Water procedures have an effect on the nervous system. Warm water relaxes a person and calms him down, while cold water invigorates him. A contrast shower combines both of these qualities. It shakes up the nervous system and at the same time produces a relaxing and toning effect. This procedure is used for vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD), especially if it is characterized by panic attacks, as well as for the prevention of osteochondrosis, strengthening the immune system and improving skin tone. However, not everyone knows that such bathing has its own rules, so you should talk to a specialist in advance about how to properly take a contrast shower for VSD and other pathologies.
Features of the procedure
Taking a contrast shower during VSD is extremely useful, since this process is characterized by the following features:
- Increased concentration of hormones in the blood;
- Activation of the body's protective properties;
- Stimulation of metabolic processes;
- Strengthening blood vessels;
- Improved blood circulation.
Due to the fact that the heart begins to work harder, blood flows even to those corners where there is stagnation in the blood flow due to various pathological processes. This stimulation helps relieve anxiety and panic attacks.
Taking a contrast shower helps not only with vegetative-vascular dystonia, but is also beneficial for the body as a whole, as it cleanses the skin of toxins. They get clogged in the pores, and this physiotherapeutic procedure expands them and all harmful substances are washed off with water. The skin looks better and becomes more elastic.
By activating the body's protective properties, a contrast shower strengthens the immune system, acting as a hardening procedure. For people who want to lose weight, this type of bathing is also useful, because metabolic processes are stimulated, and in combination with diet and exercise, the result becomes more significant.
There is a certain benefit from such a shower for osteochondrosis. It represents disorders in articular cartilage and this pathological process takes a long time to be treated. For many people, changes last a lifetime, so it is important to take preventive measures, and a contrast shower is one of them. It can be used during the period of remission in the morning and evening. Due to its effect, such bathing increases the body’s resistance to future exacerbations of osteochondrosis. You can improve the result by using a contrast bath with saline solution or herbal decoction. However, such methods are not recommended for use during periods of exacerbation of osteochondrosis, so as not to aggravate the inflammatory process.
Why is physiotherapy more useful than drugs for vegetative-vascular dystonia?
In fact, it is wrong to talk about VSD as a disease; they want to use this term more conveniently. Dystonia is not a disease. This is a neuropsychiatric disorder expressed in a complex of symptoms. Manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia are very diverse. Their number and intensity depend on many factors: age, gender of the patient, general health, personality type and much more.
VSD can be a consequence of other diseases, as a concomitant disorder. Diseases of the endocrine system, consequences of traumatic brain injury and some diseases of the nervous system give symptoms very similar to vegetative dystonia. Therefore, it is always necessary to undergo a thorough diagnosis to identify or exclude somatic diseases.
In most cases, physiological diseases and other somatic factors causing VSD are not detected in people. There are symptoms (and sometimes very strong ones), but there are no causes as such. In such cases, dystonia is of a psychosomatic nature. That is, it arises against the background of psychological problems that a person cannot cope with for a long time. The reason may also be banal overwork, both physical and moral.
Why is VSD poorly treated with medications? Can a pill cure a mental problem or body fatigue? Of course not.
Most medications that are used for VSD and neuroses simply relieve symptoms, but do not get rid of the cause. Medicines are useful and necessary when terrible symptoms simply do not allow you to lead a normal life. But you should understand that various types of antidepressants, sedatives, tranquilizers, and adrenaline blockers themselves do not cure anything. The same cannot be said about physical therapy.
Since VSD is an imbalance of the nervous and vascular systems, they need to be strengthened. You can’t strengthen blood vessels with medications, but sweat exercises, contrast showers, massages can even tone them up.
Fortunately, during my VSD crisis (many years have passed since then), I quickly realized that the pills would not save me and abandoned them, leaving only a mixture of herbs (valerian, hawthorn, motherwort) in therapy.
