Thermotherapy or fire therapy has been used in Tibet for thousands of years to treat and cure many diseases, as a care and longevity treatment or with a prophylactic purpose. The Amerindien shamans employed similar techniques for the same purpose. In the conception of the Tibetan medicine, fire purifies; it is one of the five essential elements of the body and a symbol of life. In the medical practice, fire opens the way to the sick organ, allowing the active principles in the herbs to work at full power in order to regenerate the damaged tissues.
The thermotherapeutic procedure consists in the application of a herbal product with a specific formula for each disease under treatment on the area of the affected organ. The area is covered with a towel soaked in alcohol and it is then lighted. The heat produced by the burning of the alcohol is easily born by the patient. The procedure is stopped when the patient anounces a disconfort. The vasodilator effect produced by the fire heat accelerates the local blood circulation and the local metabolism. Thus, the curing substances of the herbs will be carried directly to the sick organ and they will act immediately at local level. The efficiency of the procedure is proven especially in the case of the backbone diseases.
At hepatic level, the thermotherapeutic procedure has especially a detoxifying and revitalizing effect. The liver is the laboratory of the body. This organ undertakes most of the chemical reactions in the body; it also plays a part in the optimum oxygenation of the other organs. The oxygenation of the body is a fundamental process for a perfect health. Therefore, the hepatic dysfunctions can have a devastating effect on the rest of the organs if they are not treated in time. By the thermotherapeutic procedure, the liver is cleared of the toxins accumulated through an unhealthy diet, alimentary excesses or prolonged administration of medication for various diseases. Once the liver is cleansed of these toxins, the hepatic functions are restored. By specific acupuncture techniques, the optimum relationship of the liver with the rest of the organs is also restored.
Thermotherapy is used in the traditional treatments also for pulmonary, renal, digestive, pancreatic or genital diseases, especially for arthroses, discopathies, osteoporosis, neuralgias, benign and malignant tumors.
