Introduction

Mud Therapy in naturopathy has been regarded as an effective remedy to several diseases in ancient times as well as the middle ages. In modern times, it again came into eminence as it was discovered to have remarkable effects to refresh, enliven and vitalise the human body. The forces of earth have remarkable effects upon the human body, especially during the night. It is believed that for wounds and skin diseases, application of clay or moistened earth was the only true natural cure. The body is thus repaired with the element from which it is assumed to be made. All diseases, especially the serious nervous troubles would lose their terrors, by sleeping or lying on the earth at night.

People, who practice the earth cure, bury themselves in the earth up to their necks, leave them there for some hours, and then remove them. It is presumed that the body draws unto itself the therapeutic minerals and some of the earth"s magnetism.

Significance of Mud in Mud Therapy
Mud Therapy includes mud bath, mud pack and others. There is an increased use of moistened earth in the treatment of diseases by the nature cure practitioners. This mode of treatment is normally adopted in conjunction with a proper method of dietary and other natural therapies. This mud treatment helps to retain moisture and coolness for longer time span than compared to water packs or compresses. The mud pack relaxes the pores of the skin, draws the blood into the surface, relieves inner blockage and pain, and promotes heat radiation and removal of morbid matter.

A mud pack is prepared with clay obtained from about 10cm below the surface of the earth after ensuring that it does not have any impurities such as compost or pebbles. The clay is then made into a smooth paste with warm water. This is allowed to cool and then spread on a strip of cloth, the size of which may vary according to requirements.

History of Mud Therapy

Mud is supposed to be one of the best remedies for ailments and thus used as a means of alternative medicines. It relieves the body from internal congestion and enhances blood circulation. It is also used in cosmetology as it contains natural moistures. The use of earth for remedial purposes was very common in ancient times as well medieval ages. In modern times the Mud Therapy again came into practice as a valuable therapeutic agent. Emanuel Felke, a German therapist tried to restore the Mud Therapy and was nicknamed as `Clay Pastor`. Adolph Just was one of the pioneers of natural cure believed that all diseases will be cured if sleeping and lying on earth at night can be made customary.
During seventeenth to nineteenth century mud therapy became popular in Europe. The treatment for chronic illness was made with mineral waters and mudpacks of different temperatures and compositions. Several experiments were conducted to determine the optimal frequency, temperature and duration of applications and the curative process by Mud Therapy remained always been a mystery to all.

During the second half of the twentieth century pharmacology developed which gave the idea of Mud Therapy to considered within alternative medicine. In addition to this the present popular revolt against the synthetic medicinal treatment and more demand for natural way of health and wellness aids in reviving the concept of spa treatment. This was more enhanced, as in certain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis no effective synthetic treatments were available. Recently the research by Italian scientists revealed that the treatment with thermal mud from hot spring or fango therapy included the correction of sulphur and nitrogen oxide levels in the cartilage of arthritic patients through improvement of circulation and exchange of necessary materials between fango and the human body.

Austrian Moors (organic mud) attracted the soil scientists due to its smooth consistency and fine, even structure with which it could offer heavenly relief to the strained muscles. Organic mud is derived from peat and are applied at room temperature. It provided excellent relaxation of muscles of the exhausted skier and rapidly heals bruises. The Moor is particularly becoming popular for cosmetic surgery and serves for both recovery and skin care.

The use of mud from the Dead Sea in Israel is known from millions of years ago and many have praised its therapeutic quality from the period of Roman Ceasers to the modern tourists. This mud of Dead sea is more frequently prescribed for the Arthritis patients, even for those who suffer with psoriasis. The resorts and clinics of the Dead Sea are particularly famous for the Mud Therapies offered to treat various conditions. It is said that Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, who is famous for her beauty and always experimented with natural beauty resources, established her own spa on the shores of Dead Sea. The Dead Sea mud is known as Brine Mud and rich in iodine and Bromide content, thus have a calming and soothing effect.

