Hydrotherapy

History

Thermal baths of Antiquity

Baths with the Middle Ages

Thermal medicine exists since Antiquity. One then placed the leprous ones in baths, then one sent them to dry oneself with the sun to improve their cure. The war wounded found himself with the thermal baths to be restored. There was a particular belief in the benefits of water. Today one still respects the virtues of water, even as they are improved. In France, there is more than 1200 sources of water which are occupied by the Thermal baths. Hydrotherapy is the use of mineral water to the fine therapeutic ones.

This medical method is not a very recent invention, in fact, that goes back to 3000 years front J. - C. We thus refer in Antiquity. The Romans dedicated to water a true worship, they built fountains, systems of aqueduct and Thermal baths. The Thermal baths or Greek gymnasium, of immense hot baths were used for uses medical, of hygiene but especially social. These public baths were very representative places, one could admire there sculptures, paintings, statues, they represented the luxury. The Greeks are the precursors of the guns of beauty, already at that time, one needed that all is beautiful, large and strong. The Thermal baths were thus enormous monuments which represented the richness of the city. One could accommodate there to 1000 people at the same time. In the Thermal baths, there are four sections, the entry, a part with tepid water, one with warm water and the other with cool water. Already, the vasodilatation and the vasoconstriction of the blood-vessels were exerted there.

If hydrotherapy exists still today, it is thanks to Henri IV who has to create the Charter of mineral water. Then, it is into 1950 that the thermal care is dealt with by the Social security. This company takes into account each thermal spa and controls water so that there is zero bacterium. This process is respected so much that to the least pathogenic element presents in water, there is closing of the center. Even the hospitals do not have a code of hygiene as much thorough. Each establishment of care must be approved in the treatment of one or more therapeutic orientations and all must be officially agreed by the Social security.

Water of the Beautiful Time

Hydrotherapy will know an exceptional passion in XIe century, carried by the vagueness of the Romantisme.
For reasons of accessibility, the stations will develop initially in the vicinity immediate or inside the big cities. Very quickly, the fast extension of the rail links will make available these stations isolated for the Parisian ones and the foreigners. The growth of the frequentation will pack, and one will pass from 22.000 curists in 1822 to 120.000 in 1855.

In the Pyrenean chain, not less than 31 thermal spas will develop, carried by the imperial taste for the towns of eaux.

Hydrotherapy today

In France

Hydrotherapy is defined as being the whole of the means medical, social, medical, administrative and of reception, implemented for the use, with the fine therapeutic ones, mineral and thermal water, thermal gases and muds. The word hydrotherapy implies that a water is used whose healing virtues are recognized by the medical community.

There exists in France 115 establishments established out of 102 sites. More than 500.000 patients carry out a cure each year in France.

Course of a cure

The most practiced cure is the prescribed medical cure, taken of load (partly) by the Social security. This cure is prescribed by an attending physician, Généraliste or Spécialiste. It is held over three weeks, including 18 days of treatment. It is a thermal doctor who prescribes the care (four obligatory care per day in rhumatology), even a food Pratique adapted in the stations treating the nutrition, on arrival of the curist in the thermal spa and which follows it during all the cure (three medical visits are obligatory lasting the stay).

Many thermal spas also propose medicalized free cures or stays of back in shape, one duration one weekend (minicures), one week or more.

Care

Hydrotherapy external, or general

Showers (heat, cold, with the jet, high pressure)
Baths (gas) subcutaneous gas Injections.
Application of mud (Mud coating)
Kinesitherapy (swimming pool, massages)
Pulverizations

internal, or local Hydrotherapy

Aérosolthérapie
Inhalations
nasal Irrigation
Gargarismes
gingival Shower
local Bath
vaginal Irrigation
Columnisation

Cure of drink

Indications

Affections of the bucco-lingual mucous membranes
psycho-somatic
Dermatology
Gynecology
Diseases of the gastro-intestinal System and metabolic
Diseases of the urinary System and metabolic Affections
cardio-arterial Diseases: carbocrénothérapie.

Neurology

Phlebology
ostéo-articular Rhumatologie and traumatisms
of the development of the child
respiratory Tracts

Cures of back in shape

Beyond the medical and therapeutic uses, there exists also a hydrotherapy of approval either in the establishments of cure, or in establishments of balneotherapy generally installed in the big cities. The latter are without bond with medicine and are not either related to the existence of natural thermal springs.

Some of these establishments propose with their customers various installations such as steam baths, Finnish sauna, baths with movement, etc

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