First, the close relationship between the foot and the human body As the saying goes: "The roots are exhausted first, and the old feet are old first." Why are feet so important to the human body? According to the meridian theory, the three yin meridians of the foot and the three yang meridians of the foot start from the limbs and end at the limbs respectively. They are Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian, Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian and Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. Through the relationship between meridians, they are respectively connected with the meridians of the three Yin San yang of the hand, and the diseases of fu organs that maintain the qi and blood circulation of the human body can influence each other through the meridians. On the contrary, dredging meridians and qi and blood can achieve the effect of treating visceral diseases. For example, Zusanli (Zusanli), the stomach meridian of Foot Yangming, can be used to treat gastric diseases through massage or acupuncture when there are lesions in the epigastrium, and the effect is remarkable. Therefore, the relationship between foot and viscera is the epitome of the overall concept. The basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine holds that "the kidney is the innate foundation" and "the spleen is the acquired foundation", which is the foundation of the so-called "primordial" life. This clearly points out that spleen-qi impairing kidney plays a particularly important role in internal organs. Both kidney meridian of foot shaoyin and spleen meridian of foot Taiyin originate from foot, which shows that foot is a very important tissue in life activities. In addition, the foot is also called the "second heart" of people. Why do you call them that? Although the heart is the guarantee of human blood circulation, because the feet are far away from the heart and gravity, blood flows from the heart to the feet more easily, while blood from the feet is relatively difficult to flow back to the heart. When a large amount of blood can be taken from the veins of the lower limbs, the tissue pressure of the lower limbs increases, and it is necessary to rely on the action of the muscle pump of the lower limbs, that is, the tension of the skeletal muscles of the lower limbs increases and the isometric contraction, squeezing the blood vessels of the lower limbs, assisting the blood pumping function of the heart, and forcing the venous blood of the lower limbs to flow to the heart to complete the whole body through the venous valve. Therefore, some people call the reputation of the foot "the second heart" of people. Poor blood circulation of lower limbs will affect the physiological functions of various organs of the human body and lead to various diseases. If you keep proper exercise every day, it can help the heart recover the blood from the distal end, thus greatly reducing the burden on the heart. Moreover, it has the function of pumping blood without a watch, which is why the foot is called the "second heart". Modern medicine has also proved that the soles of the feet are densely covered with many blood vessels and the peripheral nerves are rich. Stimulating the soles of the feet can reflect to the cerebral cortex, regulate brain function, and indirectly regulate visceral function through the central nervous system, which is of great significance to maintaining health. Second, the principle of foot bath therapy Chinese medicine believes that the human body is a unified whole, and the viscera, organs, limbs and bones of the human body are interdependent, mutually restrictive and interrelated. If one tissue is sick, it may affect other parts. The foot is an important part of the human body, so systemic diseases will affect the foot. Similarly, foot disease will also affect the whole body and cause corresponding diseases. Soaking feet with hot water has the functions of promoting qi circulation, activating blood circulation, warming viscera, and dredging meridians, thus regulating the functions of viscera, promoting blood circulation of the whole body, improving the patency of capillaries, improving the nutritional status of the whole body tissues, strengthening the metabolism of the body, and making people feel relaxed and happy, which is of great benefit to health. The folk proverb says: "When you wash your feet in spring, the sun will rise and take off;" Wash feet in summer, remove dampness and clear heat; Wash feet in autumn, moisten lungs and intestines; Wash your feet in winter and warm your spoon in the abdomen. "Chinese medicine theory holds that the whole body of the human body is linked by meridians, and the sole of the foot is the concentration point of each meridian, also called reflex zone. The plantar reflex zone is connected with every nerve of the human body, connecting the five internal organs. Traditional Chinese medicine foot bath is based on the principle of external treatment of internal diseases. The effective components of Chinese herbal medicine are dissolved in water by boiling, and then the drugs reach the internal organs through the meridians through the contact between water and feet, as well as the pressure and solubility of water, thus playing a role in treating diseases and strengthening the body. Especially for patients with coronary heart disease, dysmenorrhea, Raynaud's disease, arteriosclerosis obliterans and other qi stagnation and blood stasis and microcirculation disorders, it has obvious curative effect. According to different diseases, after 20 minutes of foot bath treatment, most patients have been improved, the blood flow speed has been significantly accelerated, and the phenomenon of blood cell aggregation and blood stasis has been alleviated. However, after soaking feet for 20 minutes, healthy people can also see the performance of enhanced microcirculation function such as accelerated blood flow and increased satiety. The improvement of microcirculation is conducive to the absorption of drugs. This fully proves that foot bath health care has a solid scientific foundation. Modern research has also proved that the foot-soaking health care method can adjust the functional state of human body and improve the immune regulation ability through the following ways: 1, and increase the number of blood vessels, especially the collateral capillaries, which can promote blood circulation. 