Air baths

Perhaps there is no need to talk about the benefits air baths. We all know from childhood how healing their effects are. Staying on the beaches sunbathing, swimming - all this charges us with vigor and health for a long time. Our body is saturated with oxygen, which means metabolism improves and the risk of diseases decreases. Contrasting colors bring even greater benefits. air baths, that is, alternate exposure and wrapping in warm clothes.

Contrasting air baths

Procedure	Exposure time, sec.	Time to warm up in clothes, sec.
1st	20	60 - 120
2nd	30	60
3rd	40	60
4th	50	90 - 120
5th	60	90
6th	70	120
7th	80	120
8th	90	120
9th	100	120
10th	110	120

When performing these procedures, if possible, the entire body should be exposed. It is also necessary to remember that the clothes worn between exposures should be somewhat warmer than required for the season.

After completing the procedures, you should lie down for some time on a hard and level bed with a hard pillow.

When performing contrast air baths, you need to be naked in a room with open windows, and warm up by closing the windows. Warm clothes should be warm, but you should not allow yourself to become overheated to the point of sweating. Someone must help a sick and weakened person.

It is best to choose the time of the procedure just before sunrise or before about 10 a.m.; you can also perform them in the evening, around 9 p.m. The procedures last 30 days, then there is a break for 3-4 days, then again 30 days of treatment. This should be done for about 3 months, and in case of liver disease or other internal organs treatment should be extended to a year.

Often during treatment, unpleasant sensations occur: skin itching, discomfort or stomach pain. This is temporary and indicates that the body has begun to self-heal.

You can take contrasting air baths outdoors if weather conditions permit. The technique is the same as indoors. You just need to remember that clothes to keep warm should be very warm; Warming time can be extended, but exposure time must be strictly observed.

The first session (from 1 to 40 seconds) should be lying on your back, from 40 to 70 seconds - on your right side, from 70 to 100 seconds - on your left side, from 10 to 110 seconds - again on your back.

When naked, you can rub the stiff parts of the body or do the exercise “ Goldfish", an exercise for the capillaries, as well as for the back and abdomen. After getting dressed, you need to lie down with your palms tightly closed over the solar plexus. And after completing the entire procedure, lie down for 10 minutes with your feet and palms closed. This procedure is performed an hour before meals or 30–40 minutes after it, and also no earlier than an hour after a bath.

The technique I propose not only enhances skin respiration, but also improves another function of the skin - excretory. Like the kidneys or other excretory organs, the skin removes blood from harmful substances through the sweat glands.

The total area of ​​the human skin surface is from 1.7 to 2.6 square meters. m. The approximate number of sweat glands is three million. The number of sebaceous glands is approximately 250 thousand. The sebaceous glands secrete products of intestinal fermentation, iodine, bromine, antipyrine, and salicylic acid.

The sweat glands secrete 600–900 g of sweat per day, and sometimes even up to 1400 g. This depends on the external temperature, the amount of liquid poured, renal failure, the intensity of blood circulation, and conditions such as excitement, fear, anger, which increase sweating. During the development of subacute diseases, instead of an attack of fever, night sweats appear.

Sweat contains mineral salts, fatty acids, urea; lactic, formic, acetic acids. Under normal conditions, about 1 g of urea is released with one liter of sweat; painful condition the amount of urea increases significantly. During illness, the sweat glands increase their activity to rid the body of toxins and other substances that cannot be excreted by the kidneys, lungs and digestive tract. Their intense work during an acute period of illness is reminiscent of the efforts of sailors who pump water out of the hold of a shipwrecked ship.

The size of the sweat glands is not the same: some of them can reach 3–4 mm, others do not exceed 0.1 mm. For one square centimeter There are approximately 500 glands on the surface of the body, which means total area sweat-producing surface is about 5 square meters. Comparing these numbers, you can understand how important the excretory function of the skin is for the body. By enhancing the excretory function of the skin, we help cleanse the body of harmful substances.

