Definition of Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy: Water has been used medicinally for thousands of years, with traditions rooted in ancient China, Japan, India, Rome, Greece, the Americas, and the Middle East. There are references to the therapeutic use of mineral water in the Old Testament. During the Middle Ages, bathing fell…Read more

Explore Hydrotherapy research in the following databases: 

PubMed  Trip Cochrane*
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “hydrotherapy”


Research Spotlight

The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section summarizes a sampling of five studies – providing just a taste of the available research. 

  • Study Indicates Frequent Baths Very Good for Your Heart
    A 2020 observational study from Japanese researchers (over 20 years, following 30,076 men and women) found that compared with people who took baths less than twice a week, those who took baths three to four times had a 25 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 13 percent lower risk of stroke. Daily bathers had a 35 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 23 percent lower risk of stroke. The researchers argued that the simple practice of taking bathslowers blood pressure and improves blood vessel function.
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  • Hot Springs Bathing Lowers Stress in Japan’s Bathing Monkeys
    A small 2018 study from Kyoto University analyzed snow monkeys from the Nagano region famous for soaking in natural hot springs, and found that these macaques’ stress hormones declined significantly when they were bathing. There appears to be evidence of not just physical – but social – value of thermal bathing: the higher-ranking monkeys spent more time in the pools.
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  • A Hot Bath Delivers Health Benefits Similar to Exercise
    Most cultures believe in the benefits of thermal bathing. And a small 2017 study from Loughborough University (UK) indicated that passive heating improves health. An hour-long hot bath burned as many calories as a half-hour walk, and led to positive changes in inflammatory response similar to those following exercise. 
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  • Hot Springs Found to Relieve Chronic Pain, Depression and Insomnia 
    A 2017 study from Australia’s RMIT University (surveying 4,265 hot springs users) found that bathing in hot springs provided significant relief for severe back pain, arthritis, injury, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and insomnia.
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  • Hydrotherapies Can Reduce Pain in Fibromyalgia Sufferers
    In a systematic review (2014, University of Freiburg) of randomized controlled trials on balneotherapy’s and hydrotherapy’s efficacy in managing fibromyalgia, both therapies showed either moderate to strong evidence for pain reduction and in improving health-related quality of life. Larger studies needed. 
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Read more study snapshots


Studies-in-Progress/Clinical Trials Underway

A clinical trial is any research study that assigns people to health-related interventions to evaluate the outcomes. “Interventions” include drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, preventive care, etc.


Access all studies currently available for Hydrotherapy in these databases:

PubMed  Trip Cochrane*

*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “hydrotherapy”