Читать книгу Edgar Cayce’s Quick & Easy Remedies - Elaine Hruska - Страница 102

In addition to using towels, cloths, or linens dipped in cold water to apply as a pack, another way of using cold compresses is with an ice bag, ice cap, or ice pack. These insulated bags, filled with ice chips or ice cubes, help make the application of very cold temperatures a little easier on the skin. Readily available for use, they are placed directly onto the area of pain or soreness. The softness of the bag’s material enables the pack to contour easily to the body area, surrounding the tissue with a comfortable cooling compress.

If you do not have such a pack on hand, a bag of frozen peas, corn, or other frozen vegetable works just as well as the standard ice pack. For such an application, you can place a thin cloth or towel between the bag and your skin to prevent frostbite. If your skin begins to itch or tingle after you apply the pack, remove the pack immediately as it may be a sign of impending frostbite.

Nearly twenty readings mention an ice pack or ice cap, mostly used in traditional ways: to reduce fever, curb inflammation, or as a cold compress on the head during steam baths or warm tub baths. In the latter case, ice packs or cold compresses to keep the head cool are a welcome relief during such a bath where, as the readings often state, the water should be kept “ . . . as warm, or as hot as the body can well stand; letting the body remain as long as possible {in the Epsom salts bath} just so as not to weaken it too much.” (2768-1) (See also the chapter on “Epsom Salts Bath.”) For the steam cabinet, however, the A.R.E. Spa follows Dr. Harold J. Reilly’s directive: remain no longer than twenty minutes in the cabinet; too long a stay depletes the body’s minerals and may dehydrate a person, resulting in fatigue and lightheadedness. (See also the chapter on “Steam/Fume Bath” for more information.) One principle in hydrotherapy is: less is more.