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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Medicinal baths for treatment of generalized fibromyalgia].

OBJECTIVE: We studied whether whirl baths with plain water or with water containing pine oil or valerian have a different influence on pain, disturbed sleep or tender point count. METHODS: A randomized, comparative and investigator-blinded study was performed. Out-patients with generalized fibromyalgia were randomized into three treatment groups. INTERVENTIONS: Therapy consisted of either whirl bath with plain water or with the addition of pine oil or valerian. The baths were carried out 10 times, three times a week. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: General pain, change of pain intensity during the day, general well-being and occurrence of disturbed sleep were recorded before and after the therapy. The number of tender points was assessed by digital palpation, the pain threshold on the shinbone and the middle part of the deltoid muscle was measured by the dolorimeter of A. Fischer. The same instrument was used for recording pain threshold and pain tolerance of both trapezius muscles. The tissue compliance of these muscles was measured as well. RESULTS: 30 out of 39 patients included in the study were evaluated statistically. After treatment with valerian bath (n = 12) well-being and sleep were significantly improved and also the tender point count decreased significantly. Pine oil added to the bath water (n = 7) resulted in a significant improvement of well-being, but unfortunately also in a significant decrease of pain threshold of the shinbone and the right deltoid muscle. Whirl bath in plain water (n = 11) reduced general and maximum pain intensity significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Our cautious conclusion of this study is - with respect to the small number of treated patients - that different effects of whirl baths with or without medicinal bath oils can be detected in fibromyalgia patients. Plain water baths modify the pain intensity, medicinal baths improve well-being and sleep.

Baths↗
PubMed2006

Health effects and risks of sauna bathing.

OBJECTIVES: To study physiological, therapeutic and adverse effects of sauna bathing with special reference to chronic diseases, medication and special situations (pregnancy, children). STUDY DESIGN: A literature review. METHODS: Experiments of sauna bathing were accepted if they were conducted in a heated room with sufficient heat (80 to 90 degrees C), comfortable air humidity and adequate ventilation. The sauna exposure for five to 20 minutes was usually repeated one to three times. The experiments were either acute (one day), or conducted over a longer period (several months). RESULTS: The research data retrieved were most often based on uncontrolled research designs with subjects accustomed to bathing since childhood. Sauna was well tolerated and posed no health risks to healthy people from childhood to old age. Baths did not appear to be particularly risky to patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure, when they were medicated and in a stable condition. Excepting toxemia cases, no adverse effects of bathing during pregnancy were found, and baths were not teratogenic. In musculoskeletal disorders, baths may relieve pain. Medication in general was of no concern during a bath, apart from antihypertensive medication, which may predispose to orthostatic hypotension after bathing. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed with sound experimental design, and with subjects not accustomed to sauna, before sauna bathing can routinely be used as a non-pharmacological treatment regimen in certain medical disorders to relieve symptoms and improve wellness.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The use of white and yellow turpentine baths with diabetic patients].

In patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus while and yellow turpentine baths produced a positive effect on carbohydrate metabolism. White baths were more effective in respect to lipid metabolism, blood viscosity, produced a good effect on plasmic hemocoagulation factors. Both while and yellow turpentine baths were beneficial for capillary blood flow: initially high distal blood flow in patients with prevailing distal polyneuropathy decreased while in patients with macroangiopathy initially subnormal blood flow increased. Both white and yellow turpentine baths promoted better pulse blood filling of the lower limbs and weaker peripheral resistance of large vessels. In patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus white and yellow turpentine baths contributed to normalization of carbohydrate metabolism. Yellow baths were more effective in lowering lipids. White baths induced inhibition of platelet aggregation but had no effect on coagulation, yellow baths promoted a reduction of fibrinogen but had no effect on platelet aggregation. Yellow baths produced more pronounced effect than white ones on blood viscosity and microcirculation. Both yellow and white baths stimulated pulse blood filling, corrected peripheral resistance of large and small vessels of the lower limbs.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A local coherent-state approximation to system-bath quantum dynamics.

