Reasons To Use A Sitz Bath
For the relief of symptoms from the condition of hemorrhoids or to ease the discomfort of postpartum recovery, a sitz bath treatment should be taken from at least 3 to as many as 7 times per day. Often doctors and other health care providers will suggest sitz baths in conjunction with other forms of treatment such as medications and creams to help relieve pain, swelling and itching symptoms.
A sitz bath is not a regular bath. It’s water filled a few inches in either a portable plastic basin or sitz bath tub or in a large bathtub that covers the affected area. When prescribing sitz baths, your doctor may suggest either hot or cool temperature water. Normally, for hemorrhoids, the water is hot (not too hot!) and for postpartum healing, many new mothers have reported that cooler water works best for the relief of pain.
Since the sitz bath should be taken at least a few times per day and for approximately 15 minutes each sitting, it may be wise to purchase in inexpensive portable sitz bath tub. This is usually priced anywhere from just under $10 to as much as $25 depending on the type of tub desired. The tub rests in the toilet seat and some models include venting to allow water to flow through and into the toilet and also to prevent overflow from spilling out of the top. The portable sitz bath tub sometimes also includes a plastic tube attached to a bag that is filled and pushes water through the tub during the treatment. This keeps the water flowing which helps to soothe as well as keep the affected area clean.
Often, health care providers will suggest adding salts or baking soda to a hemorrhoid sitz bath and many suggest herbal mixtures for postpartum healing. These herbal mixtures may be created at home or, like the sitz bath tubs, can be purchased online or in pharmacy retail stores. It’s sometimes more cost effective to purchase the pre-made herbal mixtures as it can become quite expensive to purchase the various herbs needed to create them at home. Before adding anything to your sitz bath treatments, be sure to ask your doctor because some ingredients can worsen rather than lessen symptoms.
Sitz baths are not only effective in soothing and relieving discomfort, they’re also helpful in a holistic approach to healing because medication is not needed even though they still provide the benefit of relaxation and pain relief. This relaxation and freedom from pain allows the body to focus on healing itself rather than on fighting the discomfort and pain.