2. It can soften blood vessels and increase their elasticity, thus reducing the risk of injury caused by pressure. It can make many muscles of the body, especially thigh muscles, contract and relax continuously, and promote a large number of blood vessels in muscles to contract and relax continuously, thus improving the exercise efficiency of muscle and blood circulation and strengthening the absorption, transportation and effective utilization of oxygen. 3. It can enhance the efficiency of the heart, reduce the beating frequency of the heart, and pump more blood to cope with sudden emergencies. It can increase physical strength and endurance, relieve tension and stress, and make you less likely to get sick under the pressure of coping with various challenges. 5. It can reduce blood coagulation, keep blood flow unobstructed, prevent blood flow and myocardial vascular blockage, and help prevent myocardial infarction. 6, can regulate the secretion of hormones, which is a good phenomenon for the circulatory system, because too much accessory kidney hormone will cause many unfavorable factors to the artery. 7. You can control your weight and lower your blood pressure, because most obese people with high blood pressure are prone to heart disease and diabetes. 8, can strengthen metabolism, naturally promote the physiological functions of various systems in the whole body, and achieve physical and mental integrity. 9. It can relieve tension and anxiety. If a person is upset or has problems that can't be solved, and feels anxious, soaking his feet will make him clear-headed and calm, and it is possible to find a solution. As can be seen from the above, foot bath therapy is to treat diseases and strengthen the body through benign regulation of the human body. Third, the characteristics of foot bath therapy Foot bath therapy has many advantages. Compared with other treatment methods, it has the following advantages and characteristics: 1, safety and no toxic side effects. As a health care and treatment method, foot bath is safe. First, there is no risk in foot-soaking treatment, and there is no need for any operation or medical treatment, and the patient's physical and mental pain will not be caused by subjective mistakes or objective accidents of doctors. Secondly, every drug will produce more or less toxic and side effects after entering the human body, whether it is traditional Chinese medicine or western medicine. Some people think that Chinese medicine has no toxic side effects, which is without scientific basis. It can only be said that the side effects of traditional Chinese medicine are very small compared with western medicine. According to relevant data, more than 654.38+ten thousand people die of drug abuse every three years in China, which has to attract people's great attention. Foot bath therapy can avoid this problem, because it is not absorbed by the human stomach and will not produce any toxic side effects. 2, no pain, fear of pain and suffering seems to be born. Everyone who has been ill will remember deeply the pain of acupuncture and medicine brought by medical treatment, especially children. Every time I go to the hospital, I feel a sense of fear when I see the medical staff in white coats. The pain of taking medicine, injections, surgery and post-operation even makes many adults daunting and fearful. If you don't need injections, medicine or surgery to treat the disease, it is really a blessing in misfortune and the same wish of the majority of patients. Foot bath therapy can not only be painless, but also make people feel comfortable, relaxed and happy after foot bath. This is also one of the reasons why foot bath therapy has been loved by people since ancient times. 3, convenient and effective Speaking of convenience, everyone will feel very troublesome and spend too much time seeking medical treatment. Such as registration, waiting for medical treatment, pricing, payment, taking medicine, inspection, etc. You have to queue up, and it takes a lot of time to queue up during peak hours; Plus, it usually takes half a day to get home from home to the hospital and then from the hospital. If you are seriously ill, you need several people to carry it. It is inconvenient to go upstairs and downstairs and get on and off the bus. Cold weather in winter and hot weather in summer are very inconvenient for patients and their families, and are also very unfavorable to their illness; Some patients with chronic diseases need to go to the hospital for a long time, which is even more inconvenient. Foot bath therapy can provide convenience for the general public, which is not limited by any time, place or personnel, and can be used by anyone at any time, which is very convenient. It is said that someone finally invented a disposable plastic foot bath tub, which is not only convenient to carry, but also clean and hygienic, providing convenience for people who often go out, and also adding a new tool for popularizing foot bath therapy. In addition, whether a medical care method can continue and be welcomed by ordinary people depends on its effect. No one will waste time and material resources if there is no curative effect. Long-term clinical practice has proved that foot bath therapy has the functions of promoting blood circulation, dredging channels and collaterals, warming viscera and stimulating nerve endings, and has certain health care and medical value to human body. Frequent hot bath and foot massage can effectively crush and disperse deposits, promote blood circulation, balance and improve the electromagnetic