The key attraction of Mud Therapy is its uniqueness. There are several Mud sources, which are different in ingredients and have different effects. These natural treatment serves for a wide range of cosmetic needs, ailments and other conditions. Mud Therapy allows one to experiment and get pleasure by observing body`s response, which are highly personalized and varies from person to person.

There are some wonderful Mud sites in South Africa too. Though most of the sites there are yet to be explored. In Tsipise there is hot spring, where the local inhabitants make a pool and take rest in hot mineral water after a day`s fatigue. In Thangami, there is a deposit of bubbling muds that offers a proper thermal mud treatment. There are also a group of traditional healers who are working at the Wild Coast with the native soil to do the Mud therapy.

Mud Therapy as an Alternative Treatment

Mud Therapy is used as an alternative treatment to cure many diseases like pain in joints, rheumatism, arthritis or any aches and also to tone down overweight. The mud therapy can be done with specific type mud only. Certain types of mud contain a higher amount of minerals and plant residues, which is the main reason for its medicinal property. Mud therapy was practiced by Ancient Greeks to treat different kinds of ailments. The medicinal property of the mud comes from the plant residues that have been deposited in the soil over a long period of time. The composition of mud varies depending on the content of its plant mineral and material. There are beneficial components of mud, which penetrates through the skin, enter the blood flow and thus circulates throughout the body. By mud bath the very fine nerve endings situated in the outer part of the skin are stimulated which in turn activates the whole nervous system. The mud gets dried easily over the skins that help to cleanse the skin and thus the effects of mud bath is very inspiring. This effect is similar to effect of vigorous exercise. Mud bath enhances the heart rate, assist in sweating, speed up circulation and thus help the body to get rid of the toxins and impurities inside the body. The mud therapy can help in overall toning of the body. Sometimes in some mud therapy mud extracts are given to drink for the purpose of removing digestive disorders and stomach ulcers. Mud therapy is beneficial for treating certain disorders like arthritis, rheumatism, skin problem, infertility etc.

The mud therapy and the spa treatments helps to clear up pathological agents of the body and helps to combat the stress of daily life. Mud therapy is useful for losing excess weight, detoxifying of the body, toning and revitalizing the skin. A mud therapy treatment cycle lasts for one to two weeks. This package includes applying of six to twelve mudpacks on a daily or regular basis. Sometimes doctors instruct for some interruption to make the treatment more bearable for the patients. Normally Mud Therapy is done once a year but based on the needs it can be done twice a year but there should be always an interval of 4 to 5 months between one cycle of the treatment and another cycle.

Mud therapy treatment in performed in special rooms, where the patients go in an empty stomach wearing only a bathrobe. The people in charge of the treatment make the necessary arrangements according to the timetable. The mud used is a mixture of an organic solid component mixed with mineral water and then left for several months to `mature`. The mud is heated to 50 degree centigrade before it is applied to the body. After applying the Mud pack, the client is wrapped up to prevent any heat dispersion. The treatment is finished with the client having a therapeutic thermal bath or shower followed after ten to fifteen minutes of relaxation.

Benefits of Mud Therapy

Mud Therapy is a naturopathy that has many beneficial effects in treating diseases, ailments and skin problems. It is also used as the beauty product now a days. The Mud Therapy is used to cure diseases like osteoarthritis, periarthritis, back and joint aches and pains where there is no inflammation.

Beauty Benefits of Mud Therapy
Mud Therapy has beneficial effect for skin due to following reasons:
•It retains water for longer time even more than cold water pack.
•Mud restores proper balance of skin pH.
•The cold moistures in mud relax the pores of skin and helps in blood circulation in the surface area.
•Mud Therapy helps in acne repair and prevention.
•The scrubbing effect of mud leaves the skin smooth and rejuvenated.
•Mud also has an anti-inflammatory effect, so it is great for healing wounds and scars.
•Mud has anti-aging effect.
•It regenerates healthy skin.
•Mud has detoxifying and toning effect on skin.
•Skin feels lighter after mud therapy.
•Mud has exfoliating action. It eliminates dead skin and refines skin structure.
•It helps to reduce spots and patches of skin, especially those formed after pox.

