Dr. Otis G. Carroll, N.D.

Water has been used as a healing medium for thousands of years. Bring to mind the image of Indian tribes detoxing in the sweat lodges, followed by jumping into the cold water of a river; the ancient practice of bathing in mineral waters; the more recent cold sheet treatments of Herbal Master, Dr. John Christopher and his followers, and other forms of water therapy. However, the practice of hydrotherapy--also known as hydropathy--was made famous in the 1800s by the great German healer, Father Sebastian Kneipp, whose treatment became known as the Kneipp Water Cure. It didn't originate with Father Kneipp, however. He reportedly found information about a cold water treatment written by an unknown healer stored in the archives of a monastery.

Father Kneipp, in turn, passed on his expertise to legendary pioneers in naturopathic medicine such as Alex LeDoux, M.D., Henry Lindlahr, M.D., and Benedict Lust, M.D., considered the founder of modern naturopathy.

"In the 1890s, a young man stricken with arthritis and healed his affliction under the guidance of Dr. LeDoux, who had studied with Father Kneipp. This young man was so inspired that he in turn studied with Dr. LeDoux and Dr. Lindlahr in Chicago from 1904 to 1908, at which time he then brought his talents west to Spokane, Washington, where he became licensed as a sanipractor. This man was Dr. Otis G. Carroll. Dr. Carroll (usually referred to as O.G.) was also an electrician and was intrigued by the emerging field of electrotherapy utilized by John Harvey Kellogg, M.D. Based on this interest, O.G. decided to combine the applications of hot and cold packs with electrical stimulation and called it 'constitutional hydrotherapy.' According to Dr. Carroll, the constitutional hydrotherapy was twice as effective in a much shorter time than the standard hydrotherapy of the day." --Dr. Letitia Dick-Watrous: The Journal of Naturopathic Medicine, volume 7, no.2

Before that, a typical hydrotherapy treatment could last from 2-4 hours. This reduced the treatment to a 45 minute to one hour treatment.

Dr. Carroll accepted several licensed naturopathic physicians for residency to learn Constitutional Hydrotherapy, the Carroll Food Intolerance Test, and other facets of almost forgotten natural healing methods. These included Drs. Harold Dick, Leo Scott, and John Bastyr, after whom Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington was named. These legendary natural healing masters have all become part of the history of modern naturopathy today. Dr. Harold Dick was my doctor.--DJT

Thomas Kruzel N.D., American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
"Constitutional hydrotherapy is a special technique which greatly improves recovery from many illness, both acute and chronic, such as fatigue, arthritis, bronchitis, food poisoning, heart disease, influenza and chronic constipation to name a few. It has been used successfully by thousands of naturopathic physicians for over a century and at one time was standard medical treatment for many illnesses, in hospitals and clinics."

"Hydrotherapy works so well because it acts to stimulate the body's own healing force. During the treatment the patient lies comfortably on a soft table while hot towels are applied over the upper torso. The person is then wrapped in a sheet and covered with several layers of blankets. Once the skin is warmed, a single cold towel is exchanged for the heated one. The body, well prepared by the preceding warmth, reacts to this temperature change by greatly increasing the blood flow to the skin and the internal organs of the chest and abdomen. Hydrotherapy researchers have shown that a reflex increase in blood flow occurs in internal organs when the circulation to the overlying skin is stimulated. It is this internal reaction which is responsible for the long lasting and cumulative effects of a series of hydrotherapy treatments. Research has further shown that the beneficial effects on the immune system last for up to 24 hours making this a very effective therapy for any disorder involving immune function.
To enhance these effects, a mild electrical stimulation is applied over the spine during the treatment. Certain modifications may be made during the therapy depending on the persons ability to react to it and the type of disease being addressed."

