How does hot water work?
There is evidence that stimulation of certain skin surfaces has a strong effect on distant or deep organs.
This is explained by a reflex reaction transmitted through the nerves to the brain, which in turn affects blood circulation. The skin surface of the legs and feet has a reflex effect on the brain, lungs and pelvic organs. Applying heat usually draws more blood to the site, stimulates the activity of white blood cells to fight infections, helps relax muscles, and ease cramping pain.
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A temperature of 37 is not considered high, but it is a symptom of trouble in the body. This temperature can be a sign not only of colds and infectious diseases, but also of other pathologies (tuberculosis, tumors, VSD, chronic diseases). It depends on this how the treatment will proceed, and whether you can hover your legs or not.
With salt
Salt is no less effective than mustard plasters in the fight against colds. You can use table or sea food.
Salt accelerates blood circulation, increases tone and helps to cope with ARVI faster. It increases sweating and copes with swelling. In addition, salt perfectly softens the skin, so after the procedure you can eliminate corns and even get a pedicure.
You can dissolve salt in hot water, so first it is dissolved at a temperature of 50 degrees or higher, then cool water is added to the basin and brought to a temperature of 38-40 °C. You should steam your feet for 15 minutes, then rinse them and wipe them dry. At the end of the procedure, it is recommended to apply a moisturizer to prevent drying and only then put on socks.
Chills at high temperature: causes
We will look at chills associated with fever, or fever. Fever occurs due to the fact that pathogenic agents - microbes or viruses - have entered the body and must be fought against. To activate his defenses, he needs to increase his temperature. And due to vascular spasm, heat transfer to the external environment decreases, and internal heating occurs more efficiently.
However, the patient himself feels overwhelmed, feels cold, weak and achy. There is a need to do something to improve your condition.
Don't let your feet soar at 37
In the following situations, it is not prohibited to hover your feet:
- for the prevention and control of colds (fever up to 37.5, malaise, nasal congestion may be the first signs of an incipient cold);
- to relieve a runny nose;
- ARVI;
- to improve the course of bronchitis, lung diseases due to blood stagnation;
- reducing headaches as a result of eliminating congestion in the blood vessels of the brain;
- reducing symptoms of damage to the genitourinary system and rectum caused by stagnation of blood in the pelvis;
- to strengthen the immune system (the procedure increases the activity of white blood cells that carry out immune defense);
- to warm the body;
- for relaxation and calm.
Even if the temperature has not risen above 37.5, you should not hover your legs:
- during menstruation;
- with insufficient blood circulation in the legs (diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases);
- with reduced skin sensitivity, when the water temperature is not felt;
- when there are wounds or rashes on the skin;
- if the patient is shivering (this happens before the temperature rises to 38.5 or more);
- for infectious diseases.
If the patient’s thermometer readings are constantly within the range of 37.5, then you need to pay attention to the patient’s temperature. If it begins to grow, the procedure should be stopped. The increase in temperature during thermal procedures is individual and often natural. If during a hot foot bath the thermometer rose to 38.5 or higher, then the next time the thermometer reaches 37.5, it is better to abandon this procedure.
To prevent fever, you need to warm your feet and legs correctly. It is important not to forget to drink water during the procedure and apply a cold compress to your head (forehead). Measure the water temperature with a thermometer, not with your hand. This will avoid exposing the skin of your feet and legs to too hot water, protecting the body from overheating.
There is one nuance that makes performing a foot bath difficult. When a person is sick, it is difficult for him to move or do anything. Therefore, care is provided by family members or others. If there is no one to prepare everything necessary for such a procedure (heat water, pour it into a basin, control the water temperature, add hot water, wipe with a towel), then this becomes an obstacle to its implementation. You shouldn’t tire yourself unnecessarily; it’s better to lie down, drink water, take medications and sleep.
When are foot baths helpful?
Baths can be considered an effective remedy for colds and flu - doctors do not deny this. But only if the procedure is carried out correctly. It is useless to warm only the feet - the legs should be immersed in water up to the shins.
This is the first rule that most patients are not aware of. And then they wonder why, despite all the measures taken, they still had to go to bed with a severe cough, runny nose and fever for a week or more.
