Hot & Cold Shower Treatments

I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with the relief that a cold shower brings to PUPPPs, but I've found a twist that could actually help beat back the rash. 

Hot AND cold showers. Here's what I've gathered from my reading. It's all pretty common sense. 

A hot shower increases circulation in our skin. You know how your skin gets red under the hot water? That's the body bringing more blood to the surface and opening up those tiny blood vessels (capillaries) right beneath the top layers. 

Our blood is like a big bus. It carries everything our body needs and doesn't need to the various organs and cells. Good things and bad things hop on the bus and travel around. When you want healing to take place, you need that bus working efficiently and frequently. So how do you get it to take more trips to your rash?

After getting comfortably warm in a hot shower, turn the water as cold as you can stand! The hot water brought lots of blood to the surface, and the cold water does the opposite. It forces all that blood back to the center of your body, carrying with it toxins and junk from your skin. Your blood will take it to your various waste eliminating organs (so make sure those organs are functioning well! More on that to come in future posts!). 

According to the various sources I've read, one cycle with the hot and cold water is great, but six or seven cycles are even better. Wash that skin from the inside and out! 

Here's a quick recap on how to do it:

1) Get nice and toasty first in comfortably warm water. Make sure your whole body gets evenly warmed. 

2) Turn the water as cold as you can take it and stay in it until your skin is cooled down all over. 

3) Repeat this cycle 5-10 times, and always end on a cold cycle. 

Personally, if I didn't have PUPPPs, I wouldn't have the guts to do this. But my PUPPPs makes it feel SOOOO good. The hot water feels like it scratches the itch everywhere it touches. SO satisfying! And then the cold water chills it down and calms the itch. It's a huge improvement on the cold shower alone. I highly recommend it! Plus, it's one of those things that can't really hurt to try. But PLEASE PLEASE be sensible about the hot water temperature! NO overheating & hurting that little one inside you. Listen to your body about how hot to get the water, and switch to cold before you overheat. 

Happy showering, folks! 

Here are a few links in case you'd like to do further reading: 

Hydrotherapy

The James Bond Shower

Alternating hot and cold showers for health benefits

Hot & Cold Hydrotherapy Treatment

Once, again, please use good judgement on the water temp!!