Dr. D'Adamo, N.D. (Blood Type Diets): "Constitutional Hydrotherapy originated with Dr. Otis G. Carroll in 1908.  Dr. Otis G. Carroll  is considered one of the most significant naturopathic physicians of this century. He practiced in Spokane, Washington. His clinic was the most famous west of the Mississippi, and he was the primary teacher of those who later taught Dr. Peter D’Adamo, such as Dr. John Bastyr and Dr. Harold Dick. To earlier forms of water treatment, Carroll added electrical stimulation, shortening the application times for the hot and cold packs. He believed that this regimen could change the constitution of the cells in the body. Typically given in the practitioner's office, this form of therapy combines systematic application of hot and cold wet towels with administration of mild electrical stimulation to various muscle groups." http://www.dadamo.com/clinic/_constitutional.pdf

Dr. Joseph Mercola, D.C., Internet health advisor: "Constitutional Hydrotherapy - Perhaps the most powerful and useful of all hydrotherapy treatments, the constitutional is a special technique that can greatly improve recovery from a wide variety of acute and chronic illnesses. It has been used countless time by many naturopaths as part of a treatment plan for such conditions as cancer, AIDS, arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease, migraines, environmental toxicity, and many others. This treatment is helpful in any case where detoxification, immune stimulation, and digestion enhancement are needed. This treatment is best prescribed by a trained physician who is well versed in the theory and practice of naturopathic hydrotherapy. However, a modification of the treatment, which is still very powerful, can be performed by yourself, or with the help of someone else, in your home." http://www.mercola.com/2003/dec/13/hydrotherapy.htm

Prostate Cancer Site: http://www.drweizer.com/prostateresearch.htm
"To support the inherent cancer-fighting mechanisms of the body and to prevent infection, it is essential to strengthen the immune system. Herbal medicines, natural supplements, acupuncture, dietary counseling, visualization and hydrotherapy are used in this aspect of healing."

Hydrotherapy is an ancient practice, dating back at least to the use of healing baths in mineral springs in ancient Roman times. Simple, economical techniques, such as the use of alternating hot and cold foot baths, heating compresses (wrapping an affected body part with a well–wrung-out, cool cloth and placing a warm, dry wool cloth over it), and steam baths have been a part of home health treatments in a variety of cultures for generations.

The “water cure” by Father Sebastian Kneipp attracted thousands of people to his small Bavarian parish of Woerishofen. Dr. Otis G. Carroll, one of the founders of naturopathy in the early twentieth century, became a proponent of hydrotherapy after receiving a successful treatment from one of Father Kneipp’s students. Also an electrician, Dr. Carroll not only developed and refined Kneipp’s methods, but also combined them with the emerging practice of electrotherapy to produce constitutional hydrotherapy, a mainstay of water treatment today. This combination of applying moist towels (alternately hot and cold) to the chest/abdomen and back, and use of a gentle electrical current, enhances the immune response, improves the body’s capacity to absorb and utilize nutrients, encourages the removal of cellular and environmental wastes, and promotes a healthy balance between the two parts of our autonomic nervous system, the “fight or flight” sympathetic and the “rest and digest” parasympathetic systems, which regulate all our bodily processes.
Boyle, Wade, ND and Saine, Andre, ND, Lectures in Naturopathic Hydrotherapy. Sandy: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1988: 135.

"Hydrotherapy’s benefits arise from the capacity of both warm and cold water to improve blood flow to organs and tissues, transporting vital nutrients to the working cells, while at the same time removing the waste products of our cells’ work. Early naturopaths identified five organs as “emunctories” (organs of elimination, helping to remove waste products from the body): liver, kidneys, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. They found that hydrotherapy improves overall health by increasing blood flow to each of these organs, allowing them to perform their eliminative work optimally. If blood flow was stagnant, they argued, the weight of “morbid matter”—what we might now think of as “toxic burden,” including free radicals that damage our tissues, industrial pollutants, and the waste products of our own bodily processes—would accumulate enough to cause ill health.

Hydrotherapy, on the other hand, promotes the process of detoxification through improved blood flow, increased sweating (to remove toxins through the skin), better absorption of nutrients from food and more regular bowel activity, and increased urination (indicating increased kidney activity—reabsorption of nutrients while excreting wastes.) Yet removing wastes is not hydrotherapy’s only function: it also helps build the blood by increasing desirable elements, such as red and white blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen. In addition, water treatments improve immune functioning by nourishing the reticuloendothelial system, through which our illness-fighting white blood cells recognize invaders and are guided to the tissues where they are needed.
Boyle, Wade, ND and Saine, Andre, ND, Lectures in Naturopathic Hydrotherapy, Sandy: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1988: 17-18.

