To bathe hot or cold water?

Science lists a number of hygiene practices that must be embraced by everybody, and bathing everyday is one of them. That, many people, especially the educated and those in urban areas, agree and indeed take a shower once or twice a day. The disagreement, however, is about whether to use hot or cold water. According to Dr Rachna Pande, a specialist in internal medicine at Ruhengeri Hospital, hot water, though refreshing, removes body moisture and dries the skin. The dry skin becomes itchy and more prone to infection. “There is also a possibility of early wrinkling,” she adds, adding that the detrimental effects of hot water on hair are grave for individuals who use chemicals for body or hair treatment. “Hot water can burn the hair and destroy keratin (protein) present in hair follicles thus aggravating hair fall. Chemicals present in body care products like soap and shampoo intensify these ill effects,” Pande adds. She, however, says one may sometimes use lukewarm water on very cold days. Risk for infertility Many people have attributed continuous use of warm water to shower as causing infertility and low sexual activity in men. However, Dr Jean Nyirinkwaya, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, dismisses those claims. “It is true that the male gonads are located outside the body to ensure that the temperature inside the body does not affect their functionality since extremely hot conditions cause damage. When bathing, however, it is very unlikely for a person to submerge these organs,” Dr Nyirinkwaya says. However, in situations where body organs are submerged in hot water, the risks of infertility cannot be ruled out. A study led by the University of California, San Francisco urologist DR Paul J. Turek shows that exposure to hot baths or hot tubs can lead to male infertility, but the effects can sometimes be reversible. Results from a three-year study in Brazil analyzing data from infertile men who had been repeatedly exposed to high water temperatures through hot tubs, Jacuzzis or hot baths indicates that dry heat exposure as presented with fevers or through applied external heat is a well-documented cause of impaired sperm production in both animals and humans” Risk of hypothermia (heat loss) According to Dr Achille Manirakiza, a general practitioner at the University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) anatomically, the skin is the primary heat dissipation body organ and subject to hot water heat loss may occur from the body too. “The body extremities need heat provided primarily by blood running to the system. Cold extremities and consequently a drop in blood pressure depict this in occasions of blood loss. In situations of a hot bath, the extremities end up taking the heat as and a reflex is made. Due to the reflex, there is drop in blood pressure which may cause a transient feeling of light headedness,” Dr Manirakiza says. Several studies warn on the use of very hot or very cold water too as cause of loss of body heat and a conduit for hypothermia. Hot water burns Dr Manirakiza also warns on the potential harm of hot water baths towards babies’ skins. “Hot water is possibly harmful for babies and older people, as both can experience hypothermia. This can be fatal to young children, sometimes it may cause burns to delicate skins of babies,” Manirakiza adds. Also according to US based Mayo Clinic, a hot bath can cause burns to the skin. Suggestions therefore provide for hot water thermostat to be kept at a maximum of 107 F as a mechanism to decrease the risk of hot water burns. It also explains that hot water is especially harmful to elderly or disabled people who may have impaired temperature perception. editorial@newtimes.co.rw ************************************** Benefits of cold water showers Improves circulation. Good blood circulation is vital for overall cardiovascular health. Healthy blood circulation also speeds up recovery time from strenuous exercises and work. Alternating between hot and cold water while you shower is an easy way to improve your circulation. Cold water causes your blood to move to your organs to keep them warm. Warm water reverses the effect by causing the blood to move towards the surface of the skin. Cold shower proponents argue that stimulating the circulatory system in this way keeps them healthier and younger looking than their hot water-loving counterparts. Relieves depression. Lots of great men from history suffered bouts of depression. Research at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine indicates that short cold showers may stimulate the brain’s “blue spot”– the brain’s primary source of noradrenaline — a chemical that could help mitigate depression. I guess a bout of the blues isn’t so bad after all. Keeps skin and hair healthy. Hot water dries out skin and hair. If you want to avoid an irritating itch and ashy elbows, turn down the temperature of your showers. Also, cold water can make your manly mane look shinier and your skin look healthier by closing up your cuticles and pores. Strengthens immunity. According to a study done by the Thrombosis Research Institute in England, individuals who took daily cold showers saw an increase in the number of virus fighting white blood cells compared to individuals who took hot showers. Researchers believe that the increased metabolic rate, which results from the body’s attempt to warm itself up, activates the immune system and releases more white blood cells in response. Increases fertility. Trying to become a dad? Cold showers are good for your little swimmers. Sperm counts decrease when the temperature of a man’s testes increases. Experiments done in the 1950s showed that hot baths were an effective contraceptive. Men who took a 30 minute hot bath every other day for 3 weeks were infertile for the next six months. More recently, the University of California at San Francisco did a study with men who were exposed to 30 minutes of “wet heat” (hot baths and such) a week. When the men cut this exposure out, their sperm count went up by 491%, and their sperm’s motility improved as well. Agencies