Health Benefits of Mud Therapy
Besides skin, Mud Therapy also has beneficial effects on body and various diseases, mainly problems related to pain, such as:
•It invigorates the body.
•It reduces back aches.
•It reduces muscle aches.
•Mud therapy relieves the body from stress related problem.
•Relieves internal congestion and pain.
•It helps in natural hormone balancing of body.
•It eliminates the body toxins.
•It provides relaxation to the eyes.

Mud Therapy helps to cure various diseases like:
•It cures allergy, psoriasis and many other skin diseases, even leprosy.
•It reduces the irritation of eyes, hence useful in the case of conjunctivitis, itching of the eyes, allergic conditions and haemorrhage in the eyeball.
•Mud Therapy is useful in cases of errors of refraction like short-sightedness, long-sightedness and especially in case of glaucoma.
•General weakness and nervous disorders are also cured by Mud Therapy.
•Stomach trouble, kidney disorders can be removed.
•Mud Therapy can cure gout, rheumatism, arthritis, asthma, broncho-pneumonia, diabetes etc.
•Mud pack applied onto the lower abdomen helps to improve the digestion. This practice proves to be effectual in decreasing intestinal heat and at the same time stimulates peristalsis movement of the intestines.
•Mud pack applied onto the abdomen works as a wonderful natural stimulant for constipated bowels.
•Mud therapy is also an asset for headache, especially associated with hot and humid external environment.
•Mud packs may be prepared and applied onto the abdomen as well as forehead to get considerable relief from fever.

Types of Mud Therapy

Mud therapy is being used by people to treat diseases since ancient times. It is believed that the earth has healing powers which are refreshing and invigorating for the body. The material used for mud therapy is mostly clay, taken from 4 inches below the surface of the earth. The clay should be free of any impurities such as pebbles, decaying matter etc.

However, there are types of mud treatment which can be used with a different variety of mud. Mud therapy could be used in various forms:

Mud Pack
Clay taken from the earth is mixed with warm water so that it becomes a smooth paste. It is allowed to cool, and then spread on a strip of cloth. The size of the cloth depends on which part of the body the mud pack is to be applied. The cloth covered with mud is placed on the part of the body which is to be treated. It is then covered with some protective material, like flannel. The mud pack is removed after 10 to 30 minutes.


• Mudpack for Eyes: Mud soaked in water is spread to make a thick layer. It is placed on the eyes for 20 to 30 minutes. An eye mud pack helps in relaxing the eyes; especially good for those who require to sit in front of a computer for long hours. Therapeutically, it reduces irritation, itching or other allergic conditions such as conjunctivitis and haemorrhage of the eye ball. It also helps in correcting refractive errors like short/long sightedness. It is effective in Glaucoma, where it works to reduce the eye ball tension.

• Mudpack for Head: A head mud pack is normally a thick narrow band. It is applied over the fore head and helps to heal congestive headache, relieves pain immediately.

• Mudpack for Face: Fine mud is used for face and a smooth paste is first made using cold water. Apply this paste evenly on the face and leave it to dry for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes one must thoroughly wash the face with cold water. It helps in improving the complexion of the skin. In cases of acne it helps by absorbing excess oils and toxins from the skin. It also helps in reducing dark circles around the eyes.

• Mudpack for Abdomen: A mud pack for abdomen should be applied for 20-30 minutes. The body and the mud pack should be covered with blanket, if applied during the cold weather. An abdomen mud pack helps in all kinds of indigestion. It is very helpful in decreasing intestinal heat and stimulates peristalsis.