One study demonstrated that hydrotherapy can boost immune function, eliminate excess fluid, and reduce the incidence of colds and flu by 50%.
Ernst, E., Pecho, E., Wirz, P., Saradeth, T., “Regular Sauna Bathing and the Incidence of Common Colds,” Annals of Medicine, 22.4 (1990): 225-7.

External hydrotherapy treatments produce profound effects on immune function, particularly through applications of hot water, which increases the number and activity of natural killer cells, key white blood cells the body recruits in its fight against cancer.
Blazickova, S., Rovensky, J., Koska, J., Vigas, M., “Effect of Hyperthermic Water Bath on Parameters of Cellular Immunity,” International Journal of Clinical Pharmocology Residents 20. 1-2 (2000): 41-6.

Hot sitz baths are helpful as a treatment for prostate disorders. To perform the treatment, the patient needs to sit in hot water (ranging from 105-115° F) for 3 to 10 minutes. (Sitting in a water-filled basin placed in the bathtub is an easy way to do this.) After the bath, the patient sponges the area off with cool water, removing any wastes the skin has excreted and closing the pores. The purpose of the bath is to relax the area and open the urinary passageway. However, if the prostate is acutely inflamed or infected, or if the patient is concerned about the fertility problems that may arise from the high temperature of the water, he should avoid this treatment.
Murray, Michael T., ND, Male Sexual Vitality, Rocklin: Prima, 1994: 69-70.

Cancer cells are more vulnerable to heat than normal, healthy cells, dying at temperatures at and above 42° C, or 107.6° F [though this temperature cannot be safely achieved by use of hydrotherapy].
Quillin, Patrick, Beating Cancer with Nutrition, Tulsa: Nutrition Times, 1994: 11.

Another way to perform the sitz bath is to use alternating hot and cold soaks, sitting in a basin of hot water first, then cold water, then hot, and so on, always ending the treatment with cold water. This treatment not only reduces the pain and discomfort of prostate conditions, but it also reduces congestion to the pelvic area and promotes the restoration of healthy tissues.
Clements, Harry, ND, DO, Nature Cure for Prostate Troubles, Gateway House: Health For All, 1954: 33-4.

Clements also recommends a purifying water-only fast for up to three days, which increases urinary output and empties the stomach completely, allowing for removal of wastes while not burdening the body with new ones.
Clements 29.

This healing modality has a scientific basis and application. In a clinical setting where full constitutional hydrotherapy can be applied, a timed application of alternating hot and cold towel packs to the torso, front and back, is coupled with mild electrotherapy. One "pumps up" blood circulation through the expansion and contraction of tissues, affects digestion, and increases eliminations while the other stimulates muscle groups and deeper organs and tissues into increased activity. Together they "jump start" the immune system and help to bring about a needed detoxification process, also known as "biopurification," "healing crisis," "cleansing crisis," "reaction," and other terms relating to cleaning house in a sick, congested, toxic body. As one therapist described it, this is a method of detoxing a congested nervous system as well as the tissues.

The improved form of hydrotherapy alone, without the electrotherapy that makes it "Constitutional Hydrotherapy," can be done at home with a helper with nothing more than a few towels and a blanket, and it can be done alone also. I have seen one single treatment bring results, and continued treatment assist in the healing process of numerous illnesses, including my own--DJT

In one anecdotal case, I gave a home treatment to a family friend whose lungs were so congested that

breathing was painful and deep breathing nearly impossible. After one single treatment, he immediately after starting coughing up thick, white mucus (or something), and afterward felt great relief. He went on after that in a normal course of healing from whatever respiratory problem he had caused by "accidental" consumption of a food or food combination intolerance that had been determined earlier by Dr. Harold Dick, using the O.G. Carroll food intolerance test.

