Friction for Reaction
Dressing without drying is an excellent plan for those who have good reactive powers, especially during moderate weather. When reaction is perfect, this practice provides a brief vapor bath and increases the depurating activities of the skin, just as does the wet-sheet pack. But it naturally causes more loss of heat than when “the body is dried at once, and for the average individual rubbing dry with a coarse towel is the better plan. This procedure favors reaction both through the effect of the friction and the exercise of applying it. In fact, this rubbing is very good exercise when properly done and constitutes a good part of the exercise following the bath. Rubbing and scrubbing the skin increases the move¬ment of many extra gallons of blood through the tissues. This helps carry away poisons and brings into the tissues fresh clean blood.
In order to get the greatest enjoyment and benefit from cold baths vigorous friction should be applied during their progress. This causes some loss of body heat, because it brings the blood to the surface in contact with the cold water; but as the cold bath is of short duration, this loss is not suf¬ficient to reduce the reactive power and the feeling of warmth induced favors reaction. In summer, or at any other time when the body is superheated, friction during the cold bath will be useful as an aid in lowering the body heat.
COLD COMPRESS.—See Compresses.
COLB FRICTION MITT.—See Mitten Friction Bath, Cold. COLD-MITTEN FRICTION BATH.—See Mitten Friction Bath, Cold. COLD FULL BATH.—See Full Baths or Immersion Baths.
COLD PLUNGE.—See Plunge, Cold.
COLD-SHEET PACK.—See Wet-Sheet Pack.
COLD SPLASH.—See Splash Bath, and Bedroom Bath.
COLD SPONGE.—See Sponge Bath.
COLONIC IRRIGATION.—See Enema.