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Pros and Cons of a Hot Tub
The use of hot tubs and steam baths for health and wellness dates back thousands of years. Before you dip your toes
into a hot tub, however, know what some of the pros and cons of using one are. And remember, everyone's body is
different, so discuss your use of a hot tub with your doctor if you have any concerns.
Pro: Soak Away Your Stress
Hot water has traditionally been used as a therapeutic way to bring down your stress levels and relax after a busy,
stressful day. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation recommends soaking in a hot tub or even a plain, hot bath if you
don't have access to a hot tub as a way to relax, overcome anxiety and achieve better and deeper sleep. Researchers
at Washington State University's National Aquatic & Sports Medicine Institute think it's because hot water immersion
helps balance the subsystems of your autonomic nervous system.
Cons: Increased Risk of Heat Stress
A 2009 paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine included data analysis of 80,000 hot tub injuries from 1990
to 2007 and found that 10 percent of hot tub-related health problems and accidents were linked to excessive heat
exposure. Check the temperature gauge before immersing yourself into a hot tub. Never get in if the temperature is
above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Regardless of the temperature, get out if you start to feel light headed, dizzy or
uncomfortable. Everyone reacts differently to heat, so safe time limits for hot tub use will vary by individual. However, in
general, children, pregnant women and people who have been drinking alcohol should avoid hot tubs or limit their
exposure to just a few minutes at a time.Facil instalacin. Cerca o dentro de su Hogar. Consulte
Pro: Reduced Pain and Inflammation
The heat and the buoyancy of the water in a hot tub offers several benefits to people who suffer from various injuries
and pain, including lower back pain and arthritis. For example, the Arthritis Foundation reports that the heat helps
minimize inflammation and swelling while boosting circulation, while the water helps reduce the gravitational pressure
on sore limbs and joints.
Con: Potential Problems for the Circulatory System
Hot tubs improve circulation. While this may be beneficial for many people, it creates hazards for people with some pre-
existing circulatory system health problems. The American Heart Association recommends that you stay away from hot
tubs if your doctor has advised you to avoid exercise, since the effects of both on your circulation are similar. Likewise,
people who suffer from blood pressure problems should not jump into a cold swimming pool after soaking in a hot tub,
or vice versa. Doing so can spike your blood pressure.
Pro: Better Recovery from Sport-related Injuries and Muscle Problems
If you're experiencing sore or tight muscles after exercising, dipping into a hot tub after working out can help loosen sore
or tight muscle tissues. For the best results, rub the tight muscles while you're in the hot tub. Similarly, if you're
recovering from a sports-related injury, a hot tub can help. Soaking in hot water, starting three or four days after the
initial injury, can improve healing. It may help by reducing muscle spasms, boosting your circulation and minimizing pain.
Con: Potential Infection Risks
Poorly maintained hot tubs are a prime area for bacterial growth. Never use a hot tub if you have open injuries, and
avoid getting the hot tub water into your eyes or mouth. Additionally, stay out of the water if you notice strong smells
coming out of the water, as a well-maintained hot tub should be odorless.

Trendy hot springs raise health concerns
By Zhang Yiqian Source:Global Times Published: 2013-1-20 18:48:01
Winter hot springs bathing can be a blast, but be cautious and avoid lingering for more than half an hour at a time.
Photo: CFP

As Beijing's winter temps keep dropping to new lows, hot springs are becoming the essential weekend destination for
Beijingers.

Wu Yunfei, a 28-year-old assistant researcher in atmospherical sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said he gets
the chance to bathe in hot springs about once a year.

"I choose to bathe because a lot of other people are bathing. I'm just following a trend," he said. "So many people bathe
in the hot springs, so there must be some health benefits."

However, even though the hot springs are reputed to have beneficial effects, doctors say the hot springs are not some
supernatural elixir and that there are many risks involved in overdoing it, from light-headedness to infertility.

