Is it warm or hot enough for you when the thermometer reaches more than 30°C/86 Fahrenheit? Do you still feel energetic and go about your day with enthusiasm? Is the sweat not yet running down the side of your face, from the hairline above your forehead and, when getting into your eyes, cause a burning sensation? Can you still sleep comfortably without air conditioning? Are your ankles swollen and hurt? Do you suffer from light-headedness or do you have constant headaches? Here are some tips from my book “Healing with Water”:

One solution for many of these problems is COLD water. Simple ‘treatments’ like a cold arm bath, a cold leg rinse or wading like a stork in cold water will provide some relief. Always do just one of the following, never several of these ‘treatments’ one after the other. There should be at least 4 hours between them:

1. 

   Arm bath

   Fill a sink with COLD water. Bent over it and insert your arms (right one first) covering from hands to over the elbows. Keep the arms covered with water to the slow count from 1 to 30 or even 40. Lift the arms out, stroke the water off, swing them dry. This ‘treatment’ is refreshing and relieves pressure in the head and upper body. If you have access to a garden hose use it to rinse your arms all the way up to the shoulder, (right one first) hold for 15 seconds, move back down and do the left in the same way.

2. 

   Water stepping

   Fill half the bathtub with COLD water to knee height. Walk in there on the spot by lifting one leg after the other completely out of the water so that you have an exchange of air and water. Do this until you feel “it’s enough” or 2 – 5 minutes. Carefully get out of the bathtub, stroke the water off your feet and legs and walk on a towel until they are dry. This has a fantastic effect on the circulation, helps with the lymph flow/swollen legs, and is very refreshing. If you want to save water you can keep it in the bath tub and add ice the next time you want to use it. You could also use a large pail filled with water, sit on a chair in front of it, insert the legs and lift one after the other out and back in as if you are walking.

3. Instead of the bathtub you could also just let cold water run over your feet and ankles when suffering from swollen legs. You will know when it’s long enough. Again, just stroke the water off and let your feet air dry, possibly elevating them by lying down.

4. If you have a garden and a garden hose available, use it to run the water slowly up your legs, starting with the right foot and go as high as possible above the knee. Move the stream of water around on the leg so that it is totally covered with a ‘water mantle’. Move the stream of water down and then up the left leg. If you cannot stand, sit on a chair and do the same.

5. For swollen legs and a better sleep you can wrap both calves in COLD towels and cover with a thicker dry one to keep the bed from getting wet. Should you fall asleep take the wraps off when you wake up, otherwise take them off when they feel hot since they will absorb the heat from the legs, usually after about 30 minutes.

6. Another way to treat hot feet/swollen ankles at night is using “wet socks”. Take a pair of knee high cotton socks, soak them in ice cold water, wring out slightly so they don’t drip, pull them on, right leg first; take a pair of larger dry socks to pull over the wet ones. Take them off when you wake up or when they feel warm/hot. Your body will tell you when it’s time!

7. Should you be one of the lucky ones to live close to a stream, lake or the ocean, try to walk in it at least once every hot day. If the ground is covered with pebbles wear a pair of cheap plastic sandals.

8. It’s important to stay well hydrated. If you normally drink about one and a half litres of liquid go ahead and almost double it. You lose a lot of moisture through perspiration. You may not even be aware of it since it evaporates into the hot air. The more evaporates, the more likely your skin will dry out and form a lot of wrinkles…

I wish you a good and enjoyable summer, stay coooool…..it’s better for your heart!