Arthritis is one of the painful diseases mostly suffered during old age—people ages 65 and above. Arthritis is characterized with inflammation and changes in the joints due to stiffness and pain. Its symptoms include aching joints, stiffness, and limited movement due to pain, causing a person to become dependent on others (Normington, 2001). The cure for this disease is yet to be discovered. Nevertheless, doctors can help in slowing down its progression and denying some of its effects.
A daily routine of exercise could also aid in alleviating the pain and improving a person’s condition, but it may increase the discomfort experienced by the patient (Normington, 2001). Walking or using the ski machine is considered helpful to patients for it increases the movement without jarring or bouncing of the body. Since arthritis is a disease in the joints, activities that build muscles around the joint also help. Building muscles can remove pressure off the joint. Due to the advancement in the field of clinical medicine, methods to prevent and cure arthritis are being continuously discovered and offered to patients.
Healthcare providers look for the best medication in alleviating the symptoms. New treatments have been studied that will prevent the risk of Arthritis to people more susceptible to acquire the ailment. An alternative and natural way of curing illnesses has been introduced to the public. That is the Water Therapy, which is claimed to be able to cure various diseases. Some of the exercises included in the newly discovered water therapy are performed in a heated pool, rendering health benefits not only to arthritis patients.
Thus, water therapy provides an option or alternative to cure in healing arthritis. “Benefit of Water Therapy” “Benefit of Water Therapy” is an article posted on Health-Benefit-of-Water. com, discussing the significant benefits of water therapy. The article explains different characteristics of water therapy. Health-Benefit-of-Water. com is a website citing the importance of water in human’s daily life and health. Articles in the site are mostly comprised of articles valuing the importance of water and the benefits man can obtain from it.
The website also explores natural health remedies utilizing water. The article emphasizing the benefits water therapy is a general topic article subdivided into parts which discuss the specific attributes of the subject. The article mainly explores water therapy and also discusses the diseases that this treatment can cure. Water therapy is a natural therapy used in treatment or prevention of diseases. It rebuilds and improves a person’s whole being. Our body is composed mostly of two-thirds of water.
Hence, it is no wonder why water has healing applications (“Benefit of Water Therapy,” 2006). Water can be therapeutic and relieve some of people’s diseases. Recovery centers now employ water therapy in curing chronic illnesses and conditions that are beyond the medication’s capacity. Water therapy recorded patients suffering from various illnesses including severe pain, diabetes, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other diseases the conditions of which have improved when the patients were subjected to water therapy (“Benefit of Water Therapy,” 2006). Water therapy takes many forms.
Physical water therapy proves to be therapeutic and includes a range of exercises and techniques such as swimming exercise, swimming pool games, water walking exercise, massage therapy, anti-aging exercises, and stretching to cure physical disability or injury. Water exercise programs can be highly exciting and fun for all ages and render multiple health benefits like relief of muscle spasm pain, increased joint range, increased muscle strength etc (“Benefit of Water Therapy,” 2006). Water therapy could also treat arthritis and may save a patient from undergoing surgery.
It is believed that the hydrostatic force of water induces relief and takes the stress off the affected joints (“Benefit of Water Therapy,” 2006). In curing arthritis, water therapy should be done in a heated pool, for warm water has relaxing effect and helps to keep the joints limber. This is because the joint is weightless and one’s movements are easy and unhurried while submerged in water (Normington, 2001). The article explains the mechanics and characteristics of the water therapy. The theme of the article is providing an alternative medication to patients in the form of a natural and conventional way.
Water Therapy and Physiology There are a lot of medicinal benefits that could be derived from water therapy. Diseases can be cured by using this natural alternative medicine. Aside from the positive clinical effects of water therapy on arthritis, it can also cure Fibromyaglia, a disease accompanied by aches and tenderness. By slowly stretching the patient’s back, shoulder, and arms underwater, he or she would be slowly alleviated from the pain brought by fibromyaglia and would inflict too much pain (“Benefit of Water Therapy,” 2006). Water therapy could also cure asthma for a number of reasons.
Water therapy has been especially helpful in curing asthma because it is not conducive to asthma attack unlike jogging and tiring exercises. It lessens the possibility of constriction of the bronchi and bronchioles and enhances lung muscle strength, endurance, and the clear air passage of mucus and phlegm. It also improves the lung capacity, blood circulation, and breathing (“Benefit of Water Therapy,” 2006). Conclusion The article can be regarded as educational and a number of relevant information can be acquired by reading the article.
It gives a wide range of facts and data regarding its subject. The article provides meaningful information and reasoning on the characteristics of water therapy. The article is convincing by providing links that would lead to a more elaborate discussion of the subtopics. The article can be recommended as part of literature review of researches about the same topic for it offers pertinent information to the research. Water therapy is truly beneficial to patients suffering from disease that medications could not cure. It serves as an alternative, an option to patients in curing their diseases.
Studies that would explore and enhance the potential of this alternative could also be relevant in making this natural alternative solution to fit our modern healthcare facilities.
References
Benefit of Water Therapy. (2006, May 22). Health Benefit of Water. Retrieved 31 May 2008 from http://www. health-benefit-of-water. com/water-therapy. html. Normington, R. (Ed. ). (2001, May/June). Arthritis affects more than half of over 65 population. Cattails, 3 (4). Retrieved 7 June 2008 from Marshfield Clinic Database: http://www2. marshfieldclinic. org/cattails/01/mayjun/arthritis. asp? Print=Yes&Refer=/cattails/01/mayjun/arthritis. asp.