This blog post is written by Marybetts Sinclair, LMT, author of Hydrotherapy for Bodyworkers
The seasonal cycle of respiratory viral diseases has been recognized for thousands of years, as annual epidemics of the common cold and influenza disease hit the human population like clockwork in the winter season. Studies have long shown the effect of temperature and humidity on viruses’ survival and transmission to others.” -Immunologist J. Moriyama
“When someone with COVID-19 coughs inside a room with dry air, virus particles stay in the air and remain on surfaces longer, and go deeper into the body, which increases the risk of contracting a virus and the severity of the infection.” –Engineer David Baird
The viruses that cause colds, flu and COVID-19 will thrive this winter partly because cooler temperatures cause us to be indoors more. As we crank up the heat to warm our offices and homes, the indoor air dries out, affecting your entire respiratory system. The upper part of your respiratory system, including your throat and nose, is lined with moist membranes that capture dirt, dust, viruses and bacteria before they reach your lungs. Proper humidity levels help these membranes do their job. But if your home or office air is very dry, moisture is drawn from these membranes as well as many other parts of the body, and even the fluid that hydrates your bronchial tubes can quickly evaporate, making it easier for harmful particles to get into the sensitive areas of your lungs. Cilia do not work as well in dry conditions either, making it more difficult for them to pass virus and debris out of the lungs.
Signs you are breathing too much dry air include a scratchy sore throat that lasts for days, cracked lips, fingertips or heels, bloody noses, itching or flaking skin, chapped lips, even a feeling of tightness around joints. If you or one of your clients is contagious with a flu, cold, or COVID, even before that person even knows they are sick, dry air may help transmit it to the other person.
How to keep the room air at a healthy humidity.
Since too-dry air encourages infection and further illness and slows patient recovery, humidity is carefully controlled in hospitals. Humidity is typically monitored in schools as well, since too-dry air has long been identified as one of the leading causes of student and teacher illnesses. Many hospitals and schools use steam-based systems with central boilers that can boil water like using a giant tea kettle and circulate this water into ventilation systems. Akiko Iwaski, PHD, an immunobiologist who researches how humidity is related to the spread of infections, recommends inhaling very moist air in the winter, using long hot showers or baths, steam baths or local steam inhalations. (Iwasaki, 2019). Tell your clients about the benefits of healthy levels of humidity as well.
Here are some simple strategies when you are in in your therapy room or office this winter:
STEP ONE:
Keep track of the moisture in the air with an inexpensive device called a hygrometer. You can buy one at your local hardware store or online. Keep it in your treatment room where you can see it easily. The air in your therapy office, as well as in your home, should sit somewhere between 40 and 50 % humidity. If it’s measuring below 30 percent, you may need to invest in a humidifier. (100% relative humidity means that the air is totally saturated with water vapor, not a good state of affairs)
STEP TWO:
Introduce moisture if the air is too dry.
1. Use hydrotherapy treatments in your sessions. Clients love them, especially when it is cold outside! A hot moist pack over a tight lower back to ease tight muscles, warm footbaths to warm the client’s entire body on a cold day, warm towels draped over an aching body part, a body scrub with warm water and an exfoliant, all moisten the air and treat your clients. If you are lucky enough to have hot tubs, warm baths or hot showers, so much the better.
2. Keep houseplants in your waiting room or office and spray them with water from a fine-mist spray bottle. They will like it and release water into the air.
3. Buy a small fountain for your waiting room or treatment room. Many clients find the sound of running water soothing.
4. Buy and use a humidifier. Some buildings have whole-house humidifiers that are mounted on furnaces, while portable ones with water tanks come in various sizes.
5. Tell your clients about the benefits of healthy levels of humidity.