Summer Bathing Tips to Soothe Heat Irritation

The early summer heat that has arrived is on the rise. It is not enough to make you sweat even if you sit still, but it is enough to cause stress and irritation. The best way to do this is to take a bath that not only washes away sweat and dirt but also relaxes your whole body. The commonly known bath is good, but what about other healthy bathing methods, such as cold-water friction or dry cloth friction?

Rub my whole body

It is a well-known fact that bathing is good not only for beauty but also for health. It not only cleanses the body, but also relieves physical and mental fatigue and relieves adult diseases common in modern people, thus having a triple effect. That's not all. It promotes blood circulation, regulates the autonomic nervous system, and has calming and pain-relieving effects. Furthermore, the buoyancy and water pressure generated by the depth of the water when bathing help relax the body and build strong basic physical strength.

Early summer is the season when you want to take a bath more than ever. There is a way to cool down the stimulation and stress caused by the heat, and that is the cold water friction and dry cloth friction (乾布摩擦) that is strongly recommended in oriental medicine.

The secretion of adrenal cortex hormones that promote physical activity and muscle movement increases significantly in the early morning, which is a mystery of our body. Therefore, if you rub with cold water or a dry cloth in the early morning, you can produce adrenal cortex hormones abundantly and have an energetic day. If it is difficult to rub your bare body in the morning, it is recommended to wash at least the area around the nape of your neck. There are many acupressure points on the nape of your neck, and rubbing these points will strengthen your immune function.

Cold water friction

First, soak your feet in hot water for 1-2 minutes. First, soak cotton gloves in lukewarm water, drain them, and rub your entire body for 5-8 seconds. Rub the arms and legs farthest from your heart first, and then your heart last. After rubbing the gloves, quickly cover your body with a dry towel and rub again with a dry towel. Repeat this method 3-5 times, lowering the temperature of the water the gloves were soaked in by 3-4 degrees. Cold water rubbing is effective in maintaining your condition and strengthening your immunity, but it is recommended to avoid it for patients with a fever or weak immunity. Also, if you shiver or your skin becomes flushed while rubbing with cold water, you should stop.

Dry friction

It helps strengthen the intestines and helps you sleep well. It is also effective in preventing colds and is very effective in reducing body fat in obese people. Rub your whole body with a dry towel until you feel slightly warm.

In that order,

• arms (from fingertips to shoulders)

• legs (from toes to thighs)

• stomach (rub clockwise in a circular motion centered on the navel)

• back (hold the ends of the towel with both hands and rub diagonally)

• both chests (rub clockwise, dividing both chests)

• neck (rub the front from the chin to the chest, and rub up and down centered on

• The cervical spine that protrudes at the back

• center of the chest (rub in a circular motion).

It's okay to soak it in hot water.

People who are sensitive to heat, especially those who suffer from insomnia, are advised to take a warm bath at night. There are various methods of bathing, such as a full-body bath, where you submerge your entire body, a half-body bath, where you submerge only below the navel (반신욕, 半身浴), and a foot bath, where you submerge only below the knees (각탕, 脚湯).

Warm soaking bath and Hot soaking bath

A warm soaking bath (온욕, 溫浴) is a full-body bath of 100-104 degrees. If you soak your whole body in water for 10-20 minutes, fatigue and stress will be relieved to some extent. In the case of a full-body bath, it is good for physical workers to alternate between high and low temperatures, and it is good for mental workers to soak their bodies in low temperatures for a long time. When taking a hot soaking bath (열탕욕, 熱湯浴), it is good to set the water temperature to 109-111 degrees and keep changing the hot water.

A half-body bath will start to make you sweat after about 5 minutes, and 10-20 minutes is enough. When your shoulders are stiff from stress and overwork, taking a half-body bath will help to expel toxins from the upper body, making you feel refreshed, and is also very good for relieving the early symptoms of a cold.

Foot bath

Pour 104 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) hot water into the water tank and submerge up to below the knees, then cover the area above the knees with a blanket. Continue pouring boiling water to increase the temperature by 33 degrees every 5 minutes. Soak for 20 minutes until it reaches 109 degrees (43 degrees Celsius), then soak in 57 degrees (14 degrees Celsius) cold water for about 2 minutes, wipe off the moisture, and lie comfortably until the sweat dries.

The hot and cold bath method is to soak the area below the knees in 104 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) hot water for 5 minutes, then in 60 degrees (15 degrees Celsius) cold water for 5 minutes, repeating 4 to 5 times. This way, you can enjoy the effects of a full-body bath without putting a strain on your heart, and you can easily do it at home. Just soaking your knees in hot water for 20 minutes will improve blood circulation and make you sweat all over your body, but alternating between hot and cold water stimulates the central nervous system, making the sweating effect even greater. It is recommended to keep the temperature difference between hot and cold water at 68 degrees (20 degrees Celsius) or more.

When you don't sweat while taking a bath, it is good to drink warm ginger tea. After sweating, it is even better to drink vegetable or fruit juice, persimmon leaf tea, etc, within an hour. It can treat diseases that cause fever, such as colds, edema, high blood pressure, and insomnia, and it is also very effective in calming the mind and body and recovering from fatigue.

Yin-Yang Cross Bath

Take a bath in warm and cold water. It promotes energy circulation, increases body resistance, and is also good for recovering from fatigue. It also makes blood vessels contract and expand repeatedly, which facilitates blood and lymph circulation. Immerse your whole body in 61-63 degree water for 1 minute, then immerse in hot water for 1 minute, and repeat 5 times. In cold water, gently massage the stiff parts of your body, and in hot water, just relax.

Photo by Anastasia Nikitina on Unsplash