Cool Wash Instructions

These cool washes are brisk and invigorating to increase awareness of personal space in relation to the environment. The cool water and contractive qualities of salt applied to the whole body awaken the nerve endings, which help a person to be more aware of their boundary and spatial orientation. Rosemary stimulates the circulatory system, bringing wakefulness through it’s warmth in combination with the cool water and invigorating application.

Please note, blood pressure may elevate after this treatment.

Instructions

Prepare the space to be adequately warm and free of drafts, and lay out and/or warm the clothes in readiness for after the treatment.

Fill a washbasin with water at 34°C (93°F) and add the chosen medicinal dilution, either salt or rosemary.

Wet the face flannel in the dilution and apply to the skin in long quick strokes. Apply 3 – 6 strokes per body part. Continue wetting the flannel throughout the treatment.

The order of treatment is:

• downward strokes for the face and torso

• upward strokes for the arms and legs.

Pat dry each body part and cover or clothe before proceeding to the next.

This treatment is best followed by a brisk walk.

Ingredients & Equipment

Medicinal dilutionof:

Unrefined sea salt -

1 level dessertspoon
(9g / 1⁄3 oz.) per litre of wash water. Dissolve in a little cool water in advance.

or

A sprig of fresh rosemary -

make a rosemary tea, cover and leave to steep overnight.

• A bowl or washbasin

• Bath thermometer if required to gage the water temperature.

• A face flannel or similar cloth for application.

• Towel for drying off.

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Footbath Towel Tip

Towel falling in the water?

Try this simple tip: tuck the towel under the front of the bucket before resting it in on the person’s lap.

Quark Chest Compress

A quark chest compress is the application of quark cheese warmed to body temperature, spread on a cloth that is then folded over the cheese into a poultice shape, laid across the chest and kept warm.

The quark compress can be used daily when fluid is ‘caught’ on the chest in conditions such as mastitis and pneumonia. It is also useful on a regular basis as preventative health care to help harmonise the Sense of Life and Sense of Balance.
The quark has a drawing effect on fluid in the breasts and chest cavity. It creates a space for breathing and helps to bring equilibrium to the body’s rhythms.

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WHEN TO USE: The compress can be used daily when fluid is ‘caught’ on the chest in conditions such as mastitis and pneumonia. It is also useful on a regular basis as preventative health care to help harmonise the Sense of Life and Sense of Balance.

PRECAUTION: Contains dairy

Prepare the Space

Make the room a comfortable temperature, free of drafts and with gentle light. Use adequately warm bedding with a bottom layer that will protect the bed from leaks that can drip from the compress. Hot water bottles can keep the bed warm and /or be used to prepare the quark. The scarf shaped towel can be positioned around the patient as they rest.

Prepare the Quark

The cheese must be heated gently and evenly to body temperature by placing the sealed container in warm water or between hot water bottles for 10 – 15 minutes.

Place the compress cloth onto a hot water
bottle and spread the quark onto it, about
21⁄2cm (1 inch) thick. Then fold the cloth over like a sandwich. Prepare it in such a way that only one layer of cloth will be between the cheese and the chest. The size of the finished poultice is going to be about 15cm x 25cm (5 x 10in) on the average person. Though sometimes a full back and front wrap with larger cloths may be more effective.

An alternative heating method is to very briefly and gently warm the pre-spread quark poultice in a low oven or between hot water bottles, being careful not to overheat and make the cheese separate.

Equipment & Ingredients

CURD (QUARK) CHEESE child 250g (1/2 lb); adult 500g (1lb)

SCRAPER OR SPOON

HOT WATER BOTTLE WITH COVERS x 2. Fill to half, releasing trapped air before sealing.

COMPRESS CLOTH – a cotton or linen cloth about the size of a very large tea towel that the cheese will be sandwiched within.

TOWEL OR THICK ABSORBENT NATURAL FIBRED FABRIC folded or cut into the shape of a scarf the length of which must fit around the chest 11⁄2 times.

SAFETY PIN OR OLD SINGLET to keep the towel and compress in place

PROTECTIVE BEDDING such as towels or matress liner.

Applying the Compress

Carry the compress to the patient keeping the compress warmed by hot water bottles.

The compress is applied directly onto the skin of the chest then the towel wraps around the chest and is fixed into position with safety pins or by putting on an old singlet that will fit firmly over the chest.

The temperature of the cheese should be soothing and warm. Keep it warm with hot water bottles until it ‘dries out’; the solids and liquid will separate. The solids will stay in the cloth and the liquid will soak into the cloth and /or drain out. This can take more than an hour. It may be applied to a child at bedtime then quietly taken off later in the evening.

Ensure the patient is wrapped well from shoulders to feet. Being cocooned with bedding can be very nourishing and helps to reduce distractions. Rest should continue for about 20 mins after the compress has been removed.

Alternate Footbath to Hamonize the Warmth Sense

Alternate footbaths involve the use of two bowls of water (one hot, one cold) into which the patient’s feet are placed alternatively.

Alternate footbaths can be a fun and easy treatment that provide an experience of moving between temperatures which stimulates the Sense of Balance and the Sense of Warmth, promoting inner equilibrium and awareness of the warmth of the body in relation to the environment. As simple as these treatments seemingly are, they provide awareness and understanding that is only possible through experience. Being told how things are does not give us a measure; experience gives us a measure.

They may also help to increase circulation, immunity and lymphatic drainage.

