Sitz Bath at Home

What is a Sitz bath? Also known as a hip bath, this is a unique kind of equipment used for taking baths. Here, the hips and buttocks are supposed to be soaked in warm water. The equipment used here looks like a small basin which can be easily attached to the commode. Although a proper Sitz bath device or equipment is used to take the bath, this can be made possible right in your own bathtub as well. In Sitz bath, similar to the device, the idea is to sit in the warm water for about 10-20 minutes. There are more advanced baths that have the mechanism to heat the water you sit in non-stop. This way, when you're in the bath, you don't have to worry about the warm water turning cool.

Uses of Sitz Bath

For the purpose of this article, we are going to see how this bath can be used. But before we do that, let's understand why this equipment is used in the first place. If you have heard about the bath, then you may know that it helps reduce the pain due to hemorrhoids. But that's not all. This type of bath can also aid:

• Anal fissures
• Colorectal surgery patients
• Inflamed bowel diseases
• Itching, swelling, or pain in genital areas
• People suffering from uterine cramps
• Sore prostates and/or testicles
• Infections near genital areas

In short, both men and women can gain benefits from the bath. Apart from using warm water, many bath recipes also mention using cold water as well. The purpose of the bath is to alter your normal blood in your hips and buttocks area. By using warm water for the bath, your rectal sphincter muscle will relax and help reduce the pain because of hemorrhoids. Now if you use cold water, if a person has painful piles, the change in blood flow will reduce any inflammations in those areas.

Instructions to Use Sitz Bath

Now that we saw why the bath is helpful for hemorrhoids and other medical conditions, we will see what are the proper bath instructions that need to be followed. So gather all the materials together, read through the steps, and then begin.

Recipe#1
Take a big bowl to mix in ¼ cup lavender flowers, ¼ cup calendula flowers, ¼ cup comfrey leaves, ¼ cup sage leaves, and ¼ cup rosemary. Now mix in at least 3 cups of sea salt in with the flowers and leaves mixture properly. Once you have prepared to take the bath, draw warm bath water in the tub and add 3-4 handfuls of this mixture in. If you want, you can also boil the water on the stove first and then pour it over the sea salt. Strain the liquid and add it into your bathtub. Sit in the bathtub with your feet hanging outside the tub for about 20 minutes.

Recipe#2
To prepare the second recipe, take a bowl to add 3 drops of lavender oil and 3 drops of cypress oil together. Add 1 handful sea salt in the essential oils and mix properly. Draw warm water in the bathtub and add this mixture in. Sit in the bathtub with your feet hanging outside the tub for about 20 minutes.

You will have enough time to kill while taking the Sitz bath at home. So grab something to read while you're in the bathtub and make sure you're not expecting someone. Although there aren't any side effects concerning the bath but being absolutely thorough is always recommended. So consult with your doctor about Sitz bath and seek advice whether it can improve your health for the better.