Content
The benefits and harms of steaming legs is an important topic, since an inadvertently performed procedure can become dangerous to health. To understand when it can and cannot be carried out, you need to carefully study the effect of the procedure on the body.
Benefits of the procedure
Steaming feet is one of the main beneficial procedures recommended at the first sign of a cold. It is believed that steaming on time can activate the immune system and, as a result, the common cold can be avoided altogether.
The beneficial properties of the procedure are based on the fact that when the feet are immersed in a hot bath, the blood vessels expand. The blood flow is accelerated, the body temperature rises slightly, and the activity of leukocytes and lymphocytes - protective blood cells - increases. The immune system of the human body begins to work actively, due to which a virus or infection encounters strong resistance.
Useful steaming helps to stop the first symptoms of a runny nose and sore throat, helps with shortness of breath and mild chills. In addition, biologically active points of the human body are located on the feet - if you hover them, this will also help the body to resist disease.
For what diseases is it useful to soar legs
A cold is the main indication for soaring feet, but the procedure is beneficial not only for ARVI or flu. Traditional medicine recommends steaming for other painful conditions. Namely:
- dry cough - if you soar your feet in hot water, the benefit will be that phlegm will quickly begin to separate, which means that the cough will become more productive;
- with a cold, even if the outflow of mucus from the nose is not accompanied by a temperature, the procedure will still help relieve congestion and free breathing;
- with hypothermia it is useful to soar feet with mustard for an adult, this will quickly allow you to warm up and return to normal health;
- with calluses and corns - hot water softens hardened skin, and then calluses can be easily removed with a pumice stone;
- with insomniaif you soar your legs before bedtime, the benefits will manifest itself in an instant relaxing effect, and this will help you fall asleep faster;
- when tired - a hot bath will relax tense muscles and restore ease of movement;
- it is useful to soar your feet with gout - it helps to remove excess salts from the joints and delay the onset of the next exacerbation.
Soaring feet is effective in treating fungal diseases, especially if you add antibacterial agents to the hot water. Pathogenic microbes will be quickly destroyed, and the infection can be eliminated in a few days.
Is it harmful to soar your feet
Despite the listed beneficial properties of the procedure, many believe that the body receives only severe harm from steaming.Truth is in the middle between the two statements.
The benefits and harms of a hot foot bath depend on how well the treatment is performed. In some conditions, steaming can really be dangerous - an increase in body temperature and vasodilation will only harm and negatively affect your well-being.
When you can't hover your feet
Harm from steaming can be obtained if a useful procedure is carried out in a state when an increase in temperature and acceleration of blood circulation are extremely undesirable.
During pregnancy
The procedure is beneficial and harmful for women - you cannot soar your legs during the period of bearing a child. Under the influence of hot water, blood vessels expand not only in the legs, but throughout the body, in particular, in the tissues of the uterus. From this, strong muscle contractions can begin, and they are fraught with early miscarriage or premature birth, if there is not much time left before the baby is born.
Thus, it is necessary to stop hovering legs immediately after it became known about pregnancy.
However, the woman's well-being should be good - in the presence of fever, heart ailments or with an increased risk of internal bleeding, legs should still not be floated.
With varicose veins
Varicose veins are a disease characterized by a noticeable, unhealthy enlargement of the veins in the legs. Since steaming in hot water expands the vessels even more, with varicose veins, the useful procedure will have to be abandoned, it will only worsen the condition and bring harm.
At a temperature
Despite the fact that the main indication for soaring feet is a cold, you cannot make hot baths at elevated temperatures. A useful procedure raises the body temperature, and if the patient already has a high fever, this will negatively affect his well-being. The temperature will rise even more, and it will be difficult to bring it down. In addition, the blood circulation, which is additionally accelerated by hot water, will put an extra burden on the heart and weaken the body.