A novel quantum method to deal with typical system-bath dynamical problems is introduced. Subsystem discrete variable representation and bath coherent-state sets are used to write down a multiconfigurational expansion of the wave function of the whole system. With the help of the Dirac-Frenkel variational principle, simple equations of motion--a kind of Schrodinger-Langevin equation for the subsystem coupled to (pseudo) classical equations for the bath--are derived. True dissipative dynamics at all times is obtained by coupling the bath to a secondary, classical Ohmic bath, which is modeled by adding a friction coefficient in the derived pseudoclassical bath equations. The resulting equations are then solved for a number of model problems, ranging from tunneling to vibrational relaxation dynamics. Comparison of the results with those of exact, multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree calculations in systems with up to 80 bath oscillators shows that the proposed method can be very accurate and might be of help in studying realistic problems with very large baths. To this end, its linear scaling behavior with respect to the number of bath degrees of freedom is shown in practice with model calculations using tens of thousands of bath oscillators.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Molluscum contagiosum, swimming and bathing: a clinical analysis.

The link between swimming and bathing behaviour, and molluscum contagiosum (MC), in a sample of 198 patients with clinically confirmed MC was investigated. Results show that of all the swimming behaviour variables tested, only one (swimming in a school swimming pool) was significant. In relation to the bathing variables tested, only two (sharing a bath sponge with a MC-infected person, and sharing a bath towel with a MC-infected person), were significant. No relationship was found between MC and swimming in a private (home) pool, swimming in a public pool, swimming at the beach, sharing a bath tub with a MC-infected person, and using a private (home) spa. The Relative Risk (RR) ratio of a person sharing a bath sponge with an infected person is three times more at risk of procuring a severe case of MC infection (i.e. > 26 lesions) than a person who does not share a bath sponge with an infected person (r = 0.5; P < 0.01). There was a correlation found between the mode of MC acquisition by site location (r = 0.63; P < 0.05). The anatomical position of MC lesions was shown to be highly dependent on the way the patient was primarily infected. There was also an additive effect with the mode of transmission in that patients who were in the upper extremes in terms of the total number of lesions (average, 124 lesions; mean diameter size, 4.2 mm; n = 42), were those patients who shared a number of fomites (bath sponge, bath towel) with a known MC-infected person, and also swam at the school swimming pool.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Bathing before sleep in the young and in the elderly.

In this study we investigated the effects of bathing on the quality of sleep in 30 elderly people (ages 65-83 years) and in 30 young people (ages 17-22 years) in their homes. Room temperature did not vary significantly during the nights that data were acquired, ranging from 8 to 12 degrees C. After bathing and at the beginning of sleep, the mean (SE) rectal temperatures of the young and the elderly were 37.8 (0.08) and 37.5 (0.07) degrees C, respectively, and were higher by 0.7 (0.13) and 0.6 (0.07) degrees C, respectively, than when the subjects had not bathed. At the beginning of the sleep after bathing in the young subjects, skin temperature was 32.5 (0.24) and 1.5 (0.34) degrees C higher than when those subjects had not bathed. In the elderly, however, there were no significant differences in skin temperature with and without prior bathing because they used electric blankets during sleep. After bathing, the young people reported "warmth" in their hands and/or legs, while the elderly more often reported "good sleep" or "quickness of falling asleep". During the first 3 h of sleep, body movements were less frequent after bathing for both the young and the elderly subjects. The results suggest that a bath before sleep enhances the quality of sleep, particularly in the elderly.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Safety and efficacy of repeated sauna bathing in patients with chronic systolic heart failure: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of repeated 60 degrees C sauna bathing in patients with chronic systolic congestive heart failure (CHF). METHODS AND RESULTS: This study included 15 hospitalized CHF patients (New York Heart Association class = 2.8 +/- 0.4) in stable clinical condition on conventional treatments. Sauna bathing was performed once per day for 4 weeks. Repeated sauna bathing was safely completed without any adverse effects in all patients. Symptoms improved in 13 of 15 patients after 4 weeks. Sauna bathing decreased systolic blood pressure without affecting heart rate, resulting in significant decrease in the rate-pressure product (6811 +/- 1323 to 6292 +/- 1093). Echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly increased from 30 +/- 11 to 34 +/- 11%. Sauna bathing significantly improved exercise tolerance manifested by prolonged 6-minute walking distance (388 +/- 110 to 448 +/- 118 m), increased peak respiratory oxygen uptake (13.3 +/- 1.8 to 16.3 +/- 2.1 mL/kg/min), and enhanced anaerobic threshold (9.4 +/- 1.2 to 11.5 +/- 1.9 mL/kg/min). Four-week bathing significantly reduced plasma epinephrine (40 +/- 42 to 21 +/- 23 pg/mL) and norepinephrine (633 +/- 285 to 443 +/- 292 pg/mL). Sauna bathing reduced the number of hospital admission for CHF (2.5 +/- 1.3 to 0.6 +/- 0.8 per year). CONCLUSION: Repeated 60 degrees C sauna bathing was safe and improved symptoms and exercise tolerance in chronic CHF patients. Sauna bathing may be an effective adjunctive therapy for chronic systolic CHF.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Risk factors of sudden death in the Japanese hot bath in the senior population.

