Colds and sinus congestion have certainly packed a wallop over the last few weeks. Everyone I speak to seems to be getting over it, or knows someone that has it. Hydro (water) therapy offers a number of methods to un-clog your head, ease your sleep and head-ache. Give these a try:
I) Hot foot bath – A heated foot bath helps draw congestion away from your head, while soothing your body over-all. Prepare a hot foot bath (at a temperature manageable for you), wrap yourself in a blanket and for added effectiveness, put a cold face cloth over your face. Sit in a comfortable chair and immerse your feet in the basin of hot water.
Your body’s circulatory system is designed to respond initially to the cold face cloth, and strongly to the hot foot bath. Apply for 10 minutes. Careful afterward to rise up slowly, as you may experience dizzyness from the blood flushing to your feet. Moderate the bath temperature if you have heart/circulatory issues.
II) Neti-Pot – the age-old practice of ‘jala neti’ flushes the sinuses and assists the debris-removing cilia-hairs in the naso-pharynx to help you breathe easier. Here’s a video, and an article explaining their use and application. Neti-Pots are available at your local pharmacy. iii) Belly Cold Compress – this is great to ease head congestion, but aids troubled sleep as well. Prepare a hand towel in a basin of cold water with 3-4 ice cubes. Wring out the towel thoroughly, lay down on your bed and apply towel to your belly. Drape a large, dry towel over top to catch escaping water drops, then cover up under your blankets and rest for 10 minutes. Surprisingly, you’ll find your body heats up the towel and it will be quite warm on removal. Don’t worry if you fall asleep during this application…that’s the best part! For an intensive and expert congestion-cleaning, try our Hot Towel/Cold Stone Face Massage coupled with a Hot Towel Foot Exfoliation added to your massage therapy session. The powerful contrast between the hot and cold will leave you breathing easier, with an added boost to your immune system from the massage.