In another case, in 1986 my 5-year-old daughter Michelle was injected by unyielding Texas medical authorities (who threatened us into submission for the first and last time) with a tetanus vaccine after a minor injury on a military base that resulted in an almost immediate reaction (within hours) with skin eruptions, fever, and "screaming syndrome." These are the 3 best-documented symptoms of vaccination sequelae, with some skin sore infections evolving into disfiguring or life-threatening conditions such as fatal progressive vaccinia in smallpox vaccine day or necrotising fasciitis. We later found the eruptions on unbroken skin were Strept A, the flesh-eating bacteria, complicated with staph. (There was no infection whatsoever at the injury site.) The first eruption came on her instep and looked like half of a striped green grape pushing through the top of her foot. The pain was so intense she screamed for some time and had to be carried to the bathroom to urinate. I gave her one single hydrotherapy treatment and by the time it was done, the pain was gone and she ran off to play, although that was just the beginning stage of her vaccine-induced infection. Hydrotherapy became the main treatment for all of us when the infection broke out all over her body, and we got infected from direct contact.

Texas authorities became involved and tried to force us into antibiotic treatment while claiming that Michelle would die without it, but Dr. Dick intervened by telephone with the head of Pediatrics at the hospital on Lackland Air Force Base, Col. Mark Danney, MD, who took over my daughter's case when we refused to allow antibiotic treatment, and we continued with only home hydrotherapy and an alkalizing diet for both my daughter and me. We both healed without complications and without the immune damaging, suppressive effects of antibiotics. (We still had to flee the state to outrun the Texas authorities, but it was with the blessing of Dr. Danney, who did a turnaround after naturopath Dr. Dick spent hours on the phone doing some "re-educating" of Col. Danney who became a "better doctor" by Dr. Danney's own surprising admission.)

Michelle's father was a different story. He drowned his sorrows in a bottle, ended up at a VA hospital for treatment, was put into quarantine, put on antibiotics without choice, and ended up with knarled, abnormal tissues and a fungal infection in his lungs. It took two years of probiotics and other immune enhancement treatments to get him on the road to recover and the infected tissues only became normal to the touch after he did an escharotic treatment for cirrhosis that appears to have brought on a major systemic detoxification. The escharotics are known as "cancer salves" but from our personal experience, we believe they work on any abnormal condition and have a far broader application that people know.

Around 1979 when I first found Dr. Dick, I had my food intolerances diagnosed, my primary tissue salt deficiency treated, was prescribed glandular protomorphogens to heal sick glands, and received 5 weeks of constitutional hydrotherapy in Dr. Dick's clinic. I went in with pre-cancerous stomach ulcers, acutely infected ovarian cysts, chronic bronchitis, arthritis, sciatica, allergies, and a heart murmur. During that time I went through what felt like a catastrophic 2-week cleansing crisis where I dripped, oozed, threw up, drained and otherwise expelled a lifetime of toxic buildup. I left with a healthy new body.

I know the power of this therapy first-hand and considering the weakened state of my heart from its toxic burden, could not have made such a recovery without it. The first day my heart sounded normal, I was told to go home. It was actually one day short of 5 weeks and I offered to finish the week, but Dr. Dick would have none of it. He informed me I was fit to leave and that was that. I had 20 years of good health following that treatment (except for the vaccination infection, which I recovered from without medical intervention) before stress created a different kind of health crisis. Hydrotherapy at home became part of that treatment. It remains the home treatment of choice for any and every illness, though we rarely get sick other than from the occasional dietary "oops" when we eat our "allergies."

From: http://www.pdrhealth.com/content/natural_medicine/chapters/201260.shtml

Hydrotherapy

Although the use of water to treat illnesses is a time-honored medical technique, it has recently declined in popularity among mainstream physicians. The application of hot and cold water or water-soaked compresses to manage the pain and swelling of soft tissue injuries and burns is still standard practice, and has been proven effective in a variety of well-controlled clinical trials. Likewise, physical therapy performed in water is still a common treatment for the disabled. However, other forms of hydrotherapy are no longer routinely used in hospitals, and most medical schools no longer teach the techniques. The hydrotherapy formerly used in psychiatric clinics is now considered obsolete.

In the world of natural healing, however, hydrotherapy continues to claim devoted proponents. Techniques such as constitutional hydrotherapy and hot fomentation, both of which seek to rid the body of toxins, are advocated for a wide range of diseases.