field of the body, adjust the balance of yin and yang and nerve function, accelerate the movement of muscle fibers and cell molecules, and force capillaries to expand and contract, thus mobilizing and enhancing the disease-resistant potential of human organs, overcoming various disease factors and achieving the effect of strengthening the body. 4. Economical and Practical At present, China's economy is not very developed, and the medical conditions in many areas are still not perfect, even lack of doctors and medicines, which is conducive to solving the problem of difficult medical treatment. As long as patients come to the hospital, all kinds of examination fees, medicine fees, surgery fees and other expenses are listed in a lot, and the medical expenses are very high. Whether in developed or developing countries, medical expenses are a huge medical expense for families and society, which is a pair of contradictions. In order to solve this contradiction, in addition to relying on the macro-control of the state to reform the medical system, I think foot bath therapy is another healthy way that people should consider opening up, because it is simple, convenient, practical, really cheap and economical. Fourth, foot bath therapy has a wide range of applications, mainly in the following aspects: 1, used in internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, andrology, orthopedics and other diseases. Such as hypertension, diabetes, common cold, neurasthenia, insomnia, arthritis, lumbago and dysmenorrhea. 2. It is suitable for health care and treatment of drowsiness and fatigue caused by manual and mental labor. 3. It is suitable for daily health care, such as skin bodybuilding and weight loss for young and middle-aged people. 4. Suitable for all kinds of soft tissue injuries and chronic strain of muscles and ligaments. Such as joint sprain, leg swelling and pain, neck muscle strain, waist muscle strain and so on. Fifth, the choice of foot bath water We soak our feet at home. Tap water, river water, well water, mountain stream water and mineral water are generally used as the basic water for soaking feet. If possible, try to choose well water, tap water, mountain stream water or mineral water. If rivers and streams contain high levels of harmful substances (such as fertilizers and pesticides), they should not be used to soak feet. Because soaking feet with such water, under the action of temperature, with the expansion of capillaries, human skin will absorb a lot of such harmful substances, which is not only beneficial to human body, but will bring counterproductive consequences. Therefore, the polluted water source should not be used as the water source for soaking feet. For those who use foot bath for health care, the quality of foot bath water used for many years should be kept clean and hygienic, meeting the hygiene requirements; For people who want to treat some diseases through foot bath therapy, foot bath water should be clean and hygienic, and different foot bath drugs should be selected according to different diseases, such as coldness and coldness, and pungent drugs can be added to dispel wind and dispel cold. Hypertension should be supplemented with drugs that calm the liver and suppress yang, calm the wind and lower blood pressure; Dermatosis should be added with drugs such as killing insects and expelling wind, clearing away heat and toxic materials, and cooling blood; In other words, the composition of foot bath water is exquisite, and you must never take water casually. If you are careless, you should choose different foot bath water according to different ages, diseases, regions and seasons. Only in this way can we really get satisfactory results. In addition, the temperature of foot bath water should also be controlled, generally between 38~43℃. However, due to individual differences, a few people can tolerate up to 45℃. Usually it should start from 38℃ and gradually increase to 40~42℃. Of course, the choice of temperature depends on different individuals and the length of soaking feet. Excessive water temperature can lead to burns, especially for the elderly and patients with peripheral neuritis, which makes them feel dull and easy to burn; There are also people with strong coldness, and the temperature of foot bath water can be higher; However, for people with yin deficiency and excessive fire, the temperature of foot bath water should not be too high. In short, the temperature of foot bath water should be determined according to the individual's reaction after foot bath, and it is appropriate to feel relaxed and comfortable after foot bath. 6. Selection of foot bath equipment 1, selection of texture, wooden basin is the best container for foot bath. Because the wooden basin radiates heat slowly, it is beneficial to heat preservation. If you go to the mall to buy a foot bath tub, you should buy a non-toxic and harmless foot bath tub produced by a regular manufacturer and certified by the relevant state departments. No matter what kind of foot bath, the general requirements are harmless, safe and good thermal insulation. 2, the choice of height Generally speaking, the height of the foot bath is preferably above 20 cm (not exceeding the ankle joint), and the width can accommodate both feet. If the position of soaking feet is low, the skin of lower limbs will be relatively less, and the effect of soaking feet will naturally be worse. Need to be reminded that the chair you sit in when soaking your feet should not be too high or too short, and the height should be moderate to ensure that your body posture is in a comfortable state. 