Try licking your shoulder with your tongue after exercise, and you will feel the acrid taste of a mixture of acid and salt, much more unpleasant than the taste of pure salt. Moreover, sweat is poisonous. It is enough to allow an animal to ingest a small amount of sweat to cause its death.

Studies that have been carried out to find out the reasons feeling unwell or even fainting, which occurs during a long stay in a room filled with people, showed that the reason for this is an increase in the content of toxic products in the gases emitted by the human body, and not a lack of oxygen, as was previously believed.

So for healthy life cells from it must be removed toxins. Nature has created several ways through which these wastes are removed: lymphatic, venous vessels and ducts of the sweat glands. For tens of thousands of years, when primitive man ran all day in search of food and sweated all day, all three channels worked at full capacity. Modern man is less mobile, moreover, he is constantly protected by clothing, often made of artificial, breathable fabrics. Therefore, a person carries all those poisons that could come out with sweat within himself. As a result, the circulatory and lymphatic systems, which means the liver and kidneys, work under overload. As a result of such unnatural overload, people develop diseases of the liver, kidneys, bladder and other organs. Therefore, in addition to carrying out medical procedures, I recommend not spoiling the skin with too warm clothes, and taking them off more often in the open air.

We are machines powered by air. Oxygen is not only a purifier for our body, but also one of the greatest suppliers of the energy it needs. Fresh air and sunlight bring vital energy to all life on Earth. Remember what a plant looks like that has grown without sunlight, without fresh air - it seems lifeless. Every tiny leaf of grass, every vine, tree, bush, flower, fruit and vegetable draw their life from solar energy. Everything living on Earth depends on solar energy and its intensity. Our Earth would be a lifeless, cold place, shrouded in eternal darkness, if it were not illuminated by the magical rays of the Sun. But the Sun gives us not only light, solar energy transforms into human energy.

It has long been known that the skin is closely related to defensive reactions body. Clinical observations confirm that skin perform a protective function in febrile diseases. The skin can certainly be called a graveyard of microbes. And sunbathing, staying on fresh air and especially playing sports in nature helps improve the protective functions of the skin.

It must be remembered that the effect of air on the human body depends primarily on its humidity: the same temperatures are perceived differently. So, high humidity air with her high temperature contributes to overheating of the body, and during exercise physical exercise under these conditions, overheating occurs faster. Therefore, if it is hot and humid at the same time, be careful during exercise, carefully control your sensations, it is especially important to detect the state of unpleasant intense heat.

At low temperatures The moisture in the air dampens your clothes and skin, and you may feel chilly. This condition should also be alarming. Thus, spending time in the fresh air should not be uncontrolled, although many believe that no special technique is required for taking air baths.

The same applies to reception sunbathing. Very often, people, trying to tan as quickly and as much as possible, do not follow the rules for sunbathing, and as a result are forced to sit at home or in the shade for a week, or even more, due to the burns they receive.

It should also be remembered that if exposure to air has virtually no contraindications, then sunbathing can only be taken after consultation with a doctor. There are many reasons why sun exposure should be reduced to a minimum. This applies to some heart diseases, tuberculosis of internal organs, etc. Staying in the sun is very tiring for weakened people who have recently had an infectious disease, as well as those who are no longer young. An elderly person who has spent the whole day on the beach may feel palpitations, shortness of breath, and unpleasant profuse sweat.

An even, good tan can be obtained by using fractional exposure to the sun, that is, in small doses, taking breaks. And you don’t need to think that tanning occurs only under direct rays of the sun; The skin also acquires a dark shade when taking air or sunbathing in aerosolariums, protected from direct sun rays special floors, tree crowns. The healing effect occurs after taking small doses of solar radiation, and this effect is much ahead of the appearance of our beloved chocolate color skin. Even in cool weather, you can tan in clear weather, you just need to take shelter from the wind. But remember that tanning without medical advice will not always benefit you.

