Take Turkish bath to heal paralysis, obesity

Hyderabad: Whenever someone mentions Masjid Miyan Mishk, one is reminded of the Garam Hamam (hot bath) there. Many think it was razed, but the fact is that it exists in a better condition and can be used after minor repairs.

The masjid was built by Miyan Mishk, a noble in the court of Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah, seventh ruler of the Qutb Sahi dynasty in the 16th century.

The Masjid stands on a corner of Purana Pul. Garam Hamam is located inside the Masjid, behind a small graveyard to the right side, where a family whose ancestors were brought from Delhi to manage the Hamam lives.

Managing committee president Samad Warsi said the hot bath was in good condition. “We are maintaining it, but no one is able to manage it according to ancient methods,” he said.

Garam Hamam, also known as “Turkish bath” is a therapeutic method of cleansing and relaxation using hot water and steam. Turkish baths followed a 3-step process. There’s a sauna and steam bath and then a full body wash, often finished with a massage.

Sweating during the hot bath can have caloric burning equivalent to running.

Although the Turkish bath employed the same kind of heating system as the earlier Roman one, it is different in many ways. The Turkish bath consists of three sections: the cool room, the tepidity room, and the hottest room. Garam Hamam here consists of five chambers. The first two chambers are for initial exercise and changing and there are three treatment rooms. The last chamber is the main chamber where a person is treated to hot and steam bath and massages.

In a separate chamber, quintals of firewood burn to boil the water and create steam. There are 3 basins to store water.

A man has to spend half an hour in the hottest chamber, depending on his body’s resistance. He then shifts to the tepidity room, which is less hot, and then to the cool room where his body temperature is maintained and gradually brought down to room temperature.

Heat makes the blood flow better and can relax muscles. Adding Epsom salt to a hot tub can also reduce inflammation of joints caused by arthritis or other musculo-skeletal disorders. Also, the anti-inflammatory property of salt baths has a positive effect on those suffering from metabolic diseases such as Type II diabetes.

Dr Anjum Sultana, a Unani doctor, says steam baths are useful in reducing sinus pain, nasal congestion and severe cough. Nasal congestion is caused because of inflammation in nasal airways and the vapour causes the blood vessels of the face and nose to move, hence nasal secretions relax and dilate. Hot water bath helps the body’s immune system fight viruses better.

She said very hot water can make the skin more sensitive, but hot water baths with extracts like coconut oil, olive oil or lavender extract as well as oatmeal can hydrate the skin and heal dryness and sensitivity.  She said one should take this kind of bath under an expert who monitors not only temperature of the chamber but also checks its impact on the body. It is useful in healing paralysis, obesity and bad cholesterol.