3, the choice of structure At present, the foot bath pots sold in the market have simple and complicated structures. For example, the foot bath tub, which only controls the water temperature through the power supply, has a relatively simple structure, and its function is to automatically control the water temperature and maintain a constant temperature, which can not only save water, but also avoid the inconvenience caused to users by frequent heating of water. In addition, some manufacturers designed foot massagers for the health care effect of soaking feet, and some also installed vibrators with fixed frequency, so the structure is relatively complicated. Its advantage is that it can massage feet while soaking feet, which not only saves time, but also increases the function of foot bath, so that users can take care of health care and enjoyment while soaking feet. It's really killing two birds with one stone, and of course it's more expensive. It should be said that these foot baths have their own characteristics, and everyone can choose their own foot baths according to their own preferences, habits and economic strength. Here, the best soup for decocting traditional Chinese medicine is iron pot, casserole or stainless steel pot, which can reduce pollution and prevent harmful substances from invading the human body. Seven, the foot bath time is generally 30 minutes to 45 minutes each time. It can be used for health care for about 30 minutes each time and for treatment for about 45 minutes each time. It can be used for treating diseases such as wind-cold common cold, wind-cold stomachache, deficiency-cold cough and asthma, essential hypertension, chronic hypotension, insomnia, cold dysmenorrhea, impotence, etc. Generally, it takes about 45 minutes to have obvious effect, and fumigation is needed. In addition, it is necessary to make adjustments according to the physical health, disease, location, gender, age, climate, temperature, nature of work and self-feeling after foot bath, which vary from person to person, adapt to the time, adapt to local conditions and adapt to illness. If you are weak, you should control it for about 30 minutes, and children should control it for about 20 minutes. Times of soaking feet every day: For health care, soaking feet 1 time every day is enough; For treatment, you can arrange 1~2 times a day. Eight. Matters needing attention in foot bath therapy Foot bath is a good treatment and health care method, but improper foot bath method can also cause adverse consequences, so the following points should be paid attention to when soaking feet: 1. Avoid soaking feet on an empty stomach because the body will consume a lot of calories during soaking feet, especially when the sugar storage is small, it is easy to have hypoglycemia shock due to hypoglycemia. 2. Avoid soaking feet immediately after meals. If you soak your feet immediately after a meal, the skin blood vessels will expand due to the increase in temperature and the stimulation of heat, and the blood in the digestive organs will be relatively reduced, thus hindering the digestion and absorption of food. 3, children should not soak their feet. The child is in the period of growth and development, and all kinds of functions are not perfect and unstable. Soaking children's feet with hot water for a long time will have some influence on the functions of nerves and blood vessels, which is not conducive to the healthy development of feet. If you often soak your feet with hot water, you will agree with flat feet, so children should not soak their feet. It is good to wash your feet at room temperature for a short time. 4, avoid soaking feet When the temperature of the wind soaking feet usually leads to sweating all over the body, it is very important to avoid the wind at this time, otherwise it will not only cause a cold, but also cause low back pain and develop into a chronic disease that has not healed for many years. 5, avoid water temperature is generally 38-43℃ as well, if the water temperature is too high, the human body heat is not easy to distribute, easy to collapse, and even burn, so the water temperature should not be too high, generally starting from 38℃ and gradually increasing to 40-42℃. Of course, the choice of temperature depends on different individuals and the length of soaking feet. If you have heart disease, the temperature of foot bath water should not be too high; For people with exogenous cold, the temperature of foot bath water can be appropriately higher. If soaked in overheated water for a long time, the blood vessels of the body and limbs will be greatly expanded, and a large amount of blood will flow to the surrounding blood vessels, which may cause transient symptoms such as ischemia, dizziness, dizziness, nausea, and even coma and sudden death. 6, avoid rubbing the skin hard Some people like to rub the skin hard, which is conducive to epidermal cell damage and even bleeding, which will reduce the resistance of the skin, the natural defense line of the human body, and bacteria or viruses will take advantage of the damaged eyes. 7. Patients with the following diseases are not suitable for the fever period of infectious diseases such as foot bath pneumonia: local skin infections such as sores and furuncles; Various open soft tissue injuries; Damage and burn of foot skin; Patients with various infectious diseases; Upper gastrointestinal bleeding, menorrhagia and bleeding tendency; Severely punish patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and mental patients; Extreme fatigue and drunkenness are not suitable for foot soaking and fumigation. Pregnant women can only use warm water to wash their feet, not hot water fumigation or hot water soaking. 8. It is not advisable to soak your feet when traveling. You should try to soak your feet at home to avoid cross infection. If you are on business or traveling, you must go to the business foot bath. You should choose a place with good sanitary conditions. Soaking feet requires changing plastic bags, one for each person. You should avoid mixing with others to avoid catching infectious diseases, such as tinea pedis, scabies and hepatitis. 9. Pregnant women and people who are allergic to traditional Chinese medicine are prohibited. In the process of soaking feet, if there is erythema and other discomfort in the lower limbs, stop soaking feet immediately.