Hydrotherapy uses the properties of water for therapeutic purposes. Water has been used for hundreds of years by many cultures for its health benefits and you don’t need to go to a fancy spa or wellness retreat to tap into its healing power. We all love the comfort of a hot shower, but the extended period of hot water can have less than positive effects on your body. The hot water initially acts as a blood vessel dilator and brings blood towards the skin, which is why your skin turns red. It also increases cellular metabolism which helps your cells get rid of toxins and waste products.
After about 5 minutes of hot water, the blood vessels return to normal but the cellular metabolism stays high. This means extra waste material is pushed into the blood supply but there is less blood vessel width to push it towards the detox organs. Adding cold water helps regulate the ratio of blood vessel dilation and cellular metabolism to promote detox, immune function, circulation and metabolism.
Why are contrast showers good for you?
Contrast showers are a simple way to incorporate hydrotherapy into your wellness routine and optimize your health on a daily basis. Alternating the hot and cold temperatures creates a flushing action in your circulatory system. Hot water brings blood to the skin and cold water pushes blood towards the internal organs. This pushes the circulation within your blood vessels and pushes blood towards all of your detox organs to remove toxins and waste from the body. It also promotes nutrient delivery to your tissues, tones your blood vessels and improves immune function. By ending on cold, contrast showers can also improve energy production and metabolism since your body is forced to heat itself back up and fires up your body’s internal burners. Not bad for something that only takes 3 minutes each day, right?
How do you do a contrast shower?
1. Take a shower like you usually do, at whatever temperature you usually use, for however long you usually shower.
2. At the end of your shower, turn the tap to cold for 15 seconds.
3. Turn the tap back to hot for 45 seconds.
4. Repeat for 3 cycles ending on cold.
You’re probably thinking that’s the absolute last way you want to end your shower. But hear me out!
Most people find the colder temperatures fairly intense the first few times they try this but think of contrast showers like you think about exercise. You don’t go from sitting on a couch to running a marathon! You don’t have to go from your nice, hot, relaxing shower to freezing cold the first time you do this. Slowly ease yourself into it. Start by just feeling a temperature difference and then come back to hot. Over time, your body will adapt to the more intense temperature change, just like it adapts to more vigorous exercise if you stick with it.
Contrast showers are also similar to exercise such that if you only do it once a month, it doesn’t do anything for you and you never get any better at it! Contrast showers work best the more often they are used. Ideally, this becomes part of your normal routine and you get in the habit of doing this every time you shower. After a while, you’ll actually start to feel weird if you skip the contrast part of your shower. Don’t believe me? Give it a try!
Who should not do contrast showers?
Like everything else, contrast showers aren’t for everyone. These can be dangerous for people with cardiac or respiratory conditions like congestive heart failure, hypertension, suspected blood clots or hemorrhage, among others. Contrast showers should also be avoided by those with vascular diseases like diabetes or Reynaud’s disease. They should not be done if you have cancer, are pregnant or have loss of sensation anywhere in your body as well. Talk to your naturopathic doctor before starting any new health routine!
