Healing with Water: Kneipp Hydrotherapy at Home

by Giselle Roeder
alive Natural Health Guides
64 pages, soft cover, $9.95

Every year millions of people throughout the world benefit from Kneipp Water Therapy. In Germany, insurance companies cover the cost of Kneipp treatments. Now Healing with Water makes it possible for us all to benefit from simple effective in-home treatments on a daily basis.

In a timely and welcome move, alive's newest Natural Health Guide brings home the century-old findings of Father Sebastian Kneipp. Celebrated in his day for easing such conditions as poor circulation, heart problems and many more, he wrote the best-selling "My Water Cure," and was influential in the establishment of clinics and spas throughout Europe and eventually, North America.

Remarkably, simple temperature changes can cause the body to build more disease-fighting cells. The Guide instructs readers in techniques that use temperature changes and more, such as brushing, ice and water pressure, to influence our body's systems.

Kneipp Water Therapy is astounding. Learn how a simple "pick-me-up" arm bath can be a healthy and stimulating alternative to a cup of coffee. When changed slightly, it becomes a treatment to benefit the respiratory system. Detailed instructions and plenty of photos are used to motivate readers towards reaping the benefits of rinses, baths, wraps and other treatments. Except for a common hand-held shower nozzle required for some treatments, no specialized equipment is necessary.

Father Kneipp advocated eating whole food that is "simple, pure, wholesome and not too plentiful." His dietary philosophy is supported in the Guide's recipe section, courtesy of chef Fred Edrissi. Fred's colourful, simple soups and grain preparations would be the highlight of any dining room on the exclusive spa circuit.

The author, health writer and teacher Giselle Roeder trained extensively in Kneipp Therapy in her native Germany. Here she combines personal anecdotes and a thorough understanding of her subject to deliver a simple message in a highly useable and inspiring format. Father Kneipp wished for his complementary system to be accessible to all. Now it is, thanks to Giselle Roeder and alive Books.