The basic principle of sun hardening is gradualism. At first, sunbathing can be taken for up to 3 minutes; after 1–2 days, their duration increases by 2–3 minutes. Thus, the duration of the procedure is increased to 50–60 minutes.

Sunbathing is best done in the morning. Most healthy tan- May. And a few more tips. Sunbathing is allowed only 2 hours after eating. It is best to take them on an empty stomach or immediately before meals. Some people mistakenly believe that the more tightly the head is wrapped, the better it is protected from the sun's rays. But all kinds of turbans made from towels or hats made from newspapers interfere with normal heat exchange. A light white Panama hat is more appropriate in this case.

Of course, air procedures are not limited to staying outdoors during the warm season. There are many hardening procedures that accustom a person to cold air. Don't wear clothes that are too warm and expose your skin often. Of course, you shouldn’t test the limits of your body’s endurance out of the blue, but constant training increases your safety margins.

The life of the human body can be thought of as metabolism, and metabolism is possible only in the presence of oxygen. Moreover, we should all be interested in not experiencing oxygen deficiency, and from here a simple conclusion follows: we need to provide the skin with free access to fresh air as often as possible and in no case overheat it. There is even such a thing as thermal pollution. When we keep our skin clogged and overheated, we open the door to disease.

No matter how trivial it may sound, but Air hardening begins with proper ventilation.

I remember there was an incident. At the reception there is a mother with a 3-year-old child. Complaints about endless colds, even her bosses and co-workers, according to her mother, were already looking askance at her: more on sick leave than at work. But everything turned out to be extremely banal: my mother read that the air should be humidified, the special device seemed expensive. And she found her life hack - a thick blanket was hung on the radiator and periodically watered from a ladle so that the evaporated water humidified the air. There were double-glazed windows in the house, and it was scary to ventilate: what if the child froze. The wallpaper only has to be re-pasted, the woman complained...

Humidifying dry air is really important, but permissible humidity in residential premises 35-40%. There is no need to live in a hammam.

The best ventilation is through. It can only be arranged without a child. The hardening factor here is a decrease in temperature by 1-2 °C. Optimal temperature for our latitudes in the room infant 20-22 °C. In autumn and winter, you need to ventilate the room 4-5 times a day for 10-15 minutes, and in summer the window can be open all the time.

The second way is a walk, including sleeping in the air

It is advisable to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Sleep, nutrition, games, gymnastics and hardening are best organized in the summer outside the city, in the fresh air. Let's go to grandma's dacha!

Children of any age, including newborns, need to go for a walk at any time of the year. Only in winter, a 2-week-old baby should not be taken outside if it is colder than -5°C.
The first walk is only 10 minutes, and then everything is longer by 5-10 minutes, and so we reach 2 hours. It is better to walk 2 times a day. It’s good for the baby, and the mother will regain her figure faster after giving birth.

Children aged 2-3 months are not allowed to go for walks if it is -11 °C outside. On warmer days you can walk for up to 1 hour, but on cold days it’s better to go out for 20 minutes several times.

Children 3-5 months old already walk down to -12 °C, and closer to 6 months - even at -15 °C. In the warm season, it is good to walk with your baby between feedings 2-3 times a day for 2-2.5 hours. We ate, walked, came, washed, ate, changed clothes, and walked again. Beauty…

How to understand what nap baby outdoors is organized correctly:

• the child falls asleep quickly;
• restful sleep;
• breathing during sleep is even;
• pink face;
• the child did not sweat;
• When waking up, the baby's arms and legs are warm.

If the child is uncomfortable, something is bothering him, he is hot or cold, then sleep will be uneven, and maybe the baby will not fall asleep at all.

If his face has a bluish tint, his nose, arms and legs are cold, it means he is very hypothermic. We urgently need to go home to warm up. If, on the contrary, the forehead is sweaty, then the child is overheated.

The third method is taking air baths

This is the most gentle and safe technology, and this is where we start in systematic hardening.

Air bath refers to a child being naked or semi-naked outdoors in the shade. How babies love it when their diapers are taken off, especially in the summer...

