Heat therapy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heat therapy is the application of heat to the body for pain relief and health. It can take the form of a hot cloth, hot water, ultrasound, heating pad, and many others. It can be beneficial to those with arthritis and stiff muscles and tissue.

[edit] History of Heat therapy

Heat has been used for therapeutic purposes for thousands of years. Many ancient civilizations worshipped figures of the sun, such as the Egyptians, who worshipped the sun god Ra.

[edit] Heat Therapy Mechanism

One of the major uses is in the treatment of infection and cancers by the use of heat. Cancer cells and many bacteria have poor mechanisms for heat regulation and are very vulnerable to heat induced death where normal healthy human cells do not. Take for example when your body fights off infection it produces fever (pyrexia) - a raise in body temperature to kill off pathogens. Many human infections are yeast (Candida) related with the production lactic and other fermented acids commonly causing inflammation. Increasing temperature ceases such production.