Despite the fact that many people associate the bathhouse with Russia, it first appeared in those days when even Russia was not there.
The first mention of it appears in the territories of the Ancient East and China.
Subsequently, after many conquests of Alexander the Great, her idea was transferred to Greece, and then it was used in the Roman Empire.
There are many varieties of baths - according to the principle of their work, structure, etc. But this article will only indicate general information that applies equally to each species. Their benefits and possible health effects will be described.
Bath: what is it and how is it used
In Russia, the bath is of great importance as a cultural heritage and custom. Despite the fact that it appeared a very long time ago, it not only does not lose popularity, but vice versa, it becomes more in demand around the world. In ancient times, a bathhouse was used as the only way to keep your body clean. Even in the absence of various soaps and shampoos, visits to the baths could keep the body clean and prevent the appearance of many diseases. Therefore, initially she was a privilege of the upper classes of society.
Today, it is used mainly as a place. for a "moral rest"However, it is still popular in the villages and villages of our country. The Russian bath stands out from the rest primarily because of the high temperature prevailing in it. The higher the temperature, the more you sweat, and the more harmful substances and salts leave the body.
Despite the fact that trips to the bath often occur in a state of intoxication, categorically do not recommend this. At high temperatures, our heart experiences tremendous stress, and additional intoxication can cause loss of consciousness, and even death. Therefore, you should be very careful about this.
Russian bath is a small structure, which is most often built of trees: aspen, linden, birch, spruce, larch, pine or cedar. Inside the bath is a stove in which stones are laid. Under this stove a fire is kindled, which heats the stones. When water splashes onto stones, it evaporates quickly, and a large amount of steam and heat is released. During the construction of the bath, special, high thresholds are made in it at the entrance, so that it is more difficult for cold air to enter. As a rule, a dressing room is also placed in the same building, in which clothes and bath accessories are left.
Bath: what are the benefits for the body?
The benefits of the bath are truly incredible. This was especially evident in the Middle Ages, at a time of the widespread prevalence of plague and other similar diseases. According to statistics, these diseases were least spread in those areas where washing in baths was actively used. It copes well with any infectious diseases, and allows you to keep your body clean. So what is the use of the bath, and why is it so popular? There are several reasons:
• Firstly, the bath allows you to relax both physically and mentally. It allows you to get rid of stress, and remove excess tension from the muscles. High temperature and steam relieve muscle hypertonicity, which avoids many diseases and malfunctions in the body. It reduces pain in tired muscles, and its use is recommended even to those people who suffer from diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Increased sweating allows you to remove all toxins and lactic acid from tired muscles, which will require much less time for muscle relaxation. It is actively used by many athletes, and therefore saunas are now present in many gyms. A healthy sleep after visiting a good bath will allow you to recover two, or even three times faster.
• Secondly, the bathhouse can help with a number of “male” diseases, including sexual dysfunction. If you alternate the temperature changes, leaving the cold to heat, this will prevent diseases, and also strengthen the immune system. Our body can be tempered in the same way as metals - moving from a state of high temperatures to low you train your body, make it stronger, and more immune to infections and bacteria.
• Many men and women suffer from vascular problems and atherosclerosis. In the bath, vasodilation is observed, due to which blood circulation improves. And this will already be useful for any person - the faster the blood is pumped, the more nutrients and oxygen each cell receives.
• Due to hardening in combination with the use of special brooms, the vascular system can be improved and strengthened. That is why visiting a bathhouse becomes part of the treatment for many people with similar problems.
• Bath visits help improve skin condition. When exposed to high temperatures, sweating intensifies, pores open, and toxins and toxins are removed from the skin. Hot bath allows you to exfoliate the upper layers of the skin, and remove the "dead" tissue, due to which skin will become softer and silky.
• Using brooms in a bathhouse is akin to a good massage. Muscles relax, the skin becomes more elastic, and better copes with external adverse effects. In addition, brooms can get rid of joint pain and manifestations of radiculitis. Ever wondered: why are the village grandfathers so healthy and strong, despite the hard work in the fields? Fresh air is certainly good, but when combined with a bath, it has a truly incredible effect.
• A bath can have a positive effect on the body of a pregnant mother. It should be said right away - pregnant women should be in the bath at relatively low temperatures, and much less in time. And at the expense of benefits - the bath allows you to improve the elasticity of the ligaments of the body, which can facilitate the process of childbirth. But you should not visit the bath pregnant after the first trimester.
• Russian bath, and especially the black bath, allows you to get rid and prevent many diseases. This is especially true for various infectious diseases, like flu, acute respiratory infections and others. The sterility of a bathhouse can be compared to a surgical ward - this is due to the fact that the burned wood releases tar, which kills most bacteria and microbes.
Bath: what is the harm to health?
Despite the huge number of useful properties, the bath can be harmful to health. In what cases is this rule true?
• In no case should you visit a bathhouse while drinking alcohol. Too much stress on the heart can play a cruel joke with you, especially if you decide to go to the sauna alone. In addition, this may impair the functioning of your heart and blood vessel in the future.
• There are some contraindications that should not be violated: tuberculosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, tumors, diabetes, atherosclerosis.
• Before visiting the bathhouse, do not get too full. An unpleasant heaviness in the abdomen will be further aggravated by the dizziness that your body will experience. The body spends a fairly large amount of energy on the digestion of food, and in combination with the load in the bath, it will be very difficult to cope with.
• Do not sit in the bathhouse for too long. What is good - in the bath everyone can determine their own norm. Unpleasant sensations begin: dizzy, it becomes difficult to breathe, heaviness in the body, and so on. If you feel this, then it's time to leave the bathhouse - you should not sit through strength. When visiting the bath, use special caps that will allow your head to be in relative coolness. Remember - it is precisely because of overheating of the head that dizziness begins, so you should take care of it in advance.
• Do not allow children, the elderly, and persons intoxicated to sharply change the temperature. That is, you do not need to jump from the bath into the ice pool or snowdrift. In this case, due to a sharp change in temperature, the heart may stop, or, at best, nosebleeds can occur, as a result of overstrain of the body and blood vessels.
• Do not wet your head before visiting the bath. Water greatly enhances heat transfer, as a result of which heat shock becomes more likely.
Bathhouse for children: useful or harmful
The bath does not do much harm to children, but here use one rule. You should not take children under the age of 5 with them, and from the age of 5 to 10 years they are better off staying in the bathhouse for no more than 10 minutes. In other cases, the bath is actively used to strengthen the overall well-being of the child. It is able to temper the body of a child, and strengthen its immune system. Since at an early age children are very often exposed to various kinds of diseases, visiting a bath will not become superfluous for them.
If you teach your child to visit a bath at an early age, he will be much less susceptible to disease than other children. The child will develop a very strong immunity, and besides, this will improve his general physical and mental condition.
