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.
