Calf wrap

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Calf wraps are a traditional naturopathic method for physically lowering fever .

principle

Calf wraps remove heat through evaporation , just as it does when you sweat. To do this, two cotton towels (e.g. kitchen towels) or absorbent linen towels (inner towels) are soaked well in lukewarm water and not wrung out too much. The damp cloths are then wrapped around the lower legs so that the joints are exposed. The legs wrapped in this way are placed on an absorbent pad to prevent the bed from becoming damp. Then the compresses are left for 20 to 30 minutes and the legs are not covered. The moisture from the wraps - driven by body heat - evaporates and thus removes heat from the body. As a result, fever from 39 ° C can be reduced by 1 to a maximum of 1.5 ° C within 60 to 90 minutes. A faster lowering puts too much strain on the circulation. When the body temperature has dropped by one degree, the application is stopped.

In babies , the proportion of the lower legs in the total body surface is so small that the calf compresses do not dissipate enough heat. In order to enlarge the area, these children can be covered with a shirt soaked in lukewarm water, or a full body wash can be carried out with warm water. Do not dry off afterwards as the moisture contributes to evaporation and thus to cooling.

A common misconception in the use of leg wraps is the use of cold water. The cold stimulus would interrupt sweating and slow down the drop in body temperature.

Restrictions

Fever-lowering calf wraps (warming wraps) may only be used if the person's hands and feet are really well warmed; this can be achieved most quickly by a foot bath. Socks are left on during the treatment to keep the feet warm while swaddling. Fever is not always accompanied by strong external warming of the body parts (e.g. calves ), but can also lead to centralization of the circulation with cold extremities. In this case, the measure does not make sense.

literature

  • Erich Rauch: Natural healing treatment for colds and infectious diseases . 15th edition. Haug, Heidelberg 1991, ISBN 3-7760-1207-2 .
  • Maya Thüler: Soothing wraps . 6th edition. Sonn, Sonnenbühl and Pavlik, Höchst-Brugg 1994, ISBN 3-908539-01-3 .
  • Friedhelm Henke: Alternative care measures . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1999. ISBN 3-17-016099-0 .