Instructor Resources


Chapter 9: The Future of Hydrotherapy

Purpose of Chapter 9

For the Student: 

• To gain a deeper understanding of the continued development of hydrotherapy in future.
  
  
• To gain a deeper understanding of the role of hydrotherapy in holistic health & wellness in the future.

Lesson: The Future of Hydrotherapy

Have the students read the chapter and then discuss the chapter during a classroom session. Refer to the textbook for detailed information for the discussion and teaching exercises discussed below.

• Discuss: How greater understanding of the scientific behavior of water, especially at the molecular level, can promote of the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: How greater understanding of the anatomy & physiology of the human body, especially as a dynamic fluid cellular system,  can promote of the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: How the greater availability of natural products from around the world and better understanding of their use in hydrotherapy treatments, can promote the future development of hydrotherapy. Have the students, based on their experience of the use of natural products, provide suggestions on new uses of natural products in hydrotherapy treatments.
  
  
• Discuss: How new developments in the design hydrotherapy equipment can promote of the future development of hydrotherapy. Have students provide some suggestions on improvements and new developments in the design of hydrotherapy equipment.
  
  
• Discuss: How greater understanding of the wisdom of the use of hydrotherapy in past, can promote of the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: How therapists, from around the world, by sharing their experiences of the use of hydrotherapy for health & wellness through the Internet and other channels, can promote of the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: How having a greater understanding of the personal health & wellness goals of each client and general population of clients, can promote the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: How greater understanding of the hydrosphere, can promote the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: How greater understanding of the concept of what Nature is, and what we mean by the concept of natural product and treatments, can promote the future development of hydrotherapy.
  
  
• Discuss: Based on all of the above possible ways that hydrotherapy will continue to develop in the future, discuss what role hydrotherapy will play as a key element of holistic health & wellness in the future.

Suggested Reading & Viewing

Water: A Matrix of Life: Franks, F. (2000). Water: A Matrix of Life. Cambridge, UK: The Royal Society of Chemistry.
This is a very technical, scientific discussion of the behavior of water, mainly at the molecular level.

The Sacred Planet, Walt Disney Products (2004)—available on DVD (contains beautiful visual expressions of the hydrosphere).
This a beautiful presentation of wisdom of some indigenous cultures and their wisdom of living in harmony with Nature. 

Planet Earth: Fothergill, A. (Series producer). (2007). Planet Earth [Television series]. Silver Spring, MD: Discovery Communications
This is the highly acclaimed work on the natural beauty and complexity of Planet Earth. It offers an amazing view of every aspects of the hydrosphere and its relationship all living systems

1. Discuss how a better scientific understanding of the behavior of water could be of value to the continued development of hydrotherapy. Answer: A better understanding of the behavior of water will provide more effect ways to use water in hydrotherapy treatments as well as understanding the dynamics of water in the human body.

2. Discuss how a better understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, especially at the cellular fluid level, can be of value to the continued development of hydrotherapy. Answer: The heath & wellness of the body depends of the health & wellness of all the cells of the body and their collective functioning. Because each cell is mainly water and exists in water environment (interstitial fluid), understanding this can provide better understanding of the use of water in hydrotherapy treatments to transform the fluid nature of the human body in therapeutic ways.

3. Discuss how the availability of more natural products and their combined use can be of value to the continued development of hydrotherapy. Answer: The use of natural products in hydrotherapy treatments has an ancient tradition. The discovery and availability of more natural products can increase the use of these products as well as finding new combinations of these products.

4. List some developments in hydrotherapy equipment that can lead to more and better uses in the future. Answer: Improved control of water temperature, water pressure and more precise control over bring water into contact with precise areas of the human body.

5. Discuss how having a better understanding of the use of hydrotherapy in the past can lead to better use of hydrotherapy in the future. Answer: Hydrotherapy has been used continuously for thousand of years until the present day. The long traditional use of hydrotherapy in all the great holistic health & wellness traditions provides insights into the successful use of hydrotherapy that can used to further develop hydrotherapy in the future.

6. Give some examples of how therapists around the world can share their knowledge and experiences of hydrotherapy and how this can promote the development of hydrotherapy. Answer: Though websites, email, associations, online trade journals. 

7. Discuss how a better understanding of the hydrosphere as well as the total concept of nature can promote the development of hydrotherapy. Answer: Modern understanding of the hydrosphere shows that it is one interconnected system and that all living systems depend on this same system for life. Human being are also a part of the hydrosphere and the behavior of human beings is harming the hydrosphere that all living systems depend on, including human beings.