Mud Bath: First the mud is prepared by soaking it in water. The mud is then applied to the full body either in sitting or lying down position. Mud is kept for 45 to 60 minutes and ideally be exposed to sun light, at least intermittently. Afterwards, the person should be thoroughly washed with cold to luke warm water. Dry the person quickly and transfer to a warm bed. A mud bath helps in increasing the blood circulation and energizing the skin tissues. It thus helps in cleansing and improving the skin condition generally.

Regular mud baths may be considered as natural beauty treatment procedure as it also helps in improving skin complexion and reducing spots and patches, possibly the result of some skin disorder like chickenpox or small pox. Mud baths are useful in many skin diseases such as Psoriasis, Urticaria, Leucoderma, Leprosy and other skin allergic conditions.

Peat Therapy: Peat therapy is one type of mud treatment which has several uses such as detoxification, insomnia, relaxation, arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, infertility and stimulation of immune system. It can be applied as a hot or cold pack. One may also add this mud with hot or cold water.

Peloid Therapy: This mud therapy is used to treat skin diseases, sciatica, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid, gynaecological as well as common problems such as blemishes, wrinkles and blackheads.

Parafango Packs: These packs help in the degradation of the collagen and elastane in the skin. It not only soothes the muscle but also reduces localised swelling around the joints. Parafango pack contains volcanic mineral ash, extract of the seaweed and paraffin in it.

Despite therapeutic properties of mud which are very useful in maintaining good health and glowing skin, the over-use of mask applications may lead to excessive drying of the skin. Therefore it is essential to keep the pack moistened to avoid excessive dryness and stretching. Also, the mud must be carefully chosen for obtaining desired results and its quality must be ensured to avoid any complications.

Mode of Treatment in Mud Therapy

Mud Therapy is a naturopathy, which is used to treat chronic inflammation caused by internal diseases, sprains, bruises, wounds and boils. Most of the naturopathy practitioners use moistened earth to cure various diseases. Earth, which is used in the Mud Therapy, can be obtained from ant-hills or riverbeds. The earth should be pounded well and sieved to remove stones or coarse particles of sand contained in it.

The common types of therapeutic mud are-
Moor - Peat-based organic muds.
Fango - Thermal muds of hot springs.
Brine muds - Highly saline coastal muds.
Healing clay - Usually swelling mineral clays.

The mud therapy can be done in two modes-
Mud Packs- To prepare proper mudpack, clay is collected from ten centimeter below the surface of the earth and it is ensured that there is no pebbles or compost. The clay is then made a smooth paste by mixing it with warm water. The paste is then allowed to cool and spread on a strip of cloth. The size of the cloth may vary according to the requirements.

The mudpack treatment is useful in the diseases related to general weakness and or nervous disorders. Mudpack is beneficial for headaches, eye troubles, swelling, stomach trouble, kidney disorder, gout, rheumatism etc.

Mudpack is an alternative mode of treatment. The area under treatment is given fomentation (warm moist medicinal compress or poultice) for five minutes until it is well heated. Mud is then directly applied on the skin for fifteen minutes or other time span, depending on the degree of reaction required. Hot and cold therapies are used to relieve chronic pains, intestinal cramps and lumbago. The alternate application of mud help to cure from the problems rose due to flatulence and intestinal obstructions. It is beneficial for curing colitis, enteritis, amoebiosis and other diseases caused by bacteria.

Mud Bath- Mud Bath is another way of the alternative treatment. It follows the same procedure of Mud pack but in a larger scale on the entire body. A cleansing water bath and cold shower is taken after the mud bath.

The Mud Bath tones up the skin as it enhances blood circulation and energizes the skin tissue. Frequent Mud Bath is very effective in skin treatment and cosmetology as it improves complexion, clear spots and patches on the skin. Various skin diseases like psoriasis, leucoderma and even leprosy can be cured by Mud Bath. The bath is also effective in getting relief from rheumatic pains or pains caused by injuries.

The duration of the Mud Bath should be from thirty minutes to one hour. Care should be taken so that the patient does not catch cold during the Mud Bath.