Air baths improve oxygen absorption, heat exchange and condition nervous system child: the baby becomes calmer, mothers rejoice at the child’s wonderful appetite and sleep.

For children in the first weeks of life, air baths begin with swaddling: useful every time you swaddle or change clothes
leaving the child undressed for some time. And don’t rush to change clothes.

The hardening effect of air depends mainly on temperature, but its humidity and speed of movement are also important. According to the heat sensation they cause, air baths are classified as lukewarm (air temperature 30-20 °C), cool (20-14 °C) and cold (14 °C and below).

It is recommended to start taking air baths in a pre-ventilated room, then, as you harden, move to open air. It is best to take baths not while lying passively, but actively: doing exercises or playing. So we additionally create for the child positive emotions and enhance the effect.

You should start taking air baths from 15 minutes. Temperature depends on age:

• for babies in the first month of life - 22°C,
• at 1-2 months – 21 °C,
• at 3-12 months - 20°C,
• at 1-3 years - 18°C.

Subsequently, the duration of the procedures increases daily by 10 minutes and is gradually increased to 2 hours. In wet and windy weather the duration is reduced. Already from 1 month of life, this element of hardening is combined with gymnastics and massage.

A special type of air bath for a real superhero is hardening with an air flow, that is, a draft. This
This option is acceptable for an already seasoned, trained fighter. Here you need a fan, start with an air flow no colder than 21-22 ° C. The distance to the fan should be about 6 meters, and the air flow speed should be minimal. Then the fan can be moved until the child feels a gentle breeze. The duration of the first procedure, as a rule, is no more than 20 seconds. We blow air on the child from the front for 10 seconds and from the back for 10 seconds. Every 1-2 days, you can increase the duration of the procedure by 20 seconds, gradually reaching 5 minutes, and reduce the air temperature by 1 °C.

The fourth method is hardening in combination with sunlight

Ultraviolet rays actively affect the immunological stability of the body. But what younger child, the higher its sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, sunbathing for children under 1 year of age is extremely undesirable if we are talking about indigenous Belarusians in their natural habitat, and Africa has its own song.

We try sunbathing with caution in children 1-3 years of age, and more widely and boldly at older ages.

It is important to understand here that no one is calling for frying a child in the sun; this will be of little benefit. After all, even in the absent-minded sunlight a lot of ultraviolet radiation and relatively little infrared rays. It is because of the latter that we overheat almost like in a microwave. And for the synthesis of vitamin D, for the adequate functioning of the immune system, we need ultraviolet radiation. In autumn, winter and spring, even in direct sunlight there is no risk of overheating, so you should not hide from the sun.

In summer you can carry out light-air baths(but not frying in direct sunlight) at an air temperature of 22°C and above for children of the first year of life and 20°C for children 1-3 years old, preferably in calm weather. In our climate, this is best done from 9 to 12 noon, in hotter climates from 8 to 10 am. The duration of such procedures in children of the first year of life is only 3 minutes, in older ones - 5 minutes with a gradual daily increase by a couple of minutes to 40 minutes (almost like a lesson at school). An absolute contraindication to such hardening would be an ambient temperature of more than 30 °C. After sunbathing, you can proceed to water procedures, which will be discussed in the next material.

In the meantime, everyone is out in the air, everyone is in the garden.

Summer is just around the corner.

Air is the most universal means of hardening. Its influence on human body varied: this is the effect of air temperature, humidity, wind speed and aerosols - various liquid and solid substances crushed into small particles.

Air baths

Air baths– the most favorable and common means of hardening. By helping to remove vapors and gases from the surface of the skin, air baths have a certain hygienic significance for the body. In addition, air baths, due to thermal irritation of the skin, have a physiological effect on the body. This is expressed primarily in the reflex narrowing and expansion of blood vessels with subsequent improvement in the functioning of extremely thin and complex mechanism thermoregulation (heat generation and heat transfer), increasing muscle tone and endurance of the cardiovascular system, increasing the content of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood and many other favorable changes in the body.

