Mud wraps are spa treatments where the skin is covered in mud for a shorter or longer period. The mud causes sweating, and proponents claim that mud baths can slim and tone the body, hydrate or firm the skin, or relax and soothe the muscles. It is alleged that some mud baths are able to relieve tired and aching joints, ease inflammation, or help to "flush out toxins" through sweating.
A layer of mud is applied to the skin, and bandages are wrapped over the mud that has been applied. Sometimes a pvc sauna suit is additionally used to contain the mud.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned against body wraps as a method of weight reduction, noting that "such treatment will cause a loss of inches and perhaps pounds due to profuse perspiration. But the reductions are temporary. The fluid is soon replaced by drinking or eating. But rapid and excessive fluid loss is potentially dangerous because it can bring on severe dehydration and can upset the balance of important electrolytes in the body. ... Wraps have no effect on fat deposits and will not dissolve fat, even temporarily. Fat is not broken down by perspiration, only when fewer calories are consumed than are needed to meet the body's energy requirements." [1] [2]
Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
The excretory system is a passive biological system that removes excess, unnecessary materials from the body fluids of an organism, so as to help maintain internal chemical homeostasis and prevent damage to the body. The dual function of excretory systems is the elimination of the waste products of metabolism and to drain the body of used up and broken down components in a liquid and gaseous state. In humans and other amniotes, most of these substances leave the body as urine and to some degree exhalation, mammals also expel them through sweating.
In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mild dehydration can also be caused by immersion diuresis, which may increase risk of decompression sickness in divers.
A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor caused by bacterial breakdown of perspiration, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents sweating itself, typically by blocking sweat glands. Antiperspirants are used on a wider range of body parts, at any place where sweat would be inconvenient or unsafe, since unwanted sweating can interfere with comfort, vision, and grip. Other types of deodorant allow sweating but prevent bacterial action on sweat, since human sweat only has a noticeable smell when it is decomposed by bacteria.
Heat exhaustion is a heat related illness that is caused by elevated body temperatures, typically due to environmental factors or overexertion through work or exercise, which impairs thermoregulation. It can affect anyone, but children, older adults, and individuals with co-morbid conditions are more susceptible as it is more challenging for them to control their core body temperatures. This condition can result in significant loss of fluids and electrolytes, including sodium and potassium, due to excessive sweating and dehydration. Certain medications, such as diuretics, antihypertensives, anticholinergics, and antidepressants, can exacerbate these losses. If left untreated, heat exhaustion can progress to more severe and potentially life-threatening heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke. Preventative measures include wearing loose and lightweight clothing, avoiding strenuous activity in extreme heat, and maintaining adequate hydration.
The axilla is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm and the thoracic cage, bounded superiorly by the imaginary plane between the superior borders of the first rib, clavicle and scapula, medially by the serratus anterior muscle and thoracolumbar fascia, anteriorly by the pectoral muscles and posteriorly by the subscapularis, teres major and latissimus dorsi muscle.
Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition in which a person exhibits excessive sweating, more than that required for regulation of body temperature. Although primarily a being physical burden, hyperhidrosis can deteriorate quality of life from a psychological, emotional, and social perspective. In fact, hyperhidrosis almost always leads to psychological as well as physical and social consequences. People suffering from it present difficulties in the professional field, more than 80% experiencing a moderate to severe emotional impact from the disease and half are subject to depression.
Miliaria, commonly known as heat rash, sweat rash, or prickly heat, is a skin disease marked by small, itchy rashes due to sweat trapped under the skin by clogged sweat-gland ducts. Miliaria is a common ailment in hot and humid conditions, such as in the tropics and during the summer. Although it affects people of all ages, it is especially common in children and infants due to their underdeveloped sweat glands.
Sweat glands, also known as sudoriferous or sudoriparous glands, from Latin sudor 'sweat', are small tubular structures of the skin that produce sweat. Sweat glands are a type of exocrine gland, which are glands that produce and secrete substances onto an epithelial surface by way of a duct. There are two main types of sweat glands that differ in their structure, function, secretory product, mechanism of excretion, anatomic distribution, and distribution across species:
Gluteoplasty denotes the plastic surgery and the liposuction procedures for the correction of congenital, traumatic, and acquired defects/deformities of the buttocks and the anatomy of the gluteal region; and for the aesthetic enhancement of the contour of the buttocks.