Rules for bathing in a contrast shower
With VSD, people undergo symptomatic treatment and try to find and eliminate the cause of the problem. For this purpose, doctors carefully study all the symptoms that arise in the patient before prescribing any procedure, since it is rarely possible to find a factor influencing the development of pathology. When prescribing a contrast shower to a patient, the specialist must tell him about the rules for taking it:
- The patient should bathe in a contrast shower at any time of the year. It is better to select the time for the procedure 2-3 hours before bedtime and half an hour after waking up;
- The procedure always starts with hot water. After 1 minute, it must be switched abruptly to cold and you should stand under it for the same amount of time. It takes a long time to get used to certain temperatures. Beginners should start with slightly warm and slightly cold water;
- The water needs to be changed every minute, but it is advisable to try to stay under the hot pressure a little longer. When you turn on the cold jet, it should be directed immediately into the face so as not to overstrain the heart muscle;
- If contrast bathing consists of alternately pouring cold and hot buckets onto yourself, then it is advisable not to direct the flow of water onto your head. Otherwise, the recipient of water procedures may experience deterioration in vision and alopecia (hair loss);
- It is advisable to do 3 laps in total and finish with cold water. This is done with the aim of closing the cleansed skin pores and due to this effect they will remain clean longer;
- From the first time it is forbidden to use too hot and ice water. You need to get used to the temperature gradually and you can use an extremely cold stream to complete the procedure 2-3 weeks after the first bath and for no more than 3 seconds.
There is no need to lower or raise the temperature too quickly. You should get some kind of pleasure from a contrast shower, and not be afraid of the next change of water. If after the last circle there is still a feeling of friendliness in the limbs, then another cycle should be carried out, but with more time in warm water and a less cold stream at the end.
Symptoms of the disease
Before you begin self-treatment of PA, you need to know exactly what signs can be used to diagnose the disease.
Frequent panic attacks are accompanied by some common symptoms:
- Physiological:
- increased sweating;
- dizziness;
- increased blood pressure;
- feeling of increasing heat;
- headache;
- blurred vision;
- trembling and numbness of the limbs;
- lack of air.
2. Emotional:
- feelings of fear and anxiety;
- anxiety and excitement;
- negative thoughts;
- feeling of unreality.
Harm from the procedure
It is prohibited to use this procedure 2 times a day on an ongoing basis and after a month of an intensive course you need to take a 2-3 week break. After it, you can continue to take a contrast shower, but not more than 2 times a week.
In case of vegetative-vascular dystonia, it is not at all recommended to use too ice-cold water, since this disease is characterized by disruptions in the blood circulation of the extremities. An excessively cold stream can further aggravate vascular spasm and the person will begin to have convulsions.
The essence of such physiotherapy is artificially created stress for the body. If you perform the procedure constantly, then instead of strengthening the immune system and nervous system, you can get the opposite effect.
The benefits of the procedure for VSD
Symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia occur against the background of impaired functioning of the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system. The functioning of blood vessels in the skin and internal organs is disrupted with the development of a characteristic clinical picture (headache, tingling in the heart, shortness of breath, tachycardia).
This stabilizes the functions of the autonomic system through induced stress. Other positive properties:
- Toning the body . Releases of new portions of adrenaline activate the functioning of organs and increase their performance.
- Strengthening the immune system . With its help, they eliminate the symptoms of VSD, and also prevent respiratory viral diseases.
- Normalization of vascular function . The constant expansion and contraction of superficial arteries and veins makes them elastic, resilient, ready for a sharp change in diameter depending on external conditions.
The last factor is important and useful for patients with VSD, as it can stabilize the condition and improve well-being at home.
Mistakes when taking a contrast shower
Many people get too carried away with the process and strive to reach maximum performance in a short time. The main mistake is failing to stop in time. Water should bring pleasure to a person, and he should gradually get used to certain temperatures. If the jet causes discomfort, then the body is not yet ready for it. An incorrectly taken contrast shower will not have a positive effect on the nervous system and patients with VSD may suffer from it. Usually after it people go straight under the covers, and internal anxiety will begin to come out.
The second danger to humans due to non-compliance with the rules for accepting contrasting water procedures is the development of inflammation in the joints (adhesive capsulitis). It manifests itself in the form of constant pain, which is difficult to eliminate with medications and progresses over time. This pathology will have to be treated for quite a long time, and it often manifests itself in the form of relapses.
Treatment options
So, having dealt with the symptoms of panic attacks, you can begin treatment with folk remedies. There are many ways to deal with this unpleasant, and even instantaneous, condition, and here traditional medicine first of all comes to the rescue. Let's talk about how to treat neurosis and panic attacks at home.
But before turning to decoctions and infusions, it is worth trying several ways to get rid of panic attacks, which also do not require a trip to the doctor or special skills. To treat panic attacks at home, you can use one or more of the following methods.
Meditation
You should not be afraid of this action, since meditation does not necessarily imply adherence to a particular religion, but is one of the types of getting rid of negative thoughts and feelings. Meditation will not worsen the condition, it will help you relax and put your emotions in order. You just need to follow the established rules that help achieve the desired effect.