How the Treatments Are Done

CONSTITUTIONAL HYDROTHERAPY

Typically given in the practitioner's office, this form of therapy combines systematic application of hot and cold wet towels with administration of mild electrical stimulation to various muscle groups.

Before starting therapy, the practitioner may conduct a physical examination to diagnose your condition. The sophistication of the exam will depend on the type of practitioner you're seeing. The recommended number of sessions will be based on the therapist's assessment of your condition. Here's how a typical session progresses:

First, as you lie face-up on an examination table, the therapist will cover your torso with two hot, wet towels, wrung out so that they are moist but not dripping, and folded in half. The temperature of the towels will be about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the towels are in place, the therapist will pull a wool blanket up to your shoulders, leaving it loose so that air can circulate around the body. The towels are left in place for 5 minutes.

Next, the therapist will pull the blanket down and place a new set of hot towels over the original ones, which will have cooled. He will then flip the towels so that new ones are next to your body, and remove the old ones. Next, he will place folded cold towels, described by one practitioner as at "gasping temperature," over the hot towels and flip the towels again. The cold towels remain in place on the chest for 10 minutes. Again, you'll be covered by a blanket.

During application of the cold wet towels, the therapist will place "sine wave" (electrical) pads on either side of your spine just below the shoulders. The pads will deliver a mild electrical current to the muscles. This current feels like a buzzing or tickling sensation. It isn't painful, but it should be firm. The sine wave machine will run for 10 minutes. You'll be able to control the strength of the current. (When used to encourage healing after a fracture—once the bones have been set—the sine wave pads are positioned directly over the injured bone.)

After 10 minutes, the therapist will remove the cold towels and reposition the pads, with one placed on the center of the lumbar or lower back area and the other located just under your rib cage in the solar plexus region. The sine wave machine will then run for another 10 minutes, without the benefit of new towels.

The entire process is then repeated as you lie face-down. At the end of the treatment, the therapist will rub your back down with a dry towel—sort of a "wake-up" call for the skin and body.

Treatment Time: Each session takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Treatment Frequency: Depending on the condition, as many as 15 sessions may be recommended; children may require fewer treatments. For an acute condition, like the flu, for example, a practitioner may suggest constitutional hydrotherapy every day for 3 or 4 consecutive days. For a chronic condition, therapy is often recommended 2 to 3 times a week. According to practitioners of constitutional hydrotherapy, the treatments are most successful when administered close together.

OTHER HOT/COLD TREATMENTS
Some naturopathic practitioners recommend a procedure called a "wet T-shirt treatment" for use at home. To relieve symptoms of a cough, for example, the patient is told to stand in a hot shower long enough for steam to build up. He then dries off, wrings out a T-shirt that's been soaking in ice water, puts it on, covers it with a wool or flannel shirt or sweater, and goes to bed under several layers of blankets. A comparable treatment for children or infants who can't stand in a shower involves cold, moist socks covered by dry, warm socks.

(What I do when alone is to take a large wet towel--actually one towel with another half towel sewed on to the end so that it wraps around easily--kept in a plastic bag in the fridge, and have it ready to drape under my armpits on down as soon as I get out of a hot shower where I've let the stream of hot water run up and down my body front and back. I then wrap a wool blanket around myself under the arms and then lie down or sit in a chair covered by plastic and let the towel warm to body temperature for at least 20 minutes--DJT)

Many primary care physicians recommend a variation of this procedure for colds, coughs, and congestion, especially in young children and infants. Parents are instructed to sit with the child in the bathroom while the running shower creates steam. After about 15 minutes in the steam, the parent then holds the child's face in front of the opened freezer compartment of the refrigerator, while encouraging the child to inhale the cold air. If the weather is cold enough, a brief trip outside, holding the child in a blanket, may achieve the same effect. This process should be repeated several times.

What Treatment Hopes to Accomplish

CONSTITUTIONAL HYDROTHERAPY
The practice of constitutional hydrotherapy originated with Otis G. Carroll in 1908. To earlier forms of water treatment, Carroll added electrical stimulation, shortening the application times for the hot and cold packs. He believed that this regimen could change the constitution of the cells in the body.

Today, advocates claim that the treatments detoxify the system and bring it back into balance. They believe that alternate applications of heat and cold can increase the body's white cell count, and hence boost its ability to fight infection and disease. They claim that, since the nerves in the skin are connected to the central nervous system, the hot/cold treatments can also help reestablish normal neurological functions. They add that the therapy can be expected to improve circulation and metabolism in the digestive organs and increase the amount of oxygen in the blood stream. The mild electrical current administered during the treatments is believed to promote the production of digestive enzymes by stimulating the smooth muscle in the lining of the stomach and the ducts of the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver.

Despite all these purported benefits, many patients feel worse, rather than better, after a course of these treatments. Advocates of constitutional hydrotherapy (and hot fomentation) explain this reaction as a "healing crisis" said to occur when the body becomes strong enough to throw off harmful toxins. For example, if constitutional hydrotherapy is used to cure a sinus infection, the body is said to eliminate its toxins through the mucus in the sinuses, thus causing what appears to be a relapse. Patients also tend to experience a mild, flu-like feeling for a couple of days as the body restores itself. On the plus side, advocates promise that once the body has experienced a healing crisis it won't succumb to the same illness as severely in the future.

Critics of these treatments suggest that almost any activity, from taking a cold shower to getting too much sleep, can boost the body's infection-fighting T cells. They add that although many of the treatment's actions may sound plausible, there's no evidence that they actually occur. ("Critics" aren't aware of research by Loma Linda Hospital and other sources.)

What Side Effects May Occur?

The "healing crisis" often encountered in constitutional hydrotherapy and hot fomentation is an unpleasant, but short-lived*, side effect. Procedures that leave one tightly wrapped in towels and blankets sometimes trigger feelings of claustrophobia in those prone to the problem. The heat used in many of the treatments can also prove overwhelming* to some patients. For the majority, however, these treatments are usually harmless. (*"Short lived?" --not always.  *The heat is applied in 5 minute applications front and back, which would rarely "overwhelm" a patient.)

How to Choose a Therapist

The "detoxifying" forms of hydrotherapy are especially popular among naturopathic physicians—practitioners who focus on helping the body heal itself. The noninvasive, nontoxic nature of these therapies fits in well with naturopathy's emphasis on the "healing power of nature." Indeed, naturopaths are the only alternative medicine practitioners who receive formal training in hydrotherapy techniques.

When choosing a naturopathic practitioner, check with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) to make sure he is licensed or accredited. (Only 11 states currently require a license.) Physicians recommended by the AANP must complete four years of graduate-level naturopathic medical school, receiving training in the same basic sciences covered in conventional medical schools. There are currently two such schools in the United States. Avoid graduates of correspondence courses.

http://www.naturalhealth.org/tradnaturo/history2.html   (more history)

http://www.treefarmtapes.com/catalog/product.asp?productid=9935 (Dr. Watrous tape on constitutional hydrotherapy-- From Conference: Advancing Natural Medicine II ~ Healthcare for the New Millennium)

http://www.treefarmtapes.com/catalog/product.asp?productid=163 (workshop tape on constitutional hydrotherapy by Leo Scott, N.D., student of O.G.Carroll)

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/46/19.cfm 

"Simple but effective"-- "In general, one of the basic cornerstones of naturopathic medicine is hydrotherapy, which is used to trigger the basic healing mechanisms of the body," says Jared Zeff, naturopathic physician, licensed acupuncturist and professor of naturopathic medicine at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Some forms of hydrotherapy improve circulation, according to Dr. Zeff. For many conditions, improving the circulation is key to stimulating the body's healing process.

http://www.spiritcentre.com/hydrotherapy.htm

"Hydrotherapy works so well because it acts to stimulate the body's own healing force. These constitutional treatments stimulate healing by enhancing the oxygenation and circulation of blood and lymph, by promoting better digestion of food and nutrition to the cells, by increasing the oxidation and elimination of toxins, by strengthening the general defense of the body and by assisting in the restoration of nervous equilibrium. Patients of all ages can benefit from these treatments."

