not always APP
ply to the less energetic young fellow
who is trying to get strong Remem-
ber that am not writing this for the
trained athlete so much as for the
average young man. You can use up
a lot of nerve force by going wrong on
this subject.
Cold baths. properly taken, are valu- |
able as a tonic. They are stimulating.
They tend to develop the vital resist
susceptible to cold and less susceptible
to catching colds. They improve the
natural power OF the body to adapt it. |
self to varying temperatures. They act !
upon both the nerves and the circula-
tion. They tone up the nerves by their !
direct effect upon the million and more /
of tiny nerve-endings located in the |
skin. And in their effect upon the cir J
culation they tend to strengthen the I
Ruf af the aama ftmA AZ fhev 1
make too vigorous demands upon the |
body, they may overtax a weak heart, |
or they may involve too great a tax |
upon the nervous system
The first rule for successful cold |
bathing is to be thoroughly warm be- |
fore you attempt j
It, II you are so .
80 ~ warm that you just /,
feel hungry, as you 4
feeling OF the cold water on /
your body, then you are just right for
a cold dip. And that is why the bath /
is most satisfactory just after you
have taken a lot of exercise and are /
thoroughly warmed through. The main
thing is to get a good reaction from
the cold water. and this is easy when
you are already very warm.
There is an old saying that one
SnOulo nut oEluh = lON VI SOAo "oNCA VI
plunge into cold water when he is
overheated, and there is a lot of sense
in that because OF the danger OF cool
ing on too quickly or cooling on too
much But that is entirely a matter of
staying In the water too long. The
fact remains that you are in better
position to recuperate quickly when
you are exceedingly warm than when /
you are already feeling cold II your
hands and feet are cold. and your teeth
are chattering, then 1t is a very DIM
cult matter to recuperate with proper
bodily warmth on getting into the cold
water It will mean too much OF a /
tax on your vitality. Never try to
take cold bath when you already
feel chilly. That's about the first and
best rule that 1 can give you.
Another good rule Is not to try to
take a cold bath in a cold room. OF
course you can do
It all right II you
are strong enough,
ior Oo but if you are
troubled with poor
II Is much easier to recu-
perate IL the bathroom is warm Cold
winter air added to the cold water
makes IL a much more strenuous prop
osition.
OF course the important thing is to
experience a reaction OF warmth i'm
mediately. after the bath. The first eff
feet of the cold water is to contract
the blood vessels near the surface OF
the body and drive the blood away
from the skin. Then Immediately 8
there comes the reaction in which the
blood comes back to the surface in
large quantities. In that way you get
the ruddy glow Of the skin that Is
noticed when everything goes right. II
you do not get this reaction OF warmth.
but instead become chilled and numbed.i
Il Is q serious, matter.
It means congestion In the interior.
and yon might just as well get ready
7 for trouble. II you