The main factor affecting humans is air temperature. Everyone knows that the face and hands are least protected from the cold. And although they often get very cold, a person avoids colds and remains healthy.

An air bath can be either general, if the entire surface of the body is exposed to air, or partial (local), if only a separate part of it, for example, the hands, is exposed. Hardening effect in in this case This is primarily due to the difference in temperature between the air and the surface of the skin. The air gap between the body and clothing usually has a constant temperature of about 27-28 ° C. The difference between the temperature of a clothed person's skin and the surrounding air is usually small, and therefore heat transfer is almost imperceptible. As soon as a person is freed from clothes, the process of heat transfer becomes more intense. The lower the external temperature, the more cooling we are exposed to.

Depending on the air temperature, air baths are divided into very cold (below 0°C), cold (0–8°C), moderately cold (9–16°C), cool (17–20°C), indifferent, or indifferent (21–22°С), and lukewarm (over 22°С). This division, of course, is arbitrary: in well-hardened people, the feeling of cold occurs at a lower temperature (Antropova M.V., 1982).

Start reception air baths recommended in a pre-ventilated area. Then, as they harden, transfer them to the open air. Best place for an air bath - shaded areas with green spaces, remote from sources possible contamination atmosphere with dust and harmful gases. Take baths lying down, reclining or moving. You should undress quickly, so that the air bath immediately affects the entire surface of the naked body and causes a quick and energetic reaction of the body.

The time of day for air hardening is not of fundamental importance, but it is better to perform the procedures in the morning, after sleep, in combination with morning exercises. It is recommended to take air baths on an empty stomach or at least 1.5 hours after meals.

At air hardening In addition to its temperature, it is necessary to take into account humidity and speed of movement. Relative humidity is the ratio of absolute humidity to the highest humidity at a given air temperature; it is expressed as a percentage. Air, depending on its saturation with water vapor, is usually divided into dry (up to 55%), moderately dry (from 56 to 70%), moderately humid (from 71 to 85%) and very humid (over 86%). It has been established that at high relative humidity air is colder for a person than at low temperatures (Antropova M.V., 1982).

Equally important is the speed of air movement. So, in cold, but calm, windless weather, a person is warmer than in warmer, but windy weather. The fact is that the layer of heated air near our body (the so-called boundary layer) is constantly changing, and the body heats more and more portions of air. Consequently, when there is wind, the body expends more heat than in calm weather. Wind causes an increase in heat transfer from the body. At high temperatures (up to 37 ° C) it protects a person from overheating, at low temperatures - from hypothermia. The combination of wind with low temperature and high humidity air.

Aerosols also have an effect on the body. They constantly “bombard” the skin of the body and the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. The composition of aerosols is varied: for example, in air flows coming from the sea, sodium, iodide, bromide and magnesium salts predominate. The wind from large green areas carries tree and flower pollen and microorganisms. It should also be taken into account that the content of aerosols in the air is uneven.

Exercise is essential during cool and cold baths. In damp and windy weather, the duration of the air bath is reduced. In case of rain, fog and air speed above 3 m/s, it is better to move the procedures indoors.

IN winter time air baths are carried out indoors and combined with gymnastics and subsequent water procedures. For the youngest children (up to one year), they are combined with the process of swaddling and changing clothes. At this time (from 2-4 to 10-12 minutes) room air, the temperature of which should not be lower than 20 and higher than 22 ° C, unhinderedly affects skin receptors.

Air hardening you can start at any age. From the end of the child’s second month of life, massage and gymnastics are performed during one of the swaddlings. For children aged one year and older, the room temperature during an air bath is gradually reduced to 18°C. An air bath is combined with morning exercises (5-7 minutes), the child does it in a T-shirt, shorts and slippers. Children 4-7 years old remain in shorts and slippers for 10-15 minutes, of which 6-7 minutes do gymnastics (Antropova M.V., 1982).