The main advantage of meditation is the gradually decreasing feeling of fear before the next attack. However, a stable psycho-emotional state can be maintained only through constant exercise, which should become a habit. Meditation will help you cope with growing fear, as well as understand yourself and develop a strong will.
Correct breathing
Breathing exercises will help you overcome anxiety and another panic attack. Scientists have confirmed that this method works directly, since one of the main symptoms of a seizure is rapid breathing, which directly affects its further development. Thanks to frequent training aimed at breathing, the necessary habit is acquired - during the next panic attack, the victim on a subconscious level breathes as taught by breathing exercises.
An effective option for dealing with an attack is to use a paper bag, which you need to apply to your mouth and breathe air from it. But this method is not suitable for everyone - some patients, on the contrary, feel that there is extremely little air, and this only further intensifies the panic attack.
Sport
Moderate physical activity not only tones all the muscles of the body and tidies up the figure, but also has a positive effect on overall health, including mental health. For those suffering from panic attacks, you need to remember the main rules: regular exercise and no overload.
Conversation with loved ones
Some patients see salvation in relatives and friends. That is why it is definitely worth sharing anxious experiences with them and talking about attacks, describing them in as much detail as possible, thereby releasing negative emotions.
Cold and hot shower
If a panic attack occurs at home or in a place where there is a bathroom, you should take a contrast shower as soon as possible. It is worth directing streams of water to all parts of the body in turn, while changing the temperature from cold to hot every 20 seconds.
Specialist help
Since the article talks about ways to treat panic attacks at home, turning to doctors is automatically discarded. But nowadays there are many different resources that help a person cope with emerging problems without leaving home. This includes videos on the topic of panic attacks. How to deal with them? How to overcome growing anxiety and fear? Answers to these and many other questions can be found on the YouTube channel of Nikita Baturin, a psychologist and specialist in working with fears, phobias, PA and other psychosomatic disorders.
Contraindications
A contrast shower, like any other physiotherapeutic procedure, is beneficial for the body, but has its contraindications. Because of them, the effect of therapy can harm a person. Doctors advise against this water procedure in the following cases:
- Pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
- Neuritis;
- Oncological diseases;
- High pressure;
- Thrombophlebitis;
- Severe mental disorders;
- Inflammation in the joints;
- Spinal diseases;
- Disruptions in the cerebral circulatory system.
Among the contraindications that are temporary in nature are the following:
- Critical days for girls;
- Exacerbation of chronic pathologies;
- Cold.
Experts do not recommend performing contrast water procedures after heavy exercise. Heated muscle tissue may suffer due to cold water. There is a chance of developing an inflammatory process, for example, polyarthritis.
https://youtu.be/PQsOIb604rs
Cold showers reduce anxiety
A study was conducted on patients suffering from anxiety disorders, comparing the use of hydrotherapy with the use of the drug Paxil. In the study, 237 patients with anxiety disorders were randomly assigned to balneotherapy (a treatment using water baths) and 120 were given the drug Paxil, a leading SSRI drug.
Patients treated with balneotherapy were examined weekly by a doctor and underwent bath procedures with mineral water every day for 21 days. Anxiety scores improved in both groups, but the hydrotherapy group had better results compared to those taking Paxil. Remission was also higher in the hydrotherapy group, and there were no side effects.
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Typical beginner mistakes
Often the cause of deterioration in the condition of patients with vegetative-vascular dystonia is the incorrect use of a contrast shower. Typical beginner mistakes:
- Hardening too often. The daily procedure does not bring benefits. They lead to disruptions in the body’s adaptation with subsequent progression of the disease.
- Use ice water immediately . In the early stages, the difference between temperatures should be small. Even experienced people do not use ice water, which is harmful to health.
For beginners, we recommend dousing with cold water only after intensive warming up, for example, after visiting a steam room:
- After a person stays in the steam room for several minutes, his heart rate increases to 100 or more, and sweat begins to appear intensely on his body. This indicates that the body is trying to get rid of excess heat.
- In this case, sudden but short cooling will be safe and will not lead to a cold. After all, cooling just takes away excess heat, but does not overcool the body.
That is why it is very pleasant to throw yourself into an ice pool after a steam room, or lie for a few seconds in clean snow. Of course, this should be done with caution, in the absence of contraindications to contrast procedures.
Source: distonija.ru