Instructions

Fill one bucket 2/3 full with water below body temperate like water in a cold pool. If doing this in a very hot climate you may need to use iced water from the refrigerator. Fill the other bucket 2/3 full with water above body temperature, but not so hot as to burn. The water temperature in each bucket will blend throughout the activity, so have a cold and hot supply ready to top up the buckets

Position the buckets on towels in front of a chair or stool, or in a water resistant area that is also in a moderate to warm environment. Remember the patient’s feet must be able to reach the bottom of the bucket. Manage the impact of the outside temperature by covering the shoulders with a towel or blanket if the room temperature is below about 25°C (75 °F)

The patient’s legs must be unrestricted and bare so that they are comfortable and clothing will remain dry.

Place the feet in the warm water for 2 – 3 mins, then immediately into the cold for 1 min. Then back into the hot for 2 – 3 mins and so on for about 3 sets. Finish in the warm water. Maintain the water temperature with each change.

Thoroughly dry the feet and legs and cover with socks. Rest.

Equipment

Hot water
Cold Water
Two bowls/ buckets - such as large laundry-style buckets or very large stainless steel bowls that are wide enough for two feet and deep enough for the water to cover over the ankles towards the calves.

Contraindications

Do not use footbaths if a fever is present

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Yarrow Liver Compress Instructions

A yarrow liver compress is the application of yarrow tea in a hot, dry cloth, compressed over the liver with a narrow blanket.

When to use it
Use under the guidance of your healthcare provider. Some of its uses include supporting the liver to detoxify and the emotions to stabilise.

When not to use it
Never use hot compresses over the torso when the digestive system is inflamed, for example with diarrhoea or vomiting from bacterial infection. Use only under prescription during pregnancy.

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Instructions 

Make the tea in the thermos. You need about half a litre of water and it will take about 10 minutes to steep.

On the bed, lay a large sheet that will be used to cocoon the patient; the patient will lie on the sheet and be wrapped in it. Make the pillow comfortable and the room temperature suitable for them to be wrapped completely (including around the head and ears and over the eyes). Ideally the fan is off and the room quiet. We are seeking a non-stimulating environment to block out sensory experiences and allow the yarrow, touch of the sheets and warmth to be the only things the person experiences.

Onto the sheet lay out the scarf and then the scarf liner on top. Line it up to be able to cover the liver once the person is lying on it. The liver sits on the right hand side of the body inside and slightly below the ribs.

The person now lies down in position on the scarf and liner, remove or fold back any clothing that is in the way.

Lightly wrap the scarf and liner around the patient, place the hot water bottle on top so that the area warms and they start to relax.

Open up the wringer cloth fully. Place into the centre of it the compress cloth that you have folded and rolled up (in such a way that when you unwrap it, you will be able to place it neatly over the liver). Then roll the cloths together like a bonbon.

Put the bonbon in the bowl, keeping the ends dry so you can hold them to wring. Pour over the tea, straining as you go. Then when it is soaked through, wring very well. Take the 3rd cloth as an extra wringing layer to protect your hands and make sure you can not squeeze any more drops out of the cloths. We are trying to achieve a hot cloth that has been soaked in tea, but is not dripping wet. (Otherwise It will burn the skin if hot water still remains in the cloth, and it will then go cold much faster.)

The inner cloth is the only one used on the patient. There is about 5 seconds between it being too hot, and being too cold. So make sure the patient is ready. Give a wring to make sure no more drips remain, then unwrap the bonbon. The patient will need to roll slightly to their left so the inner compress cloth can be placed around their back on the right side. It WILL be hot when you lay it on the skin, but if you have successfully wrung it, only the first second will feel very hot. In a gentle but non-delayed motion take one end of the scarf liner and wrap it firmly but gently over the compress cloth and tuck it under the person’s side, do the same with the other end. Then repeat with the woollen scarf over the top. The idea here is to compress the cloth onto the body without air being able to enter the area. Place one hot water bottle around their back and side and one on top.

Cocoon or keep the sheets tucked close to the patient’s body so the only part exposed is the mouth and nose. There they rest for 20 mins.

After 20 mins quietly loosen the sheet and scarf enough that you can slide out the compress cloth and let them continue to rest for a further 20 mins. The rest is equally as important as the compress. If they are hot, loosen the cocoon, keeping them in a quiet space.

If the compress feels cold to the patient it should be removed as a cold compress is detrimental. It is the warmth of a compress that aids the therapeutic effect.

Ingredients and Equipment

• 1 tablespoon of yarrow flowers

• A thermos or a saucepan with lid to steep the tea

• A tea strainer

• A bowl to strain the tea into

• 2 hot water bottles with covers. Fill them ½ full and without air trapped inside.

• 3 cloths -made of linen, wool or cotton. The 1st is the compress cloth and must be large enough to cover the liver, the 2nd is the wringer cloth and the 3rd is an extra wringer cloth. Tea towels, old woollen thermal underwear and pieces of linen work well.

• A woollen scarf to wrap around your abdomen and tuck in to be tight. You can cut a blanket for the purpose or use a folded towel, (wool is a much better insulator).

• A scarf liner - a piece of flannelette is ideal, the size of the scarf so that the scarf does not irritate the skin or become wet from the compress cloth.

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Abdominal Compress Cloth Examples

What size cloth? What fabric?

Lemon Footbath Instructions

A lemon footbath is grounding and re-centering, making it ideal to support transitions; it harmonises the distribution of warmth and promotes healthy rhythms. It can be used daily as preventative healthcare to bring harmony to the Sense of Balance and Sense of Warmth, and at regular times to aid transitions between school, work and home, children transferring between parent’s homes, returning from holidays, or after over-stimulating experiences. It is also useful for acute symptoms such as headache and sinusitis by drawing the congestion away from the head.