In summer air baths carried out outdoors, mainly in the morning, in places protected from direct sunlight and strong winds. Children must remain half-naked for a certain period of time. The body is exposed as directed by the doctor in a certain order: first the upper and lower limbs, and then the torso. Hardening children with air baths begins in the summer in calm weather at an air temperature of at least 20°C. During air baths, it is recommended to play games or do some active activities. The duration of the first baths should not be more than 15 minutes, then it is gradually increased.

To hardening children school age begin at an air temperature of at least 16-18°C, initially for 5-10 minutes, and then gradually increase the duration of the procedure to 25 minutes. They also gradually move on to hardening at a lower temperature, but not lower than 12°C, while reducing the duration of the session to 10 minutes and combining it with physical exercise. In spring and summer, it is recommended that half-naked children stay in the shade in the fresh air for up to 3-5 hours a day, depending on the weather (Antropova M.V., 1982).

When carrying out air baths, the health status of children and adolescents and their individual reaction are taken into account. Children, especially weakened ones, should not be allowed to become cold or tremble, " goose bumps"and cyanosis.

First air baths For healthy people from 18 years and older should last 20-30 minutes at an air temperature of 15-20°C. Subsequently, the duration of the procedures increases daily by 5-10 minutes and is thus brought to 2 hours. The next stage is air baths at a temperature of 15-10 ° C for 15-20 minutes. At this time, it is imperative to perform vigorous movements. Only well-seasoned people can take cold baths and only after a medical examination. The duration of such baths should not exceed 5-10 minutes. Cold baths should be completed by rubbing the body and warm shower(Antropova M.V., 1982).

At air hardening You can’t bring yourself to the point of chills. At the first signs of severe cooling, you need to jog and do some gymnastic exercises.

Dosage of air baths carried out in two ways: a gradual decrease in air temperature or an increase in the duration of the procedure at the same temperature. The latter is more convenient, since the air temperature largely depends on the weather.

The impact of air baths on a person is usually assessed by the amount of heat given off by the body to the external environment during the period of procedures. This takes into account the number of calories released from 1 m2 of skin surface.

In table 2.1.1. The characteristics of air baths are given depending on air temperature. For example, you need to take a moderately cold bath at an air temperature of 13-16 °C for the fourth time. Using the table, we determine that the duration of the procedure in this case should be 8 minutes, the fifth time – 10 minutes, etc. (Laptev A.P., 1986).

Table 2.1.1

Dosing of air baths

Characteristic air bath	Temperature air °C	Serial number of the procedure
		Duration of procedure, min
Very cold Cold Moderately cold Cool Indifferent Warmish

In order to enhance the positive effect of air baths, it is recommended to carry out any water procedures. Therefore, air baths, like solar ones, are organized near bodies of water, and in their absence, rubdowns or douches are carried out.

In addition to special air baths, walking in the fresh air in any weather and sleeping with the window open throughout the year are very useful. Both increase the resistance of the upper respiratory tract to cooling. A certain hardening effect is also observed when wearing more light clothing allowing air circulation underneath.

Great opportunities for hardening the body are provided by year-round training in the open air, practicing all types of sports associated with the hardening effect of air (Table 2.1.2).

Table 2.1.2.

Duration of air baths with waist-deep exposure in calm cloudy weather in minutes

Conditions	Air temperature °C
State of rest Walking on the plain at a speed of: Uphill climb (15 °) with speed Uphill (30°) Jogging Volleyball game Football game Recreational rowing					Unlimited

