Tip 19. Use the mud bath to remove impurities.
The mud or clay bath is
another mode of the na
t
ure cure. It is applied in
the same way as mud packs, but
o
nly on a larger scale on
t
he entire b
o
d
y
.
In this, mud or clay is first ground and sifted to r
e
move all impurities, and then made into a
smooth paste mixed with
hot water. The paste is
t
hen spread
on a sheet
t
hat in turn is wrapped round the body. One or
two blankets are then wrapped over this, depending on the
temperature of the room and that of
t
he pack. A
mud bath is followed with a cleansi
n
g warm water bath and a short cold shower.
The mud bath is found
t
o tone up t
h
e skin by increasing the
circula
t
ion
a
nd energisi
n
g the skin tissues.
Fr
e
quent mud baths help to
improve the
complexion, clear spo
t
s
and patches on the
skin followi
n
g skin diso
r
ders or due
to smallpox. It is very beneficial
in t
h
e treatment of skin diseases like psoriasis, leucoderma and every l
e
prosy. This
bath is also
valuable in
getting relief from rheumatic pain or pain in
the joints
c
a
used by inj
u
ries.
The durati
o
n of the bath should be f
r
om 30 minu
t
es to one h
o
ur. Care should also be
taken to avoid the patie
n
t catching a
chill du
r
ing
t
he bath. Mud applicat
io
ns also form
a vital part of natural b
e
auty treatm
e
nt.
Tip 20. Enhance beauty
w
ith the
mudpack.
The nature cure practit
i
oners at pr
e
sent are making incre
a
s
i
ng use of mud packs of
moistened earth in the
t
reatment of diseases.
T
he use of mud packs h
a
s been fou
n
d highly beneficial and effective in
t
he treatment of chronic
inflammation
caused by internal dis
e
ases, bruis
e
s, sprains, boils and w
o
unds. Mud packs have
b
een found to be a valuable treatment of diseas
e
s relating
to general weakness or
nervous disorders. It c
a
n also bring
down fever
and is bene
f
icial
in the treatment of scarlet fev
e
r, measles
a
nd influenz
a
. The mud pack is pr
e
s
cribed for swellings,
eye and ear troubles, g
o
ut, rheumatism, stomach troubles, kidney and liver malfunctions, diphtheria,
n
euralgia, s
e
xual disorders, headac
h
e, toothache and general aches and
pains.
This mode of treatment is normally adopted in c
o
njunction wi
t
h a proper scheme of dietary and other natural therapies.
The advantage of mud treatment is that it is a
b
le
to retain moisture and coolness for
longer periods
than
cold
water
packs
or
c
om
presses.
T
he
cold
m
o
i
s
ture
in
the
m
ud
packs
r
ela
x
es
the pores
of
the
skin,
draws
t
he
blood
in
t
o
the surface, relieves inner congestion and pain, promotes heat radiati
o
n and elimination of morbid matter.
A mud pack is prepared
with clay obtained from about ten cm below the surface of the earth, after ensuri
n
g that it do
e
s not contain any impur
i
ties such as
compost or pebbles. T
h
e clay is then made into a smooth paste with warm water. This is all
o
wed to cool
and then sp
r
ead on a strip of clot
h
, the size
o
f
which may
vary according to requir
e
ments. The dimensions
of the pack meant for application
o
n the abdomen are generally 20 cm x 10 cm x 2
.
5 cm for adults.
The mud bandage, after bei
n
g placed on
the body, should be covered with fl
a
nnel or oth
e
r protective material. The
pack is
applied for 10 to
30 minutes.
Hot and cold applicati
o
ns are usef
u
l
in relieving
chronic pai
n
s
, intes
t
inal
cramps and lumbago. Alternate application
h
elps to relieve discomfort
caused by flatulence a
n
d intestin
a
l obstructio
n
s.
It is also helpful in amoebiasis,
coli
t
is, enteritis
a
nd other inflammatory
c
onditions of
bacterial origin.
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