The second, no less important rule for warming foot baths: you cannot steam your feet even at a low temperature of about 37 degrees, especially if it rises to 38. In this case, any water warming procedures, even a hot shower, are contraindicated, not to mention long-term steaming of the lower extremities.
Ideally, soak your feet in a bathtub one-third full. As a result, maximum blood outflow from the upper body and its flow to the legs will be ensured. This is precisely the meaning of warming up.
Third rule: you don’t need to soak your feet in unbearably hot water, as many people do. What should be the optimal water temperature? From 38 to 45 degrees – and no more. First, pour water at medium temperature. Then add hot water little by little.
There is also no need to sit with your feet immersed in a basin of water for hours - 20-30 minutes is enough for a therapeutic effect.
Temperature – friend or foe
Reaching values up to 38-38.5 degrees, the temperature has a healing function. It helps immune system cells attack opponents - viruses and microbes. Therefore, by knocking it down with antipyretics at low levels, we prolong the course of the disease and may get an unexpected surprise in the form of a severe exacerbation against the background of a seemingly low temperature.
Doctors recommend lowering the temperature with medications after 38.5 degrees, except in cases where a lower increase is poorly tolerated by the body, febrile convulsions occur, etc. Then you need to do it earlier. But when the mercury column approaches the number 40, a situation arises that is dangerous for the body; this temperature must be reduced, and as quickly as possible.
With mustard
Official medicine recognizes mustard plasters as a remedy. It contains many microelements and has bactericidal properties. Baths with mustard will warm up the entire body and remove toxins. It helps eliminate muscle tension and relieve pain, relieve swelling of the respiratory tract.
Foot baths with mustard will be effective if the procedure is carried out when the first symptoms of a cold appear. The procedure is carried out as follows:
- water is heated to 38-40 °C;
- pour into a small container, the water in it should reach the ankle;
- add dry mustard (2-3 tbsp), for children the dose is halved;
- the mustard is thoroughly stirred;
- feet plunge into the water.
As the water cools, you can add hot water. The duration of the manipulation is no more than 20 minutes. When finished, rinse your feet with clean warm water, dry your feet thoroughly, and put on wool socks to keep warm.
The procedure is not recommended for longer than 3 days in a row. The optimal amount per day is 2-3 times.
An interesting fact is that mustard, thanks to its essential oils, softens the skin well. After the procedure, you can simply actively rub your heels with a brush and the stratum corneum will quickly come off.
Chills at high temperatures: what not to do
- Wrap up. Covering ourselves with warm blankets in order to keep warm during chills at high temperatures, we create the effect of a thermos. A sick person produces an increased amount of heat, but there is nowhere for the heat to escape, and it remains inside, heating the internal organs to critical levels, despite the fact that the skin may be cold to the touch.
- Drink tea with raspberries or honey. They tend to increase body temperature, so they are contraindicated during chills at high temperatures.
- Put mustard plasters, soar your feet and take other similar measures. All for the same reason - additional heating.
- Reduce the temperature below 38-38.5 with antipyretics. You need to be especially careful with aspirin and other drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid due to the risk of developing a complication dangerous to the brain and liver - Reye's syndrome. For this reason, they are prohibited for children under 12 years of age and pregnant women.
Bathroom with aroma effect
Acting on the feet, moderately hot water causes a skin reaction that stimulates blood circulation, which affects all internal organs.
The body increases the activity of leukocytes, which directly fight infections.
The body also warms up, sweating increases, muscles relax, and spastic pain goes away.
The main situations in which it is permissible to take warming foot baths:
- hypothermia of the body;
- first symptoms of acute respiratory infections;
- runny nose;
- bronchitis;
- pneumonia;
- headache;
- diseases of the pelvic organs.
In the following situations, you should not hover your feet under any circumstances:
- skin disorders, rashes, insect bites;
- menstruation;
- infectious diseases;
- insufficient blood circulation in the extremities;
- chills.
In such cases, it is better to prefer a similar hand bath.
The effect, of course, will be much smaller, but it is completely safe.
You can go further by using an entire bathroom instead of a basin. It is recommended to supplement the procedure by adding a decoction of sage, chamomile, eucalyptus, pine needles or St. John's wort to the water. Essential oils will also be useful, for example, rosemary, tea tree, thuja, citrus, and fir oil. The result will be a double effect, combining warming up the body with inhalation.
