Can Hydrotherapy Help with Stroke Recovery?

A new study from Japan reports that hot baths can reduce a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke. Undertaken by Professor Hiroyasu Iso, Public Health, Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, and his team, the following procedure was adopted:

A total of 30,076 participants aged40–59 years with no history of CVD (cardiovascular disease) or cancer were followed up from 1990 to 2009. Participants were classified by bathing frequency: zero to two times/week, three to four times/week and almost every day.

The HR’s of incident CVD were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors and selected dietary factors.

We found that habitual tub bathing was associated with a lower risk of CVD among middle- aged Japanese, suggesting a beneficial effect on the prevention of CVD. We found that habitual tub bathing was associated with a lower risk of CVD among middle- aged Japanese, suggesting a beneficial effect on the prevention of CVD.