Hippocrates (about 500 BC) was the first to write on the healing of disease with water. Floyer, in the 18th century, published a history of some remarkable cases cured by means of special baths. In 1723, Mr. Hancock, a minister, published a book called "Common Water, the best Cure for Fevers." Another book "Curiosities of Common Water" was also published in the same year. S. Kneipp, a catholic priest of Bohemia achieved great success with water cure. It was, however, left to Dr. Benedict Luse to publish "S. Kneipp’s water and herb cure" towards the end of the 19th century. That is even now considered a standard work on the subject along with "Rational Hydrotherapy 1900" of Dr. J.H. Kellogg of Philadelphia USA.

Importance of water treatment for human health is illustrated by the costliness and magnificence of human health is illustrated by the costliness and magnificence of bathing facilities created by Persians, Greeks, Romans, Turks and others. Galen, a noted Latin physician, said that exercise and friction must be used with the bath to have a perfect cure. Dr. Bell of Paris is on record as saying that in 1600 A.D. 130,000 vapour baths were given in one single year by the Paris city hospitals to outside patients. What a contrast with the present day neglect of water cure in our treatment of disease. The water cure spread to USA also in about 1850 AD. It prospered greatly for a few years. But because it was inexpensive and could be had even at home, it met lot of opposition from the organised sector.

No other element of nature, except air is as important for sustaining life, as water. All food contains 10 to 90 per cent water. Our circulatory and elimination systems are dependent on water. With the aid of water, nutrition enters the blood and is conveyed to places where repair and growth are needed. Rain provides the natural shower bath. And see the difference how fresher, brighter and more erect looks the entire plant kingdom after a rain.

Disease is accompanied by some disturbance in the circulation system. To balance the circulation, application of cold water contracts the small blood vessels and lessens the amount of blood. Hot water application draws surplus blood to that part. Accumulation of toxins and wastes is another cause of disease. Warm water baths remove obstructions. A long cold application will cause a momentary contraction which is followed by relaxation when there will be an increased supply of blood.

Hydrotherapy thus affords a thoroughly rational method of treating diabetes by increasing the effectiveness of pancreas and increasing circulation to the relevant parts of the body. This method is safe, can be relied upon and can be repeated without losing its effect.

In case of non insulin dependent diabetes, some of the following hydrotherapy actions can be taken:

1. Warm Shower on abdomen: Direct a warm on to the abdomen for about 10-15 minutes. Gradually increase the warmth of shower to what can be tolerated. The skin will then turn red. That is a sign that the pancreas has been stimulated by the hot shower. Its insulin production will be boosted.

2. Hot Baths: If one lies in a tub of hot water for about 20 to 30 minutes, it helps to eliminate the waste matter and even sugar from the system. Water could be as hot as one can stand. One could top it up with a cup or two hot tea while in the tub. After a long period in a hot tub,have a shower with coo water and then get back into the hot tub. This could be repeated a couple of times. Finish with a cool shower and a vigorous rub with a hard towel. A general massage with such a bath could be useful and helpful in a number of ways.

3. Serial bath: Put a bucket half full of hot water under an ordinary tap. Take water from this bucket with a towel and rub it well on the body. Gradually the water thus taken for rubbing will become cold. Than take a bath with that water by putting it with a mug on the head. Dry the body with a towel and give a rubbing to the body with the palms of the hands.

4. Heat producing stomach bandage: Take a bandage about 3 meters long and 30 centimeters wide of thin cloth. Put the bandage in cold water and squeeze it dry and bind it around the stomach two or three times. Then wrap a woolen dry cloth over that bandage and tie it with a tape or a strap. Leave it for an hour or two. Heat will be generated resulting even in perspiration.

5. Cold friction Sitz bath: Sitz or hip bath was first devised by a German Loui Kuhne. You need a tub for this kind of bath. There should be as much water in it as would come upto you side of the tub and your legs should protrude out of the tub on the other side. Your feet could rest on a stool. In this way the part of your body from the navel upto the middle of thigh will be immersed in water. While sitting in the tub you rub your abdomen with a rough towel from left to right and then from right to left. Take such a bath for 5 to 20 minutes at a time. Gradually increase the duration of the bath from 5 to 20 minutes. On getting out of water, dry the body by rubbing with a dry rough towel and put the clothes on. Ordinary bath should be taken only after an hour of this hip bath. After hip bath either sit in the sun, do some exercise, stroll or take a blanket and lie down for half an hour. In this way with water at 260C (800F) and then gradually brought down to water at 150C(590F).

6. Wet sheet pack: In this the naked body of the person is covered from ankle to neck with two layers of cloth. For doing this, spread a thick sheet of cotton cloth on a full sized bed. Then spread two blankets and on that a thin wet-sheet and a trunk cover cloth. The body is packed in a thin wet sheet and then a trunk cover and then with the blankets and lastly by the thick dry sheet respectively upto the neck. These packs should be retained till prespiration appears. Then take an ordinary bath with cold water and dry the body thoroughly.

7. Cold friction bath: Take cold water in the palm of the hand and rub it well on the body with a soft touch till it gets dry. Again take more cold water and rub it dry. Thus rub the whole body. It has a soothing effect and increases blood circulation considerably.

8. Hot and Cold : A similar stimulating effect could be achieved by applying a hot compress for 4 minutes followed by a cold compress for one minute, alternately for 3-4 times, beginning with hot, not warm, and ending with cold, not cool, compress. Similar hot and cold foot baths would help local circulation and ward off foot trouble. After every change add more hot and more cold to the water or compress to get good results.

While following some of the above mentioned hydrotherapic procedures off and on, do not forget to take the daily cool morning bath, followed by rubbing with a cold wet towel and then equally vigorously with a dry towel.