Contraindications: we treat - we do not cripple
Hot foot baths have a number of contraindications:
- pregnancy;
- children under one year of age;
- temperature above 37 degrees in children and above 37.5 in adults;
- hypertension and hemophilia;
- allergic reactions to additives;
- individual intolerance.
Everyone decides for themselves whether to soar their feet when they have a cold and a temperature of 37 degrees or not. In general, in the absence of direct contraindications and monitoring of the body’s condition, the procedure is safe and promotes recovery. Although there is no clinical evidence for this.
How does footwear affect a child’s health?
For children, such procedures help relieve cold symptoms or prevent them altogether, for example, when the feet become cold. But here's what you need to remember:
- the thermometer should not show more than 37.50;
- closely monitor the child’s well-being and temperature during the procedure;
- the child should not worry or be afraid;
- Not only the feet, but also the legs should be in the water (use a basin with high walls, a bucket);
- It is better to steam your feet before daytime or nighttime sleep;
- Do not delay the procedure for more than 10 minutes;
- If the child sweats, be sure to wipe the skin dry.
You can read more about how to hover your child’s legs here!
The therapeutic effect is enhanced by various additives: mustard, sea salt, eucalyptus oil. The main effect is exerted by high water temperature (39-40 degrees). After using the additives, be sure to thoroughly wash the skin with water at the end of the procedure.
Mustard has an additional irritant effect on the skin, increasing blood circulation. The duration of the procedure when using mustard is reduced to 5 minutes in children and 10 minutes in adults. Find out more about how to soar your feet with mustard here.
The addition of sea salt does not cause any discomfort and is well tolerated by children. 4-5 drops of eucalyptus oil added to water have not only a direct effect on the skin of the feet. When eucalyptus oil evaporates, an inhalation effect is created, which has a healing effect on the sore nasopharynx. The downside to using this supplement may be increased sensitivity to the smell of eucalyptus.
When is it prohibited?
Is it possible to soar your feet at this temperature? It is strictly prohibited if it has reached 37.5 OS or higher. During the procedure, the body temperature rises, which will negatively affect the weakened body. It will be much more difficult to bring her down. Hot water also increases blood circulation. And this puts extra stress on the heart muscle.
An absolute contraindication to such manipulation is pregnancy. During the procedure, blood drains from the placenta, the baby is almost completely deprived of nutrition, which can cause a miscarriage. There are no contraindications during lactation, since the procedure poses no danger to either the child or the mother.
Other conditions and diseases for which you should not hover your feet:
- Varicose veins Dilated veins will suffer even more from increased blood circulation.
- Trophic ulcer.
- Hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. With such pathologies, there is strong pressure on the heart muscle and blood vessels, and in addition, simulating blood circulation can cause tachycardia or a sharp rise in pressure.
- Menstruation. In this condition, hot water will only increase the flow of blood.
- Frostbite. Under no circumstances should frostbitten feet be immersed in hot water. Sudden changes in temperature will negatively affect capillaries and blood vessels.
- Oncological diseases.
The procedure is not recommended if you have diabetes. If you are prone to allergic reactions, you should carefully select the ingredients for preparing the mixture to warm your feet.
Chills at high temperatures: how to alleviate the patient’s condition
- The most important rule when the temperature rises, be it chills or fever, is to drink plenty of warm fluids. Liquid is needed to quickly remove the products of the fight against bacteria and viruses that poison the body, as well as to replenish losses lost through sweat. You can drink teas, juices, fruit drinks, water. But sweet carbonated drinks, coffee and alcohol are contraindicated at fever, as they will create additional stress on an already exhausted body. It is better to drink little by little, but often, especially in the case of young children who experience increased needs for fluid at a temperature, but are often capricious when sick, and it can be difficult to give them something to drink.
- Maintain a comfortable temperature in the room, periodically ventilating it in the absence of the patient. The air should not be too hot and dry.
- A safe non-drug way to reduce the temperature by 1-1.5 degrees is rubbing. You can wipe yourself with plain water (this method is suitable for small children), as well as with vodka or vinegar solution (one tablespoon of 6% vinegar per liter of water). Places for wiping are those where blood vessels pass close - neck, wrists, joints of the arms and legs. You can also place a napkin soaked in cool water on your forehead.
- Wear light clothing made from natural fabrics. Unlike warm clothes, it helps remove excess heat.
