Hot Tubs: Good for Your Health!
It has long been suggested that saunas are good for your health; supposedly you get in, sweat out toxins, and get out refreshed and healthier. Finns have been using saunas since the ice ages for relaxation, detoxification, and an afterglow of clear, healthy skin. It’s such a cultural phenomenon that in Finland, the number of saunas averages one per household. That means pretty much every single Finnish family believes in saunas for one use or another! But what about hot tubs; do they boast the same health benefits as saunas? Hot water or steam healing using saunas and baths has been in practice for centuries. Egyptians are said to have used hot baths for relaxation and pain management. Lately, therapeutic tubbing has been named many things including spa therapy, hydrotherapy, and balneotherapy. As for whether today’s hot tubs can boast the same health benefits as saunas, or as natural mineral hot springs with supposed healing properties, it’s pretty clear that there are some absolute health benefits and a lot of debate over others. Look up any relaxation ranch or health spa and many do suggest that hot tubs and holistic health practices go hand-in-hand. They imply that bringing up your body’s temperature allows you to sweat, detoxify, and therefore leave healthier and happier. (The line between spas for pleasure use and spas for health use is hard to define at times; if you look for a health spa, do your research! Speak to your health professional for recommendations.) Some doctors have suggested patients (including cancer patients) indulge in some stress-free hot tubbing for relaxation (physical and mental) and for pain management, which seems as good a recommendation as any! However, there are caveats to using hot tubs for health purposes; people with certain health situations (low blood pressure, varicose veins, pregnancy) should consult their doctors before beginning a hot tubbing regimen, or simply steer clear of hot tubs rather than exacerbate a problem. For the majority of people, however, a few minutes a day in a hot tub can make all the difference in improving their sense of well-being.