Even for young and healthy people, hot springs have risks that often are not posted.

Liang Naizhi, a 23-year-old student of computer science at Peking University, said her two hot spring trips had not been
the best experiences. She first visited Jiuhua Shanzhuang, Changping district, in 2007.

"It was my first time bathing in hot spring and I thought it was magical, like a hot bath," she said. "However, afterwards,
when I finished and went to take a shower, I felt really dizzy for a while."

In June last year, she gave the hot spring in Wangjing Shunjing, Chaoyang district, a try and experienced the same
dizziness.

"I then heard the best time would be half an hour or 20 minutes, and I had bathed for more than an hour. But no one
had informed me about this beforehand," she said.

Yan Hongbiao, a doctor at the Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital, said he has been in Japan for a long time and considers the
hot spring situation in Japan to be entirely different from China.

"In Japan, bathing in the hot springs is a very popular and enjoyable thing. But in Japan, the hot springs are a more
natural resource. It's underground water with a lot of minerals, such as sulfite," he said.

In China, there are many fake hot springs and the quality cannot be ensured, he said.

Furthermore, the positive effects of the hot springs have been exaggerated, he said. Even though the hot springs can
help with cardiovascular functions because of their temperature and the sulfite and minerals in the water can help treat
skin diseases, it is not as the Chinese believed that the hot springs will treat and help prevent many diseases.

Qiao Jie, a gynecologist at the Peking University Third Hospital, points out that hot springs can be more of a risk than a
treatment for those with cardiovascular conditions.

"Since the temperature is high and will enlarge the blood veins and change the blood cycle, for people with
cardiovascular diseases, it's dangerous," she said. "For people who have not had children, the temperature has bad
effects on the male sperm and may influence fertility."

She underscored that pregnant women in particular should stay away from the hot springs.

"It's advised they bathe in water close to body temperature and not above 38 C, which is what most hot springs go
over," she said. "Hot springs might have bacteria as well as hot temperatures. It's bad for the fetus. Pregnant women
also have a low resistance to diseases and might go into early labor as a result of using hot springs."

Yan advises choosing an appropriate bathing duration.

"There's a relatively short time for everybody. Bathing for hours - no one can take it," he said.











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Hot Springs
Hot springs are known to be therapeutic in nature, owing to the minerals present in the Earth's crust. Learn more about
these in the following article.

Impact On Humans
Positive Impacts
Hot springs have been always considered to be therapeutic in nature. Most of this belief is justified by the fact that they
emerge from the Earth's crust, which is full of minerals and elements. Their mineral composition is quite high, and the
high temperatures present, facilitate mineral entry into the human body. That is the reason why a whole health industry
has evolved around hot springs. The most notable among them is the one at Warm Springs in Atlanta, GA, the one
established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself, after he found an improvement to his polio affliction with
treatment from this spring.

The rush of a geyser coupled with its high temperature is ideal for using them as a source of energy. The geothermal
energy of the Earth is a vastly untapped nonconventional source of energy. The geysers are now being harnessed to
utilize this energy for human purposes.

The hot steam emanating from the hot springs, helps add to their beauty. Coupled with it their health benefits - these
are all best ingredients to tap them as an avenue for tourist attractions. Today, almost all them in the world are tourist
attractions. There are spas and resorts built around them, which help the economy within the area.