With high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases
For hypertension and cardiac ailments, accelerated blood circulation is characteristic, which creates a constant load on the blood vessels and the heart - and this load is harmful. Accordingly, it is prohibited to carry out steaming for such diseases - the condition may worsen noticeably immediately after the procedure. Sudden pressure surges or tachycardia are not excluded - there will be no benefit to the body from this.
During your period
The properties of the procedure cause accelerated blood circulation and a sharp rush of blood to the lower body. During your period, this will increase bleeding. Even if the body is not seriously damaged, the woman's well-being will still deteriorate, since the body will lose many useful substances along with the blood.
How to soar your feet
In order for the properties of a therapeutic and prophylactic procedure to bring benefit, and not harm, it is necessary to know the rules for its implementation.
It is customary to soar your feet not in a basin, as many people mistakenly believe, but in a bucket or in a half-filled bath. The water should not only cover the feet, but also reach the middle of the lower leg or knee, otherwise there will be little benefit from it.
If you plan to soar your feet to relieve fatigue, stress or to soften calluses, the water temperature should be only 37-40 ° C. At the first symptoms of a cold or hypothermia, water can be taken hotter - up to 42 ° C. It is not recommended to use a hotter liquid, in which case its properties will harm the heart and blood vessels.
The very useful procedure is carried out as follows:
- hot water is poured into a bucket or bath, they sit comfortably on a chair or stool and lower their legs into the liquid;
- since the water is constantly cooling down, every couple of minutes a little boiling water is added to the container with a ladle - the temperature should constantly be at the level of 37-42 ° С;
- in total, it is necessary to soar your legs no longer than a quarter of an hour, after which the procedure will begin to be harmful.
After a useful steaming, the feet are wiped dry with a towel, while not rubbing, and warm socks are put on. It is best to soar your legs at night - the benefits will be maximum, because immediately after warming up, the body will be able to relax and go to sleep.
In cold weather, steamed legs are very easy to overcool, and instead of feeling better, get a cold.
How to soar the feet of a child
You can soar your feet with a runny nose and other painful conditions not only for adults, but also for children. In general, the procedure is carried out according to the classical scheme, but there are several features:
- Infants and toddlers cannot use healthy steaming - their bodies are still too weak. The earliest age for the procedure is 4 years.
- The duration of the procedure should be shorter - soaring feet in salt water for the benefit of the child only needs 5-10 minutes.
- Water in a bucket or a tall basin should be poured not as hot as for adults, 37-40 ° C will be quite enough even with a cold.
- When steaming legs, it is important to ensure that the entire body of the child is warm. It is better to wrap the baby with a blanket so that an accidental draft does not harm him.
It is strictly forbidden to soar the feet of children at elevated temperatures. Parents should be very careful when pouring water into the basin and constantly check if it is too hot to avoid burns.
The doctor must confirm that the child does not have strict contraindications for steaming legs.
Healing supplements for hot baths
Soaring your feet with bronchitis and other diseases is useful in itself, even if you use extremely hot water for this. But even more benefit from the procedure will be if you use healing additives, they will enhance the steaming effect and help you quickly cope with the ailment.
Herbal decoctions
Often, the properties of herbal decoctions - mint, chamomile and sage are used as useful additives for steaming feet. It is especially useful to soar your feet with sinusitis and colds with the addition of herbal remedies.
Herbs not only supply the body with nutrients through the pores of the skin. The most valuable properties of the supplements are that they create an inhalation effect - simultaneously with steaming the legs, the sick person inhales healing vapors. The relief of the condition after this comes faster.