Literature

1. Ivanchenkov V. A. Secrets of the Russian temper. – M.: Young Guard, 1991.
2. Ivanchenkov V. A. Accelerated hardening course. // Soviet Russia, 1983, January 9.
3. Kolesov D.V. Physical education and health of schoolchildren. – M.: Knowledge, 1983.
4. Laptev A.P. ABC of hardening. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1986.
5. Laptev A.P. Toughen up for health. – M.: Medicine, 1991.
6. Laptev A.P., Minkh A.A. Hygiene of physical culture and sports: Student for the Institute of Physics. culture. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1979.
7. Marshak M.E. Physiological bases of hardening of the human body. – L.: Medicine, 1965.
8. The World of Childhood: Teenager / Ed. A. G. Khripkova; Rep. ed. G. N. Filonov. – M.: Pedagogy, 1982.
9. Polievsky S. A., Guk E. P. Physical education and hardening in the family. – M.: Medicine, 1984.
10. Sarkizov-Sarazini I.M. Fundamentals of hardening. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1953.
11. Soviet encyclopedic dictionary. – M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1981.

Updated: April 02, 2012 Views: 21308

Air hardening is considered the safest hardening procedure. It is with air baths that hardening must begin. No special equipment is required for this. The procedure is carried out indoors after ventilation, on the balcony, on the veranda, in the yard, in the park, in the forest, on the seashore (as well as) or lake - depending on the initial condition and capabilities of the patient. Air baths are dosed by air temperature and duration of stay in the nude.

Air baths can be:

• local - nude only upper part body

• common - complete nudity or in a bathing suit.

At resorts, the hardening course begins at a comfortable temperature - 18-23 ° C, daily. Every subsequent 5-6 days, increase body cooling by 21 kJ/m2 (5 kcal/m2). During the day, the cooling dose is adjusted to 147 kJ/m2 (35 kcal/m2). For calculations, special tables are used. As a rule, patients tolerate air hardening very well.

Air baths for weakened patients begin at an ambient temperature of 22 ° C, then gradually from procedure to procedure the air temperature is reduced - 22-21 ° C and move from warm air to cool - 17-20 °C, moderately cold - 9-16 °C, cold - 4-8 °C and very cold - below 4 °C.

This temperature gradation is acceptable in rooms, special climatic pavilions and outdoors in calm weather. Only the very hardened can be naked in the wind.

Approximate duration of the procedure:

• at a temperature not lower than 20 ° C, if there is no discomfort, it is 20-30 minutes. In young children, skin color is an indicator: when the child begins to turn blue, the child should be dressed.
• at a temperature of 19-16 °C the procedure lasts 15-20 minutes,
• at a temperature of 15-11 ° C - 12-15 minutes,
• at an air temperature of 10-6°C - 10-12 minutes,
• at a temperature of 5-0 °C - for 5-10 minutes, and with good hardening the patient can be naked at about zero air temperature for 15-30 minutes.

Before the cooling procedure, a physical warm-up with warm-up for 5-20 minutes is necessary.

Air flow hardening

A one-time intense cold irritation causes an increase in the neurosecretory function of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands. Such an endocrine shift can extinguish an attack in a patient with a mild course of the disease and interrupt the chain of allergic reactions. Periodic exposure to cold over a long period restores the functions of the bronchial mucosa impaired by the disease and increases the oxygen transport function of the blood.

Cold wind can cause an asthmatic condition in unadapted patients with bronchial asthma; in allergy sufferers it causes endless colds. Therefore, they urgently need hardening by air flow. This procedure will relieve the patient from negative influence drafts

Cold exposure with air flow is carried out indoors using a fan in three modes:

• primary,
• optimal,
• special;

The air flow from the fan at a room temperature of 20°C and below is applied first to the front and then to the back surface of the naked body (in shorts or a swimsuit). For weakened patients, the initial procedures should be carried out at a room temperature of at least 21-22°C. The duration of the first procedure is 20 s.

Speed air flow

The speed of the air flow is adjusted by switching the rotation speed of the fan blades and the distance from the fan to the patient's body. The first procedures are carried out at a minimum fan speed at a distance of 6 m. Every 3-5 days, the rotation speed of the blades is switched to the next stage. The distance is reduced by 0.5 m every 2-3 days.

Air hardening - taking air baths - is the most “gentle” and safest hardening procedure. It is recommended to begin systematic hardening with air baths.