Swimming at high temperatures: pros and cons
Is it possible to wash if you have the flu or a sore throat? Opponents of the idea of swimming when you have a cold say that water procedures can weaken our body. Why can't you wash in such a situation? The fear is that it will only worsen the patient’s condition. Despite the fact that a bath usually has a positive effect on a person, during illness it is advisable to be more careful with this matter.
Some experts, on the contrary, confirm the need to wash when you have a cold. At this time, we often drink tea, water, and antipyretics. As a result, we sweat. The pores on our skin begin to clog. This makes it more difficult to remove toxins from the body. This is why doctors allow taking a shower at fever.
Increased body temperature and water procedures
ARVI and influenza can incapacitate a person for a long time, and if treatment is not started in a timely manner, they lead to serious complications.
At the first symptoms of a cold, in addition to the use of pharmaceuticals, many people remember time-tested effective recipes for alternative healing, familiar from the experience of grandmothers and recognized by official medicine. Hot foot baths are considered an effective procedure. They successfully help relieve swelling of the respiratory tract, nasal congestion, and improve the patient’s well-being due to increased blood circulation. For the procedure to be beneficial, certain rules must be followed when warming up. The most important question that worries those who have had a cold is whether it is possible to soar your feet at a temperature.
The action of hot baths is based on a reflex reaction. Cooling the legs causes dilation of the vessels in the nasopharynx, leading to more intense mucus production.
When the legs are heated, on the contrary, there is a reflex narrowing of the nasal vessels and a decrease in mucus secretion in the tissues of the nasopharynx and bronchi. As a result, it becomes easier to breathe.
In addition, warming the legs and venous outflow cause an increase in blood temperature and warming up the entire body from the inside.
In the course of experimental studies and in practice, information was obtained that the beneficial effect is based on an involuntary reaction of nerve signal transmission, affecting vascular tone.
However, it is important to find out whether it is possible to soar your feet at a temperature of 37 degrees.
Warming your feet when you have a cold:
- promotes vasodilation and increased blood circulation;
- eliminates congestion and relieves swelling;
- increases the secretion of sweat, which removes toxins from the body;
- relieves symptoms of nasal congestion and swelling of the mucous membrane;
- promotes the removal of mucus from the respiratory tract and facilitates the breathing process.
Warming the feet is most effective at the initial stage of a cold or to prevent illness, for example, after accidental hypothermia. If symptoms are spreading, hot foot baths alone will not help.
Warming procedures for colds cannot serve as the main method of therapy; they are recommended to be used as an auxiliary technique that complements the main treatment.
Warming your feet using hot baths is one of the methods of physiotherapy. An increase in body temperature above 37.5 degrees confirms inflammation occurring in the human body, which the immune system vigorously fights through the production of antibodies. That is why the solution to the problem of whether it is possible to soar your feet at a temperature of 38 is clearly negative.
Under the influence of heat, venous blood is heated. As a result, it is possible to cause not relief of the patient’s condition, but a deterioration - an increase in temperature.
And for people with vein diseases (varicose veins, thrombophlebitis) it is unsafe to have their legs soar. Warming the lower extremities in hot water can aggravate the inflammation and complicate the patient's well-being.
This fact explains why you should not steam your feet at temperatures.
If you use the traditional method, you should consult a doctor at what temperature you can steam your feet.
Hot baths are usually used to prevent illness in case of hypothermia or at the very beginning of the disease, while there is no increase in temperature. At high values of the thermometer scale, warming measures are unacceptable. In this state, the body fights itself.
It is permissible to hover your feet at a temperature of 37o. A decrease in temperature indicates a decrease in inflammation. At this moment, warming up the feet will have an undoubted benefit, will promptly support the immune system and contribute to the restoration of a weakened body.
Sometimes tenths of a degree affect the condition of patients, so it is natural for them to wonder whether it is possible to hover their legs at a temperature of 37.2. It is permissible to warm up at 37.5°, however, in this case, overheating and an increase in the value of the thermometer scale may occur during the session.
It is advisable to carry out the procedure before bedtime. Immediately after warming up, you should not leave the house for several hours.
Warming procedures for the lower extremities have virtually no age-related contraindications. They can be prescribed even to the youngest patients. Before starting foot warming treatment for children, you should consult your pediatrician.
Some of them recommend using dry heat at a younger age, but everyone can tell you at what temperature a child’s feet should not be steamed. Warming foot baths for children are carried out subject to the same restrictions as for all patients.
However, many requirements are more stringent.
It is of great importance for parents to decide whether it is possible to soar the child’s feet at a temperature. If the level of 37.5 degrees is exceeded, warming procedures are not carried out so as not to cause an increase in fever.
It is necessary to maintain a favorable water temperature - no higher than 40 degrees, while adults can use 45 degree water. In this case, as it cools, you can carefully add hot water in small portions. If the baby is uncomfortable, he will not want to continue the warming session.
In addition, due to the thermoregulation of the child’s body that has not yet been formed and the vessels located close to the surface, excessive thermal effects can cause overheating or burns.
The duration of the procedure for children should also be reduced to 10 minutes, in contrast to the permissible duration of warming up for adults - from 20 to 30 minutes.
During the session, children should not be left unattended so that they do not remove their feet from the water and do not cool them. In this case, instead of benefit, there will only be worsening of the condition.
It is best to conduct the session in a playful way - with your favorite toys, for example, or accompanied by fairy tales, so that the baby can withstand the warming up without discomfort.
Warming baths should be planned before bedtime (possibly before daytime). After warming up, the child needs:
- wipe your feet dry;
- put on warm socks;
- wipe off sweat if it appears;
- put him to bed, properly wrapped.
At what temperature an adult’s legs can be steamed, the patient decides independently. It depends on the state of his health, the doctor’s prescription and a reasonable approach to treatment.
Is it possible to wash?
Water procedures, which in previous times were considered contraindicated during a cold, are in fact not only permitted, but simply necessary.
They usually help reduce fever, and in some cases can even help recovery if done correctly, taking precautions and avoiding hypothermia after swimming. The main conditions are to minimize the time spent in the water and not overdo it with its warmth.
Too hot water (above 38 degrees) can provoke an even greater increase in temperature and overheating of the body. The best option is to take a shower before bed.
When the temperature worsens, immersion in hot water is not recommended. You can take a dip at 37o if you follow specific simple requirements. The heat of the water should not exceed body temperature to avoid overheating. The duration of the event should not be abused: it is recommended to bliss out in the bath for no longer than 1/3 of an hour, and for children the duration of the session should be reduced to 10 minutes.
In principle, those who suffer from:
- heart failure;
- high blood pressure;
- vascular pathologies (varicose veins, thrombophlebitis);
- diabetes mellitus;
- during pregnancy;
- under the influence of alcohol.
In all these cases, the best option to get rid of body pollution is to take a shower, observing temperature and time restrictions.
A favorable time for swimming is the evening, because immediately after washing you can go under the covers to bed and prevent hypothermia. This supports the action of the immune system in the fight against pathology.
At high temperatures, steaming in a bathhouse is strictly prohibited. This is due to complications:
- increased load on the heart;
- increased temperature and overheating;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- increased blood pressure.
Conclusion
The solution to the problem of whether it is possible to steam your feet at high temperatures is clear. This cannot be done if the thermometer rises above 37.5 degrees.
Warming the lower extremities is considered one of the effective methods of curing colds at home.
Patients decide for themselves at what temperature to steam their feet.
The advantages of the procedure are the absence of harm and cost-effectiveness.
If key conditions are met and there are no contraindications, complications with such therapy are unlikely.
A moderate increase in body temperature is a completely normal, useful reaction of the body aimed at protecting it. This is how the immune system reacts to the onset of inflammation and actively fights viruses by producing antibodies.
Blood begins to flow faster, which simultaneously increases the load on the heart muscle and lungs. Each organism reacts to such processes individually.
If the temperature does not exceed 37.5 degrees, it is permissible to hover your feet. But since its causes may be serious pathologies, it is better not to take risks, but to find out the source of such a disorder. But what if the thermometer scale approaches 38 degrees?
After all, warming your feet will only increase blood flow. Such games with one's own body can cause an uncontrolled rise in temperature and a deterioration in the overall condition. There is no need to push an already weakened body to the brink by engaging in such treatment.
Many. As soon as colds appear, they immediately begin treatment, or with medications, having first consulted a doctor. or using traditional medicine - self-medicating, alas... this is a fact.