Can Cold Showers Treat COVID?

By Cindy Williams, RN

Director, Health Ministries

Fomentations are mentioned in the Northern Union article as one of the treatments that were used during the 1918 flu pandemic. But what are fomentations?

“A fomentation means simply the application of a compress such as a folded towel which has been squeezed from hot water or made hot by steaming.” (Dr. Agatha Thrash)

The effectiveness of the treatment is increased by alternating the application of heat with a brief application of cold. Fomentations have been used to treat pneumonia, bronchitis, arthritis, influenza, and mononucleosis as well as many other conditions. 

Fomentations are only one type of “hydrotherapy” — the use of water to treat various injuries and illnesses. Hydrotherapy is very commonly used in sports medicine, physical and occupational therapy, and in wound and burn care. Treatments include locally applied hot or cold compresses, alternating hot and cold immersion, cryotherapy, and exercises in warm water. 

Water is widely available. It is non-toxic and comes in three different forms that allow it to serve as a convenient means to deliver heat or cold to the body. There are profound physiological effects of changing the body’s temperature systemically and locally. These form the basis for the effectiveness of hydrotherapy applications.

One hydrotherapy technique that you can begin using right now is to finish your daily shower with a brief cold shower. This simple treatment has been shown to help your immune system to function more effectively. I find it to be very refreshing too. When you know you have been exposed to colds, the flu or COVID-19 you can begin taking contrast or alternating showers. All you need is a shower with the ability to quickly switch temperatures between hot and cold and a dry towel.

Here’s how: Stand in the shower with the water running over your body as hot as tolerable for two to three minutes. Turn the water temperature to cold – just cold enough to cause you to briefly gasp “that’s cold” — and let the cold water run over your body for 15-30 seconds. Repeat for three or four cycles ending with cold. Briskly dry off with a towel. 

Here are some resources if you would like to learn some suggestions on using hydrotherapy for COVID-19 (https://www.hydro4covid.com/ ) as well as details on some hydrotherapy treatments and Adventist historical use of hydrotherapy (https://www.traditionalhydrotherapy.com/index.html).

References

https://www.ucheepines.org/fomentations/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5025014/

https://www.hydro4covid.com/

http://www.hydroreference.com/HydrotherapyGuidelines.html

This article is part of a continuing series of health during these COVID times. For other articles, please see www.uccsda.org/healthministries.

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash