Kneipp cure: A classic wet self-experiment

Water enters the cycle

"Umdrahn," says a woman in a white coat. I am standing in the spa department of the Sebastianeum in Bad Wörishofen. From 1891, the pastor Sebastian Kneipp was busy with buckets and watering cans. In principle, nothing has changed. "Umdrahn" I hear again, and because Bavarian is a foreign language for me, makes the lifeguard a movement with the hose. All right. Just now she has watered my calves to the knees with 38 degrees warm water, now the shins come on it. "Umdrahn and exhale." 19 degrees of cool water runs over my legs, then it gets 40 degrees and then, "exhale", 17 degrees. That seems cold to me, but not icy as feared. So far, I had thought Kneipp was something for heroes of hardening, so nothing for me. I was wrong.

After the knee replacement I walk in a white bathrobe through the Kurhaus, which was founded more than 120 years ago as a recreation center for priests and male religious and since a major rebuilding and cultivation in 2012 "Sebastianeum Kneipp and health resort". My skin tingles, my vessels and joints are happy about the stimulating blood circulation. Other guests in white bathrobes meet me. On the carpet in the hallway is "In the water is salvation". I go to bed, that's part of the therapy. Umdrahn.

The doctors sued Kneipp for quackery

"That's how you should live," Pastor Kneipp had advised and thus meant the five pillars of his health teaching: exercise, nutrition, therapy with herbs, therapy with water and the order of life. The people were interested in it, but the doctors sued Kneipp, who was not a physician, for quackery. In vain, more and more spa guests came to Bad Wörishofen, despite bad travel conditions. And today? Some therapy methods seem dusty. Water treading is more effort than wellness, and hardly anyone thinks of a body spiral - that is a watering - if he wants to let it go really well.

Barefoot hiking trail in the spa park of Bad Wörishofen

In Bad Wörishofen, things also seem strange to me at first: What is a hay pack on my upper abdomen doing at five o'clock in the morning? Dr. Hans-Jörg Ohlert laughs. The chief physician at the Sebastianeum is an internist, rheumatologist, specialist in physical and rehabilitative medicine specializing in natural remedies and osteopathy - and is convinced by the teaching that Pastor Kneipp developed more than 100 years ago. "If you do not want to have the hay pack until ten o'clock, then it will be good, but early morning will give you the peace to make the therapy work." The hay bag is filled with freshly cut hay, which was heated under steam.

The heat releases muscle tension and stimulates blood circulation. The released essential oils spoil the skin and my bronchi. The wrap stays for half an hour, then a friendly night nurse picks it up quietly. When I get up, I feel very good. Or am I just imagining it? Dr. Ohlert adds to what I feel with facts: "The body starts to build up at four in the morning, so warm applications are perceived as mild, cold applications more of a stimulus, and vice versa after 4pm." The Kneipp therapy makes use of this phenomenon - with success, according to the expert: "Regularly applied changing stimuli regulate the autonomic system and activate the self-healing powers of the organism."

Exercise is best outdoors

Scientific studies prove the effect. My fellow patient Anne Buch (name changed) puts it in a nutshell: "Yes, that helps." Three times a day we exchange experiences and experiences in the clinic's own restaurant: how cold the cast was today, whether the Kneipp diet helps, which movie is on in the cinema. Normally, the 53-year-old works in the family farm. Now she has been here for almost three weeks, her health insurance has given her a cure. The diagnosis: fatigue syndrome. Against her hypertension she gets cold calf and change casts. For relaxation, she does respiratory therapy and practices creative painting. She goes swimming and running.

And in the future, she wants to protest against the usual phrase, "Oh, Mom will do it". Most of the patients who take part in the Sebastianeum suffer from the "civilization diseases" of our time: burnout, chronic pain, arthrosis, impaired musculoskeletal system and hypertension. But only a few pays their health insurance the cure. Since health care reform in 1997, the number of health insurance patients in Bad Wörishofen has also been falling steadily.The number of overnight stays per year, before the reform still 1.4 million, has fallen by half, almost every second health resort had to give up now. At least the remaining houses can count on loyal guests: every second person returns regularly to maintain or restore his health.

Expensive utensils and ingredients are unnecessary for the Kneipp

Rest also belongs to the Kneipp therapy

The Kneipp method, until today the only holistic naturopathic procedure in Europe, is a good way to do this: Every mother knows that cold compresses help against fever. And anyone who has ever had a back-hot flash with a massage effect or a cold lumbar wrap has experienced the effect first-hand: After that, the metabolism runs at full speed, and the body consumes calories. Expensive utensils and ingredients are unnecessary for the Kneipp, many procedures are easy to use after a briefing even by laymen. A week later, I'm at home in the shower. I say "Umdrahn" and "Exhale" and do it. Warm, cold, warmer, colder. All a question of habituation. In Bad Wörishofen, the children are already doing Kneipp treatments in the day care center. I'm feeling pretty warm and very cold right now. And continue breathing. Then go to bed for half an hour. That's part of the therapy.

The Kneipp cure for every day

To wake up: Take the cold arm bath in the sink or in a shallow bowl. It is important that you can sit upright without unnecessary tension. Drain water from the pipe and immerse the forearms so that they rest on the bottom of the pool or basin and are completely covered. Ten to 30 seconds remain, depending on how well you tolerate the cold. Wipe off the water with your hands (do not dry it off), let your arms dry in the air. The beauty casting works best with the shower: stand bent forward, turn the shower up slightly. Cold water in circles (start to the right, stop on the left) over the face, until a feeling of coldness is felt, let it dry.

To get down: For the cold foot bath you need a foot tub or a large household bucket (20 liters). Running in cold water, dipping feet and calves, ten to 30 seconds. Caution: not suitable for those who are prone to bladder and kidney infections.

For all baths and castings with cold water: Do not use for circulatory disorders and nerve pain and not when the body is cold. Stop unpleasant sensations immediately. More information: www.kneipp-bund.de.

Recommended reading: Robert Bachmann / German M. Schleinkofer, "Naturally healthy with Kneipp Fit and beautiful: over 60 water applications for the home", 160 pages, 19.99 euros, Trias.

Information about the cure: Sebastianeum Kneippianum Bad Wörishofen