Fluid balance is an aspect of the homeostasis of organisms in which the amount of water in the organism needs to be controlled, via osmoregulation and behavior, such that the concentrations of electrolytes in the various body fluids are kept within healthy ranges. The core principle of fluid balance is that the amount of water lost from the body must equal the amount of water taken in; for example, in humans, the output must equal the input. Euvolemia is the state of normal body fluid volume, including blood volume, interstitial fluid volume, and intracellular fluid volume; hypovolemia and hypervolemia are imbalances. Water is necessary for all life on Earth. Humans can survive for 4 to 6 weeks without food but only for a few days without water.
A mud bath is a therapeutic spa treatment that involves soaking in a bath of warm mud, often in a natural hot spring or geothermal pool. Mud baths have been used for centuries as a way to promote health and relaxation, and are still popular today in many parts of the world.
Peloid is defined as a mature clay, mud or mud suspension or dispersion with curative or cosmetic properties, consisting of a complex mixture of fine-grained materials of geological and/or biological origin, mineral or sea water, and organic compounds commonly arising from some biological metabolic activity", used therapeutically, as part of balneotherapy, or therapeutic bathing. Peloids consist of humus and minerals formed over many years by geological and biological, chemical and physical processes.
An elastic bandage is a "stretchable bandage used to create localized pressure". Elastic bandages are commonly used to treat muscle sprains and strains by reducing the flow of blood to a particular area by the application of even stable pressure which can restrict swelling at the place of injury. Elastic bandages are also used to treat bone fractures. Padding is applied to the fractured limb, then a splint is applied. The elastic bandage is then applied to hold the splint in place and to protect it. This is a common technique for fractures which may swell, which would cause a cast to function improperly. These types of splints are usually removed after swelling has decreased and then a fiberglass or plaster cast can be applied.
Cholinergic urticaria or also known as (CholU) and CU, is a rare form of hives (urticaria) that is triggered by an elevation in body temperature, breaking a sweat, or exposure to heat. It is also sometimes called exercise-induced urticaria or heat hives. The condition is considered to be one of the many rarest forms of allergies known to medical science.
Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, liposuction is the most common cosmetic surgery.
Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun-stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than 40.0 °C (104.0 °F), along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, but not in classic heatstroke. The start of heat stroke can be sudden or gradual. Heatstroke is a life-threatening condition due to the potential for multi-organ dysfunction, with typical complications including seizures, rhabdomyolysis, or kidney failure.
As in other mammals, human thermoregulation is an important aspect of homeostasis. In thermoregulation, body heat is generated mostly in the deep organs, especially the liver, brain, and heart, and in contraction of skeletal muscles. Humans have been able to adapt to a great diversity of climates, including hot humid and hot arid. High temperatures pose serious stress for the human body, placing it in great danger of injury or even death. For humans, adaptation to varying climatic conditions includes both physiological mechanisms resulting from evolution and behavioural mechanisms resulting from conscious cultural adaptations.
Skin temperature is the temperature of the outermost surface of the body. Normal human skin temperature on the trunk of the body varies between 33.5 and 36.9 °C, though the skin's temperature is lower over protruding parts, like the nose, and higher over muscles and active organs. Recording skin temperature presents extensive difficulties. Although it is not a clear indicator of internal body temperature, skin temperature is significant in assessing the healthy function of skin. Some experts believe the physiological significance of skin temperature has been overlooked, because clinical analysis has favoured measuring temperatures of the mouth, armpit, and/or rectum. Temperatures of these parts typically are consistent with internal body temperature.
Insensible perspiration, also known as transepidermal water loss, is the passive vapour diffusion of water through the epidermis. Insensible perspiration takes place at an almost constant rate and reflects evaporative loss from the epithelial cells of the skin. Unlike sweating, the lost fluid is pure without additional solutes. For this reason, it can also be referred to as "insensible water loss".