Steam Inhalation

Requisites: Equipment for facial sauna is very convenient for this. If this is not available, water can be heated in a vessel till steam is generated.
Duration: 5–8 minutes.
Procedure: Keep the equipment on a stool and add a small cup of water and switch on. In a little while steam is generated. Sit on a stool in front of the equipment and bend over it and inhale the steam through nose and mouth by covering the head with a Turkish towel. Care should be taken not to inhale too much steam as it destroys the sensitivity of the nose and irritates the eyes. Wash the face gently with cold water and dry.
Uses: It is useful in treating cough, cold, diphtheria, tonsillitis and sinusitis. In acute inflammation of the pharynx, larynx and in cases where the Eustachian tube is blocked due to cold, steam inhalation gives tremendous and immediate relief. It also helps in relieving headaches caused due to sinusitis, congestion or chronic cold. In asthma and emphysema cases this acts as a powerful expectorant.

Steam Room

Requisites: A room specially made for this purpose. The steam is passed into the room through perforated tubes.
Duration: 10 to 12 minutes or until profuse perspiration takes place.
Procedure: The patient should drink 1 or 2 glasses of water and take a cold shower before entering the steam room. Immediately after the bath, a quick cold shower is taken. A glass of cold lemon juice soon after the cold shower acts as a refresher. The patient should relax for 30 to 45 minutes.
Precaution: Sometimes, during the bath, one may feel giddy or uneasy. In such cases the patient should immediately be taken out and a glass of cold water given and his head washed with cold water. Sufficient rest should be given until the unpleasant symptoms disappear.
Uses: Steam room is a powerful treatment to eliminate the morbid matter from the surface of the skin, a condition sometimes known as “Constipation of the skin”. It helps in treating cases of arthritis (osteo and rheumatoid), gout, uric acid problems and obesity. Steam room is helpful in all forms of chronic toxemias. It also relieves neuralgias such as sciatica, facial and spinal neuralgias, functional disorders of the spinal cord etc. It is also recommended in cases of chronic nephritis, migraine, malarial neuralgia etc.
Contra–indications: This bath should not be given to very weak patients, cardiac patients and those suffering from high blood pressure and fever.