http://www.pearlnaturalhealth.com/health-methods.html

"Constitutional hydrotherapy treatments are a cornerstone of traditional naturopathic care. Naturopathic medicine is a broad system of medicine built upon simple and reliable principles. One of these principles holds that proper circulation to internal organs and tissues is a necessity for pain relief, optimal metabolic function, repair of damaged or infected tissue, and general well-being."

http://www.revivewellnesscenter.com/revive/health/modalities/constitutional_hydrotherapy.php

"Constitutional Hydrotherapy is by far the most effective therapy for stimulating the immune system and achieving total body detoxification. It has been used for years to detoxify heavy metal exposure, pesticide/herbicide toxicity, and the daily toxic buildup of improper diet and lifestyle.

This has been called "constitutional hydrotherapy" because it changed the very constitution of each individual cell. This means that each cell in your body is stimulated to dump waste products, to utilize nutrition more efficiently, and to work more effectively. You can rebuild your metabolism and regenerate your health with this amazing therapy.

Constitutional hydrotherapy techniques also are used to greatly improve recovery from many acute and chronic illnesses."

http://www.naturalopinion.com/nmp/Conshydr.htm (home hydrotherapy with contraindications listed)

http://www.drchrisbooren.com/hydrotherapy/  (CH practitioner)

http://www.nihadc.com/wilson2.htm (CH practitioner/clinic)

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=724  (Dr. Kruzel, N.D.)

http://www.marti-inst.ch/Publi_Magnet_Therapie_am.htm  
(electrotherapy)

The above "advice" from the above-quoted website pdrhealth.com applies to regular hydrotherapy. Until recently, Constitutional Hydrotherapy had to be learned from someone who studied with Dr. Otis G. (O. G.) Carroll, one of his students such as Dr. Harold Dick, or one of their students on down the line such as Dr. Letitia Dick-Watrous,  the primary "keeper of the flame" in practice today. However, now "Advanced Constitutional Hydrotherapy" is being taught at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. http://www.bastyr.org/ftp/Catalog04-05.pdf 

If anyone doubts the kind of education and training required of naturopathic physicians, take a look at the above (link) Bastyr University schedule. They have to take the same basic sciences and tests as did medical doctors before "deregulation" of state or national testing requirements took place, according to Dr. Harold Dick, N.D. He explained that too many medical students failed their boards, so the standardized testing requirements were struck down, but that naturopathic licensing authorities refused to likewise "dumb down" their tests or their standards, and kept them tightly regulated.

ADVANCED CONSTITUTIONAL HYDROTHERAPY

Dr. Letitia Dick-Watrous  N.D.

A summary of Dr. Letitia Dick-Watrous's published article on Constitutional Hydrotherapy in the Journal of Naturopathic Medicine will follow soon.

"Dr. Letitia Watrous graduated from NCNM in 1990 and completed a 3-year residency with her father, Dr. Harold Dick, in 1993. After his passing, she became medical director of his 40 year practice – now known as the Windrose Naturopathic Clinic in Spokane, WA. This practice is a direct model of the clinical practice of Dr. Otis G. Carroll which still sees some of Dr. Carroll’s patients. In 2001 Dr. Watrous was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award by the students at National College of Naturopathic Medicine."

Dr. Dick-Watrous currently teaches courses on Advanced Hydrotherapy and the Carroll Food Intolerance Testing at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington, lectures at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Arizona, is running one research study on the effectiveness of Constitutional Hydrotherapy and diet and another one on the effect of Constitutional Hydrotherapy on blood sugar metabolism that she and co-author Dr. Blake hope to publish soon. She and Dr. Jared Zeff are in the process of setting up a non-profit post graduate institute--The Carroll Institute of Natural Healing--and she is also working several days a weeks as the primary contributor and coordinator of the work by doctors/contributors to the first in-depth textbook of Naturopathic Medicine intended as the cornerstone of naturopathic education and training. http://windroseclinic.com/projects.html

...and in her spare time (joke) she is building a greenhouse to grow botanicals of the highest quality, and making plans to add on to her modest clinic in Spokane to better serve her patients.

(...to be continued)