The hardening effect of air depends mainly on its temperature. However, humidity and air speed must also be taken into account. Air baths, according to the heat sensation they cause, are divided into lukewarm (air temperature +30...+20°C), cool (+20...+14°C) and cold (+14°C and below). This division is conditional and is designed for an ordinary person starting hardening. Naturally, in hardened people, the feeling of cold occurs at a lower temperature.

It is recommended to start taking air baths in a pre-ventilated room. Then, as the hardening progresses, procedures should be carried out outdoors. The best place for hardening is shaded areas with green spaces, away from sources of possible atmospheric pollution with dust and harmful gases. Baths can be taken lying down, reclining or moving. Exercise is essential during cool and cold baths. In damp and windy weather, the duration of the bath is reduced. It is not recommended to carry out procedures during rain, fog and strong wind.

The dosage of air baths is carried out in two ways: by gradually reducing the air temperature or increasing the duration of the procedure at the same temperature. Last method more convenient, since the air temperature largely depends on the weather.

The first air baths for healthy people should last 20-30 minutes at an air temperature of +15...+20°C. Subsequently, the duration of the procedures increases daily by 10 minutes and is thus brought to 2 hours.

The next stage is air baths at a temperature of +10...+15°C for up to 15-20 minutes. At this time, it is imperative to perform vigorous movements. Only well-seasoned people can take cold baths and only after a medical examination. The duration of such baths should not exceed 5-10 minutes. Cold baths should be completed with body rubbing and a warm shower.

When hardening with air, you need to make sure that chills do not appear. At the first signs of severe cooling, you need to jog and do some gymnastic exercises.

Water hardening

Water procedures are a more intense hardening procedure, since water has a thermal conductivity 28 times greater than air. The main hardening factor is water temperature. The systematic use of water procedures is a reliable preventive measure against the harmful effects of random various cooling of the body.

During the procedures, a person should not experience discomfort or chills. You must always remember that the main hardening factor is the temperature of the water, and not the duration of the water procedure. Therefore it is necessary to adhere next rule: the colder the water, the shorter the time of its contact with the body should be.

Rubdown - initial stage hardening with water. For several days, wipe with a towel, sponge, or just a hand moistened with water. At first, this procedure is done only up to the waist, and then they move on to wiping the entire body. Rubbing is carried out sequentially, starting from the upper half of the body: having wiped the neck, chest, arms and back with water, wipe them dry and rub them with a towel until red as the blood moves towards the heart. After this, the lower limbs are also wiped. The entire procedure, including rubbing the body, should not exceed 5 minutes.

Pouring is the next stage of hardening with water. In this procedure, a small pressure stream of water is added to the effect of low water temperature on the body. When dousing, water pours out of a vessel or hose. For the first douches, water with a temperature of about +30° is used, later the temperature drops to +15°C and lower. After dousing, the body is vigorously rubbed with a towel. The duration of the entire procedure is 3-4 minutes.

A shower is an even more effective water procedure. At the beginning of hardening, the water in the shower should be +30...+35°C, and the duration of the procedure should be no more than one minute. Then the water temperature gradually decreases, and the shower time increases to 2 minutes. The procedure must end with vigorous rubbing of the body with a towel.

Swimming in open water is one of the most effective ways hardening. When bathing, air, water and water have a complex effect on the body.

For hardening, along with general ones, it is recommended to use local water procedures. The most common of them is washing the feet and gargling. cold water. These procedures play an important role in increasing the body’s resistance to colds, because at the same time the parts of the body that are most vulnerable to cooling are hardened.

Washing the feet is carried out throughout the year every day before going to bed. Washing begins at a water temperature of +26...+28°C, and then brought to a temperature of +12...+15°C. After washing, the feet are thoroughly rubbed until reddened.

Gargling should be done every day, morning and evening. The initial water temperature should be +23...+25°C, gradually after a week it decreases by 1-2°and is brought to +5...+10°C.