A series of experiments were carried out to clarify the cause of death and the risk factors related to sudden death in the Japanese senior population while bathing in a Japanese style "hot bath." The biodynamic changes while bathing were carefully monitored under actual bathing situations occurring in both the winter and summer seasons. We observed double product (DP), total peripheral blood vessel resistance (TPR), cardiac output (CO), and blood vessel compliance (COMP) by measuring blood pressure, heart rate, pulse wave, and electrocardiogram (ECG). The finding of a high level of DP in the elderly suggests that more myocardial oxygen consumption is needed than for young adults, particularly in subjects with arrhythmia. Although the values for TPR and CO changed somewhat during bathing, the changes were considered normal and to be expected. However, more significant and substantial changes were observed during the winter experiment than during the summer experiment, no doubt owing to lower temperature of the bathing room. The value of COMP did not vary significantly between winter and summer subjects. Twelve subjects in the elderly developed ECG changes while bathing such as supraventricular extrasystole or ventricular tachycardia. No clinical significance was found in the biochemical analyses of the blood obtained before and after bathing. In conclusion, some subjects in the elderly showed risky changes in the above parameters and ECG, factors which may partially explain some of the causes of the many reported cases of lapse of consciousness and unexpected sudden death in the elderly while bathing especially in the winter season. Cold climate, hot water immersion, and hydrostatic pressure may affect their physiological compensation along with existing of coronary stenosis or weakness of respiratory function as a normal consequence of advanced age.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Sequential pathology after initial freshwater bath treatment for amoebic gill disease in cultured Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Freshwater bathing is essential for control of amoebic gill disease (AGD) during the marine phase of the Tasmanian Atlantic salmon production cycle, a practice that is costly, production limiting and increasing in frequency. Although the pathogenesis of gill infection with Neoparamoeba sp. in naïve Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, is now understood, the progression of re-infection (post-treatment) required elucidation. Here, we describe the weekly histopathological progression of AGD from first to second freshwater bath. Halocline cessation and increased water temperature appeared to drive the rapid onset of initial infection prior to bathing. Freshwater bathing cleared lesions of attached trophozoites and associated cellular debris. Subsequent gill re-infection with Neoparamoeba sp. was evident at 2 weeks post-bath and had significantly increased (P < 0.001), in severity by 4 weeks post-bath. No significant difference in gross pathology was observed until 4 weeks post-bath (P < 0.05). The re-infective progression of AGD was characterized by localized host tissue responses juxtaposed to adhered trophozoites (epithelial oedema, hypertrophy and hyperplasia), non-specific inflammatory cell infiltration (macrophages, neutrophils and eosinophilic granule cells) and finally advanced hyperplasia with epithelial fortification. During the post-bath period, non-AGD lesions including haemorrhage, necrosis and regenerative hyperplasia were occasionally observed, although no evidence of secondary colonization of these lesions by Neoparamoeba sp. was noted. We conclude that pathogenesis during the inter-bath period was identical to initial infection although the source of re-infection remains to be established.

Amebiasis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of less frequent bathing of preterm infants on skin flora and pathogen colonization.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if less frequent bathing alters colony count or type of organism in skin flora of preterm infants. DESIGN: Descriptive, repeated measures study. SETTING: A regional neonatal intensive-care unit. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five preterm infants, 31 weeks mean gestational age (SD +/- 1.6 weeks) and 17 days mean postnatal age (SD +/- 3.7 days). INTERVENTIONS: Before the study, all infants received a bath every other day. On Day 1 of the study, a routine sponge bath was given, then no further bathing was performed for 4 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Serial axillary skin cultures to identify the number of colony forming units (CFU) and type of organism were obtained within 30 minutes of the bath on Day 1 and at the same time on Days 2, 3, and 4. RESULTS: Normal skin flora CFU count, predominantly coagulase-negative staphylococci, increased within 48 hours after bathing compared to values 30 minutes after bathing. There were no differences in normal skin flora CFU on Days 2, 3, and 4. Pathogens were identified in 12 infants for at least one time point during the study. Significantly fewer pathogens were found in the cultures over time, despite longer interval since bathing, and no infant developed symptoms of infection during the study period. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest that the frequency of bathing of preterm infants can be reduced without increasing the risk of infection.

