What are the benefits of hot water foot bath? The best time and temperature for foot bath and health preservation

Soaking your feet in hot water can relieve fatigue and help you sleep. In fact, as long as you add some Chinese medicine to the water, it can also play other roles. Soaking your feet in hot water is foot bathing, which is one of the contents of Chinese medicine foot therapy and is also a commonly used external treatment method. The feet are the farthest part of the human body from the heart. In winter, due to the stimulation of cold, the blood vessels in the feet contract, blood circulation is obstructed, and it is easy to induce a variety of diseases. Soaking your feet in hot water can improve local blood circulation, drive away the cold, and promote metabolism, thereby playing a role in health care.

1. The principle of foot soaking

According to the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the five internal organs start from the three yin meridians (spleen, liver, and kidney), and there are 66 acupuncture points below the ankle. In the view of traditional Chinese medicine, soaking feet in hot water is like moxibustion on these acupuncture points, which has the effect of promoting blood circulation, warming the internal organs, and preventing diseases. According to modern medical measurements, people feel most comfortable when the temperature of their feet is kept between 28 and 33 degrees Celsius. The elderly have arteriosclerosis, and the amount of blood supplied to the feet is reduced. They are more afraid of cold than young people. The soles of their feet are cold, which will reduce the body's resistance and cause diseases. Therefore, keeping your feet warm regularly and soaking your feet in hot water every night can circulate blood throughout the body, which is beneficial to physical and mental health.

2. Benefits of hot water foot bath

Many people feel cold hands and feet in winter, which is actually due to poor blood circulation. Soaking feet in hot water can promote blood circulation, relieve fatigue, and improve sleep. It is no wonder that soaking feet in hot water has become a family health care method that continues to this day. In addition, in traditional Chinese medicine theory, soaking feet is also beneficial to other systemic diseases, such as rheumatism, arthritis, colds and other common diseases. As long as you insist on soaking your feet every day, it can play a health care role in alleviating symptoms.

As the saying goes, "To grow a tree, you need to protect its roots; to grow a person, you need to protect his feet." The feet are the "second heart" of the human body, and protecting them requires scientific attention. Soaking your feet in hot water can not only promote blood circulation in the feet and reduce local muscle tension, but also help eliminate fatigue and improve sleep. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the feet are the starting and ending points of the three yin meridians and three yang meridians of the foot, and are closely related to all the internal organs and meridians of the body. Soaking your feet in hot water can adjust the functions of the internal organs and enhance physical fitness. For healthy people, it is generally enough to soak your feet in water or salt water or vinegar water, which is simple and convenient.

3. Foot bath and acupoints

Soaking your feet in hot water is like using moxa sticks to "warm moxibustion" the acupuncture points on your feet. When pebbles are added to the footbath, the uneven surface of the stones can stimulate the acupuncture points (Yongquan, Rangu, Taixi, etc.) or the reaction areas on the soles of the feet, playing a role similar to foot massage and acupuncture, thereby improving the effect of foot bathing, promoting the connection of the human body's meridians, and achieving the effects of connecting the heart and kidneys, soothing the liver and regulating qi, strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, and calming the mind and nerves, and better improving sleep. Therefore, to some extent, adding pebbles to the footbath can play a dual-effect role of "acupuncture" and "moxibustion", which is much better than simply soaking your feet in hot water.

4. The size of the pebbles in the footbath

There are no special requirements for the pebbles used for foot bathing. It is better to choose smooth and similar-sized ones. They can be bought in the current building materials and decoration market.

People with reduced foot skin sensitivity should pay attention to the strength and water temperature when rubbing their feet with pebbles to avoid scratching or scalding the skin. People with foot injuries (including joint pain, strains, sprains, etc.) and unhealed inflammation should not soak their feet in hot water with pebbles.

5. The best water temperature for foot bathing

In addition, the water used for foot soaking should be kept at around 45°C, the water depth should be at least above the ankle joint, the feet should be stepped evenly on the pebbles, and soak for about 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Taboos of foot soaking

Patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and the elderly should pay special attention to the control of water temperature and time when soaking their feet in hot water. If dizziness, headache, fatigue, palpitations, etc. occur, they should temporarily stop soaking their feet and lie down in bed to rest immediately.