Balneotherapy discussion
- Thread starter Ellipse
- Start date
I had this when I was in physical therapy after surgery for a snapped ACL. It helped the circulation for certain sure and helped soothe the pain post-surgery. I don't know if it helped reduce scarring, but I have very little in the area.
BHelmet
The Living Force
Something so natural is turned into a paid therapy. Anyone can draw an epsom salt bath. I am not an expert, but being immersed in water does so many good things that release tension, extract toxins and effect the body on an electrical level too: A kind of reset button… Degaussing. The effects are tangible and can be felt immediately.
To answer, I have been to a spa with the sound and sensory dampening coupled with a warm high salt bath. It was OK. Somewhat disorienting when you have to get in the car to drive home afterwards.
I like the ocean best. The whole experience of the waves, salt air and temperature differential screams “Get the hell out of your head and experience being alive, idiot!” Rivers on a very sweaty hot day are wonderful. I prefer the natural element. When I lived on the Big Island there was a hot pond heated by the lava underground. It was on the coast separated from the ocean by a sea wall. That was amazing. Of course any heated water is the perfect medium for bacterial growth so that little fact plays into the comfort level if you are aware of it. So you must ask, what is this water being treated with, if anything? If there is chlorine or bromine added, then your cell membrane is going to open up to that too. As with all life, a mixed bag.
To answer, I have been to a spa with the sound and sensory dampening coupled with a warm high salt bath. It was OK. Somewhat disorienting when you have to get in the car to drive home afterwards.
I like the ocean best. The whole experience of the waves, salt air and temperature differential screams “Get the hell out of your head and experience being alive, idiot!” Rivers on a very sweaty hot day are wonderful. I prefer the natural element. When I lived on the Big Island there was a hot pond heated by the lava underground. It was on the coast separated from the ocean by a sea wall. That was amazing. Of course any heated water is the perfect medium for bacterial growth so that little fact plays into the comfort level if you are aware of it. So you must ask, what is this water being treated with, if anything? If there is chlorine or bromine added, then your cell membrane is going to open up to that too. As with all life, a mixed bag.
I couldn't find anyone mentioning carbonated water immersion therapy, so I will post this here.
It seems that not even the scientists are sure why this therapy works, but it seems to work very well, even 3 months after stopping the treatment.
Abstract
Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthropathy pain is treated using carbonated water—a commercially available beverage. The right hand (affected side) was bathed once daily in carbonated beverage water (37°C) for 20 min. Prior to treatment, the visual analogue scale score of pain was 73 mm; 1 week after the treatment, it was 0 mm. Commercial carbonated water immersion was effective for thumb CMC arthropathy pain. Commercial carbonated water is inexpensive and easy to obtain, making it suitable for home carbonation therapy.
(...)
Blood flow to the capillary network is regulated by the alternating contraction and relaxation of the anterior capillary sphincter. With a closed anterior capillary sphincter, massage or bathing to promote blood flow is unlikely to eliminate inflammatory chemical mediators. In a carbonated water bath, the anterior capillary sphincter muscles relax in all areas where percutaneous CO2 reaches, thus causing smooth muscle relaxation. Therefore, metabolites and inflammatory substances can be efficiently removed, and excellent muscle fatigue recovery and pain relief can be expected.
Result
Prior to treatment, the visual analogue scale score was 73 mm; 1 week after the treatment, it was 0 mm. Within 2 weeks, the treatment was completed, and the patient experienced no pain even after 3 months of stopping the treatment.
Conclusion
Our study concluded that immersion of the affected hand in commercial beverage carbonated water once a day for 20 min is effective in treating pain caused by thumb CMC osteoarthritis. The high concentration of CO2 easily reaches the inflamed area in osteoarthritis of the thumb, and the high CO2 concentration in commercial beverage carbonated water has a high flush-out effect on pain-related substances and is considered to have an excellent analgesic effect. Commercial carbonated water is inexpensive and easy to obtain, making it suitable for home carbonation therapy if the treated area is small. This study is a single case, and a randomized controlled trial is needed to substantiate this finding.
Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis Pain of the Thumb Can Be Relieved by Commercial Beverage Carbonated Water - PMC
Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthropathy pain is treated using carbonated water—a commercially available beverage. The right hand (affected side) was bathed once daily in carbonated beverage water (37°C) for 20 min. Prior to treatment, the visual ...pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
It seems that not even the scientists are sure why this therapy works, but it seems to work very well, even 3 months after stopping the treatment.
I think because it has been hidden from the majority of the public, especially in North America where it conflicts with the patent model of the pharmaceutical companies. It is in use in Europe and other parts of the world.
The articles below deal partially with CO2 in healing, but really discuss the beneficial role of CO2 in bodily health.
Here's a video from Dr Mercola The role of Carbon Dioxide in Health
Story at-a-glance
- CO2 is typically thought of as nothing more than a harmful waste product of respiration, but it’s actually a driver of mitochondrial energy production, and it improves the delivery of oxygen into your cells
- One of the simplest ways to optimize your CO2 is by breathing properly. Most people tend to over-breathe, which causes you to expel too much CO2. Proper breathing involves breathing less and breathing slower. Both of these allow CO2 to build up, and that appears to be part of why breathwork has such wide-ranging benefits
- To have sufficient CO2 production, you need healthy mitochondria because CO2 is produced exclusively in the Krebs cycle in the mitochondria. If you have mitochondrial dysfunction, if you're hypothyroid or have high levels of inflammation, then you will not be producing enough CO2
- When your CO2 is too low, your body reverts to an “emergency” vasodilator, nitric oxide (NO). Drawbacks of elevated NO include peroxynitrite species formation and pseudohypoxia. NO also damages the polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) in your cells, and inhibits energy production
- CO2 combats cancer development by lowering the pH of the cell, thereby allowing extra water to be excreted. This is the opposite of linoleic acid (LA) and estrogen, both of which suck water in and cause the cell to swell. Cellular swelling is a feature of cancer cells
Why you want more Carbon Dioxide
Story at-a-glance
- CO2 plays a critical role in oxygen transport within the body; higher CO2 levels enable hemoglobin to release more oxygen to cells, a process explained by the Bohr and Haldane effects
- CO2 supports vital physiological functions such as improving vasodilation, gut health, and the functionality of Vitamin K, which includes enhancing blood clotting and bone mineralization
- Proper carbohydrate oxidation produces 50% more CO2 compared to fat oxidation, enhancing the delivery of oxygen to cells and boosting energy production
- Increasing your CO2 levels can elevate your metabolic rate, as CO2 helps deliver oxygen more efficiently, allowing cells to produce significantly more energy from glucose
- Proper carbohydrate metabolism and controlled breathing (preferably nasal) will help you maintain optimal CO2 levels
Why This CO2-Making Probiotic Is a Superstar
Story at-a-glance
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a driver of mitochondrial energy production, and improves the delivery of oxygen into your cells. It also protects against the harmful effects of lipid peroxidation
- CO2 is also part of the “magic” that makes fermented foods so good for you. During lacto-fermentation, certain lactic acid-producing bacteria break down sugars into acids and CO2. The CO2 is what creates the fizziness in fermented foods
- CO2-producing bacteria include Lactobacillus brevis, L. reuteri and L. fermentum
- Like L. brevis, L. reuteri is well-known for its ability to promote gut health. L. reuteri also upregulates systemic immune responses, thereby promoting wound healing, mental health, metabolism and myoskeletal maintenance, and has been shown to have “antiaging” effects
- All Lactobacillus strains also inhibit the growth of gram-negative endotoxin-producing bacteria through competitive inhibition. Endotoxin is one of several factors that destroy mitochondrial function, promotes glycolysis and, ultimately, cancer metabolism
