Body Wraps and Skin

 BODY WRAPS AND SKIN

Some relaxing or therapeutic treatments use herbs, clay, mud, or paraffin. They may be used to treat mus-cle and joint disorders, as well as to beautify and smooth the skin. Sheets, towels, or cheesecloth bags containing herbs are placed in a steaming vat and, once impregnated with the herb, drained and used to wrap the body or body part. A warm blanket and a plastic sheet are used to retain heat. In a mud wrap, the body is coated with heated mineralized mud. Muscle relax-ation, increased circulation, and lymph drainage are some of the observed effects. Temporary weight loss may be observed as a result of increased loss of water by perspiration. Other beneficial wraps include a mix-ture of volcanic ash and paraffin and seaweed wraps.

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