Hot water

                       Hot water

we have started adopting the soaps, detergents, toothpastes, creams, gels, shampoo etc. That too we prefer standard companies and “premium” products. Today we are ready to pay any cost for our health, mental peace and satisfaction. But still we are a failure in adopting the age old practices and good habits.

 

Today I want to discuss here about hot water. Drinking luke warm water is one of the very good habits that suits most of the people. It is especially beneficial during night-time. 

Why to drink hot water at night?

Drinking hot water at night is beneficial in Kapha related disorders, Amavata (compared to rheumatoid arthritis), decreases fat deposition in the body, cleanses the urinary bladder, useful in the treatment of cough and other respiratory diseases and fever. 

According to Ayurveda, blockage of different body channels, big and minute, (such as respiratory system, cardiovascular system, etc) are due to imbalanced Doshas is one of the major causes of many of the disease. Hot water avoids this blockage and clears the blockage to an extent. Thus helps in preventing and treating diseases.

Hot or cold water bath

According to Ayurveda use hot water for the body and cold water bath for head. Ayurveda opines that having hot water head bath is bad for eyes and hair.

  # classification according to Doshas

1) If person is Pitta body type or disorder, then it is better to use cold water for bath rather than hot water.

2) If person is Kapha or Vata body type or disorder, then it is better to use hot water rather than cold water

   # classification based on age

•For young children and for people of old age, hot water is good.

•For youngsters cold water is good.

•For students, who are studying, cold water bath early in the morning is beneficial, provided they do not have any health complaints.

Hot water health benefits –

1) It helps to improve digestion and to relieve indigestion.

2) Hot water drinking at night before bed time is an excellent remedy to clear white coated tongue.

3) Hot water drinking is one of the major advice in the treatment of cold, cough, respiratory tract infections, Asthma, allergic disorders, etc. ( Reason: helps to reduce or melt hard mucus layer which helps to remove nasal congestion. With this less property helps to remove allergic particle, infection causing agent, etc)

4) Hot water drinking will reduce the frequency of repeated cold attacks especially in children.

5) Hot water drinking and gargle with Turmeric(Haldi) or salt is a very good sore throat remedy.( Reason: hot water somewhat helps to reduce swelling of throat and avoids infection)

6) Drinking a spoon of Honey with a glass of water is recommended in obesity treatment.( Reason: honey has high calorific value which helps to increase the body metabolism, which helps to reduce fat. With this hot water is also increase metabolism)

Tip : ayurveda suggests cold water with honey rater than cold water because hot water with honey increases heat( hot potency) of body.

7) Whenever you eat oily food stuff, junk food, or consume ghee, drinking hot water will make your tummy feel lighter. And also, it avoids fat absorption to an extent. ( Reason: hot water have less surface tension than cold water which helps to remove oily stuff in the throat)

8) Hot water cleanses the bladder. So, it is the most natural and easily available bladder cleansing medicine.

9) Hot water drinking at night is much recommended in the treatment of fever.

10) Hot water drinking is highly recommended in cases of rheumatoid arthritis.

11) Hot water calms Vata and Kapha while it elevates Pitta.

12) Hot water eases digestion. ( Reason: Drinking hot water both soothes and activates your digestive tract. Water is, after all, the lubricant that keeps your digestion going. As the water moves through your stomach and intestines, digestive organs are better hydrated and able to eliminate waste. Hot water can also dissolve and dissipate things you’ve eaten that your body might have had trouble digesting)

13) Hot water helps to relieve constipation. ( Reason: Drinking hot water helps your intestines to contract. When that happens, old waste trapped in your intestines is able to pass out of your body. Drinking hot water regularly helps keep you, well, regular)

Panchakarma uses the following property to detoxify the body

When you want to get rid of very sticky stains from a steel vessel, you often prefer to use hot water rather than cold water. Like, in case of the vessel, in human body also, hot water helps to get rid of the body wastes pretty easily. Means hot water helps to detoxify the body. But for better detoxification you shou eat light or satvik bhojan along with some ayurvedic medicine.

Cautions: 

• hot water bath will harm the hair roots and even the essential oleaginous/sebaceous glands get irritated and the hairs are not nourished properly. Due to this hair roots become baseless/root less and the essential nutrients of the hair root are also not supplied.     

             This results in more and more hair loss and gradually thinning of the scalp hair 

Note: 1) regular hot water drinking is not advisable if you often suffer from heat and burning sensation (like Pitta body type).

          2) If hot water is taken, this results in a downward movement of Vata (flatus), stimulation of Agni (digestive enzymes), easy digestion (the hot water itself gets easily digested) and drying up of Kapha.

            3) Hot water is not given to those patients with excessive vitiation of Pitta or if there is burning sensation, dizziness, delirium and diarrhoea. Hot things, lead to burning sensation, giddiness, delirium and diarrhoea.

            4) hot water taken at night time (nishi kAle) increases the digestive capacity immediately and addresses indigestion with good effect.

            5) if you are accustomed for hot or cold water, over a period of time, then it is the natural choice of your body and that is good for you.