Negative Impacts
Some infections can be caused, or at least propagated, by hot springs. One of the most notable infection is through the
amoeba Nargleria fowleri. This amoeba can cause meningitis, and it thrives in the warm water conditions found in
springs. Another culprit is the herpes simplex virus, which can enter the human body through the feet.
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Benefits Abound http://www.spavelous.com/EB/N080815/HotSpringSpas02.html
Coming from underground, generally spring water is warm, even hot. When water crosses the underground layers of
rocks, dissolve them and come to the surface as mineral water, it's properties is different from region to region, even
from spring to spring; the deeper the layer it comes from, the hotter the water. But the temperature is not necessarily
the characteristic of these spring waters - the healing effect comes mostly, from the mineral composition of this springs
and the Geothermal energy of this underground water.
Although contemporary medicine has been slow to establish the scientific basis for the benefits of submersion in
mineral-rich hot springs water, a long history of use verifies its soothing beneficial effects. It is widely recognized that a
tranquil hot springs soak provides relief from the pain of stressed muscles and tired joints.
The complex effects of hot springs minerals on the skins glands and blood vessels is the likely explanation for the
numerous subtle benefits that are reported by those in tune with the hot springs way of life.
Though American hot springs resorts cannot promise any medically approved results, they are thriving. The medical
community has yet to address this preventive remedy, but the hotel and spa industry has already jumped in, pouring
millions into the restoration of 19th and 20th century resorts to their original grandeur while also creating modern
service menus.
Thermal spring water facilitates healing in a number of important ways:
Bathing in hot springs gradually increases the temperature of the body, thus killing harmful germs and viruses.
Thermal bathing increases hydrostatic pressure on the body, thus increasing blood circulation and cell
oxygenation. The increase in blood flow also helps dissolve and eliminate toxins from the body.
Hot springs bathing increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, bringing improved
nourishment to vital organs and tissues.
Bathing in thermal water increases body metabolism, including stimulating the secretions of the intestinal tract
and the liver, aiding digestion.
Repeated hot springs bathing (especially over three- to four-week period) can help normalize the functions of
the endocrine glands as well as the functioning of the bodys autonomic nervous system.
Trace amounts of minerals such as carbon dioxide, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and lithium are absorbed by the
body and provide healing effects to various body organs and system. These healing effects can include stimulation of the
immune system, leading to enhanced immunity; physical and mental relaxation; the production of endorphins; and
normalized gland function.
Mineral springs contain high amounts of negative ions, which can help promote feelings of physical and
psychological well-being.
The direct application of mineralized thermal waters (especially those containing sulfur) can have a therapeutic
effect on diseases of the skin, including psoriasis, dermatitis, and fungal infections. Some mineral waters are also used to
help the healing of wounds and other skin injuries.

Lower Blood Pressure
A recent study at the Mayo Clinic found that soaking in a hot bath gives many of the health benefits of exercise with less
strain on the heart! Soaking in a hot bath increases the heart rate while it lowers blood pressure rather than raising it as
does other forms of exercise. Immersion in hot water first speeds up the heart to send blood to the surface and disperse
extra body heat into the air. But after a few minutes, the warm blood causes the blood vessels to dilate, which lessens
resistance to blood flow and lowers the blood pressure.
Sleep Better
Some medical experts recommend soaking in water of approximately 103 degrees Fahrenheit about two hours before
bedtime (no longer than 15 minutes at a time) to help reduce insomnia. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) believes
that many cases of insomnia can be traced to hectic, stressful lifestyles. Studies suggest this can ease the transition into
a deeper, more restful sleep. The temperature change may be a signal to the body that it's time to sleep, or the
sensation of weightlessness may just be relaxing the muscles.
Improve Joint Mobility
The combination of warmth and buoyancy is extremely beneficial to arthritis sufferers. The buoyancy of the water
relaxes the muscles, and supports and reduces stress on the joints which encourages freer movement. Relaxing the
muscles helps to increase their range of motion. Many researchers now think rheumatoid arthritis patients can exercise
safely if they follow tailor-made water exercises. Water therapeutically massages the joints with every movement. Water
training can help increase aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and overall activity levels for RA patients. for more
information visit
Eliminate Toxins
A hot bath is used for relaxation, lowering the body's energy. It stimulates sweating and increases the elimination of
toxins. One may use fresh herbs or the essential oils to enhance the process. Adding Epsom salt to the bath helps
arthritis and rheumatism; and sea salt promotes healing, reduces inflammation and prevents infection.