Bacteria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Timing of the newborn first bath: a replication.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects on thermoregulation of bathing a healthy newborn within the first hour of life compared to bathing four to six hours after birth. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental. SETTING: Newborn nursery of a 30-bed obstetric unit in an urban university hospital. SAMPLE: Fifty-one healthy term newborns with a minimum axillary temperature of 36.5 degrees C (97.7 degrees F). INTERVENTION: Newborns in an experimental group were bathed within the first hour of birth; those in a control group were bathed at the standard four to six hours of age. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: Axillary temperatures were measured before the bath, immediately after the bath, one hour later, and two hours later. RESULTS: Axillary temperatures as measured at four different times did not differ significantly between infants bathed within one hour of birth and those bathed four to six hours after birth. CONCLUSIONS: A flexible bathing time is recommended according to the characteristics and stability of the newborn and to family desires.

Baths↗
PubMed2004

Culture and long-term care: the bath as social service in Japan.

A central feature of Japan's approach to community-based care of the elderly, including long-term home health care, is the emphasis on providing bath facilities. For mobile elders, senior centers typically provide a public bathing facility in which people can enjoy a relaxing soak along with friends who also visit the centers. In terms of in-home long-term care, visiting bath services are provided to assist family care providers with the difflcult task of bathing a frail or disabled elder--a task made more problematic as a result of the Japanese style of bathing. I argue that the bath, as social service, is a culturally shaped solution to a specific problem of elder care that arises in the Japanese context as a result of the importance of the bath in everyday life for Japanese. While the services may be considered specific to Japan, some aspects of bathing services, particularly the mobile bath service, may also have applicability in the United States.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Warm tub bath during delivery.

In a prospective study, 88 women bathed in a warm tub bath for 1/2-2 hours during first stage labor after a strictly normal pregnancy, ending with spontaneous onset of labor at term. A control group consisted of 72 women fulfilling the same criteria of normality during pregnancy and labor, but who did not want to take a warm tub bath during labor. Apart from the bath, the two groups followed the usual obstetric procedures of the Department. The cervical dilatation in the "bath group" was 2 1/2 cm/h compared with 1 1/4 cm/h in the "control group". Mean pain score in the bath group was higher at the start of the study, before the bath, and they experienced a pain relief during bath which was not observed in the control group. This difference may be due to bias. The use of morfica and the need for stimulation of labor contractions were both twice as high in the control group, but this difference was not significant. No differences were observed with regard to operative delivery, vaginal or perineal laceration or in bleeding during labor or postpartum. The total duration of labor was the same in the two groups and no differences in neonatal condition were observed. The bacterial contamination of the bath water was insignificant and there were no significant febrile episodes post partum.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Effect of warm bathing on blood pressure in bedridden patients].

The effects of warm bathing on short-term and circadian rhythms for blood pressure (BP), pulse rate (PR), and endocrine function were studied in 10 bed-ridden patients (5 men and 5 women; age 78.9 +/- 10.5 years old) hospitalized in Nomura Municipal Hospital. The results indicated a transient elevation of BP with bathing and its rapid fall after bathing. Compared with the days when patients did not take bath, systolic BP was significantly lower for 12 to 16 hours (p < 0.005) after bathing and diastolic BP was also significantly lower during 8 to 12 hours (p < 0.01), 12 to 16 hours (p < 0.001) and 20 to 24 hours (p < 0.001). The PR was significantly higher from 0 to 4 hours after bathing (p < 0.01), but became significantly lower during 8 to 12 hours (p < 0.001) and 12 to 16 hours (p < 0.001). Plasma renin activity increased significantly after bathing (p < 0.05). Thus, the effects of bathing in lowering BP of bedridden patients in stable condition may continue for several hours after bathing.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Bathing. Pleasure or pain?

