A strip of mud
To prepare the strip of mud take some clear mud from the earth.The mud
should not be mixed with any other matter. If there are any stones in it they can be
crushed. Mix some cold water in it. The mud should be homogenously mixed throughout. Take
one piece of cloth and keep it on the abdomen. Take the strip of mud and keep it on the
cloth. Spread the mud 4 to 5 inches wide, 8 to 10 inches long and ½ an inch deep. The
size should be smaller for smaller children. Then reverse the cloth so that the mud will
be touching the abdomen. The child can stay in this position with or without a cover. This
strip can be kept on the abdomen for up-to 20 minutes. Clean the abdominal area after
removing the strip. The color of the mud is not significant. The mud strip could be used
in case of fever, inflammation of the bowel, joints etc. once or twice a day, depending
upon the severity of the disease.
Hot water leg bath
Children often complain of leg aches after doing a lot of sport and
physical activity. The following simple procedure would relieve them of painful knees,
ankle joints and aching muscles of the legs.
Sit on a stool and keep your legs in a bucket of hot water. The water should be of a
bearable temperature. Maintain the temperature of the water. After sitting, cover the
whole body including the bucket with a big cloth. Keep a wet towel on the head and pour
cold water on it. Drink hot water before starting this bath and also during the bath. Wipe
the whole body with a wet towel after completing this bath. Take a complete bath if it is
really necessary. This is especially good for painful conditions of the legs and the knees
and the ankle joints.
Normal bath
Children tend to avoid bathing. They have to be trained to take a proper
bath. Very few parents are aware of the importance and advantage of a proper bath.
Children are given a bath very hurriedly because they have to go to school.
The importance of proper bathing lies in the cleanliness it gives for hygiene and the
strengthening of the nerves and the muscles by improving the blood circulation through out
the body. It cleans the small waste particles on our body. There are millions of small
pores on our body which are prevented from being blocked.
A child's skin is very delicate. Use of a bad or a strong soap could damage it. If soap
has to be used, it should be mild, or instead of a soap, burnt sour lime or chana floor
could be applied on the body. Giving a hot water bath daily would make a child feel lazy
and weak. The digestive system also becomes sluggish. A hot water bath should be given
maximum once or twice a week. Generally speaking, it is better to take a hot water bath
before going to bed at night. A hot or cold water bath is to be taken one hour before a
meal or three hours after a meal.
Whenever the child is suffering from a cold and cough, he should take a hot water bath,
wear warm clothes and rest as much as possible.
Children must have a bath daily with water at room temperature, after the age of five
years. Before pouring water on the body, one should rub the body with a Turkish towel.
Initially, rub the body slowly with the hands from head to toe and after enough practice,
one can rub the body hard and for more time. Immediately take bath with cold water. After
a cold water bath, wipe the hair and body with a dry towel.
The above bathing technique should be used to avoid skin diseases. Dry and dead skin will
also slowly get renewed. It improves the glow on the face and makes the skin shiny.
Sponge
In a state of fever or weakness, it is good to take a sponge bath instead
of a normal bath. The child should be made to lie down and he should either be covered
with a blanket or bed-sheet and his body should be wiped with a wet towel. First sponge
one leg for four minutes and clean it. Then rub the leg with a dry towel, so that the leg
will become warm. Then sponge the second leg, the hands and then slowly sponge the whole
body. Give a 4 minute sponge to the hands and a 5 minute sponge to the back, stomach and
chest each. In this manner sponging of the whole body will take about half an hour. If the
child does not have a bath, then his body should be sponged every afternoon or any other
time during the day.