Essential oils
For colds, supplements from essential oils will also be of no less benefit. They will also have an inhalation effect and help to relieve the symptoms of influenza and SARS even faster. As a rule, it is recommended to steam feet with the following oils:
- lemon - the properties of the oil well eliminate nasal congestion, puffiness, fight viruses;
- lavender - helps relieve inflammation, enhances immunity;
- sage - the properties of the oil are especially beneficial for colds, fight bacteria;
- eucalyptus - effectively relieves nasal congestion, removes fatigue and eliminates inflammation;
- mint - has analgesic properties, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
Mustard
In case of a cold, it is recommended to soar your feet with mustard - the benefit will be that the additive will help enhance the warming effect of the bath.To carry out the procedure in hot water, you need to dissolve only 1 large spoonful of mustard powder, and if the bath is made for a child, the dosage is reduced to half a spoon. It is useful to soar with mustard for cystitis - the remedy helps to quickly relieve inflammation.
Hydrogen peroxide
The beneficial properties of peroxide are commonly used to treat fungal infections or to eliminate excessive sweating of the feet. The dosage for the peroxide is about 4 large spoons per 1.5 L of water.
If you soar your legs every day, the benefit will be that the properties of peroxide will quickly eliminate fungal microorganisms, regulate sweating and also help get rid of corns.
Soda
For colds, constant fatigue syndrome of the legs, with a runny nose and cough, it is recommended to soar your legs with baking soda - the benefit lies in the fact that the agent has a disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effect. In 2 liters of hot liquid, add 2 large tablespoons of baking soda, at this concentration, the properties will not harm the skin.
Vinegar
With fungi, calluses and fatigue, it is good to soar your feet with vinegar - the benefits will appear very quickly. In 2 liters of water, you need to add a glass of table vinegar - it is best to take apple cider vinegar 6%. It is recommended to steam your feet every day until the problem disappears, and you can take moderately hot water during the procedure, up to 40 ° C.
Salt
Soaring your feet with sea salt will be beneficial in almost all situations. Salt is a universal remedy - it relaxes muscles and relieves swelling, improves blood flow and warms up, and fights fungus. To soak your feet with salt with benefit, you need to add a handful of good sea salt to 2 liters of water and wait until it completely dissolves.
Laundry soap
Another interesting foot bath additive is laundry soap. Rub a small block on a grater to make 3 large spoons, and add the crushed product to a container of water.
The properties of the soap help to effectively fight fungus, sweating and calluses on the skin. If the limbs are soaked in a hot soapy solution, it will quickly soften the corns, and this will contribute to their trouble-free removal.
Iodine
For the disinfection of calluses and corns, as well as for getting rid of the fungus, you can use iodine, which is present in every home medicine cabinet. It is necessary to add about 15 drops of the product to the bath. The properties of iodine, if you steam your feet regularly, will help eliminate bacteria and reduce sweating. By the way, you can use the supplement, including, together with salt - the beneficial properties of the procedure will only increase from this.
Milk
A good cosmetic supplement for a foot bath is regular fat milk. You can use it both separately and with soda. About 2 liters of milk is added to the foot bath, and if you wish, you can completely replace the water with hot milk. Soaring feet in milk is useful, because the skin of the legs will become noticeably softer and whiter, velvety will appear, the skin will stop cracking and peeling.
Clay
In order to soar your feet and take care of your skin, any type of cosmetic clay is very suitable - blue, white, black. Usually, 4 large tablespoons of clay powder are diluted in 3 liters of hot liquid, and then another 2 tablespoons of baking soda are added to them.
If we are talking about the treatment of colds, then the useful properties of such a bath will be somewhat lower. However, for foot care and for general relaxation, clay is a very good additive - if you steam your limbs with clay, the procedure can replace trips to the beautician.
How often can legs soar
If you follow the basic recommendations, soaring your feet is quite safe and very valuable for health. There will be no harm, even if you carry out the procedure daily - it will be especially beneficial for colds.
But doing baths more often than once a day is still not recommended - it can harm both the skin of the legs and the general state of health.
Conclusion
The benefits and harms of steaming feet depend on the health of a particular person. With many ailments and conditions, the procedure is strictly prohibited - it is simply dangerous. But if there are no contraindications, then healing baths with additives and without them will have a positive effect on the body.
Reviews