Bathing creates some of the highest levels of discomfort in the lives of individuals diagnosed with dementia. The present study measured the frequency of 14 agitated behaviors during bathing in 15 elderly residents with dementia residing in a continuing care center. Each resident was observed for four sessions of two different bathing methods, the conventional tub bath and a modification of the bed bath, known as the Thermal bath. The summed frequencies of all agitated behaviors was significantly less for the Thermal bath than the tub bath. This overall effect was greater in men than women and in one particular behavior, shivering. The results suggest that for individuals with dementia the Thermal bath offers a viable alternative to the conventional tub method. Further research may clarify other parameters, such as cost effectiveness and long-term effects of the use of non-rinse cleansers for elderly individuals.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Effects of an artificially carbonated bath on athletic warm-up.

The effects of an artificially carbonated bath (36 degrees C, CO2 300 ppm, 20 minutes) on the warm-up of swimmers was compared with those of a freshwater bath (36 degrees C, 20 minutes). Carbon dioxide is reported to have a vasodilatory effect on peripheral blood vessels of cutaneous and muscular tissue and to promote blood flow. We observed that the warm-up effects of a carbonated bath before swimming on the hematocrit, white blood cell, total plasma protein, and total cholesterol levels in venous blood were significantly increased more than those of a freshwater bath before swimming in recovery period (p < 0.05). Thus the carbonated bath tended to be more effective for increasing the concentrations of blood components. In the recovery period, the carbonated bath before swimming also resulted in significantly smaller changes in blood lactic acid and heart rate than those of a freshwater bath before swimming (p < 0.05). The decrease in electromyography of the M. rectus femoris during swimming suggested more efficient muscle activity after a carbonated bath. Therefore after a carbonated bath, swimmers should have a higher reserve left in the cardiovascular system, resulting in better performance during swimming and less accumulation of fatigue-related metabolites after swimming.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

[Effects of room temperature on circulatory dynamics during bathing in the elderly].

OBJECTIVE: Accidents during bathing is relatively common in Japan, and 85% or more proportion of those who suffered from such accidents were elderly. Most previous studies focused on the effects of low room temperature; a few studies focused on elderly. The present study examined the effect of relatively high room temperatures (20 degrees C and 27 degrees C) on circulatory dynamics and mood during bathing at 41 degrees C among the elderly. METHODS: A total of 14 elderly (6 men and 8 women, with average age of 70 years old) were asked to take a bath at 41 degrees C twice, i.e. at different room temperatures of 20 degrees C and 27 degrees C. The order of bathing at either room temperature was randomly assigned. Blood pressures, heart rate, pressure-rate products (PRP), oxygen saturations, tympanic temperatures, mood and thermal sensations were measured during bathing and thereafter and compared between the two room temperature conditions. RESULTS: 1) Tympanic temperatures increased more prominently and blood pressure decreased more after bathing under room temperature of 27 degrees C than under that of 20 degrees C (P < 0.05). 2) Changes in mood or thermal sensations was not significantly different between the two room temperature conditions (P > 0.05). 3) Oxygen saturations tended to be lower after bathing under room temperature of 27 degrees C than under that of 20 degrees C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the elderly, bathing at room temperatures of 20 degrees C and 27 degrees C were both considered as safe. Bathing at room temperature of 27 degrees C might have a beneficial effect in lowering blood pressure.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

[Formalin foot baths in the prevention of interdigital dermatitis in cattle].

Formalin (= approximately 35 per cent formaldehyde) foot baths are used with variable success to prevent interdigital dermatitis, eczema of the interdigital skin accompanied by secondary destruction of the bulb horn. Experimental studies were done in vivo and in vitro to determine the significance of the temperature and concentration of the formalin solution and the method of bathing (standing in a bath for sixty minutes or walking through a bath, in which case each foot is immersed twice in the solution). The results show that a low temperature of the bathing solution (10 degrees C), which theoretically produces poor disinfection (Table 3), does not necessarily imply inadequate disinfection in actual practice (Table 4) as the solution will adhere to the interdigital skin for about thirty minutes (Table 2) and very rapidly will acquire the temperature of the skin (20 degrees-30 degrees C, Table 1). Therefore contact between the interdigital skin and grass, mud, dung and so on has to be prevented for the first thirty minutes after bathing. The more intensive contact between formalin and skin in a stationary foot bath offers advantages over the pass-through bath (Table 4). When a 3 percent formalin solution in a pass-through bath fails to produce satisfactory results, a 5 percent solution may be used. This concentration will result in more effective disinfection (Table 4); higher concentrations may cause skin lesions. Repeated daily disinfection does not produce further reduction of the bacterial flora on the interdigital skin to a significant degree (Table 5). In addition to the disinfecting effect, the hardening effect on the interdigital skin may be of importance.

Animals↗