Preventive and Promotive Effects of Habitual Hot Spa Bathing on the Elderly in Japan

Toyoki Maeda; Koshi Mimori; Naoki Makino; Takahiko Horiuchi

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Preventive and Promotive Effects of Habitual Hot Spa Bathing on the Elderly in Japan

VernacularTitle:温泉入浴習慣の効果と有害事象
Author: Toyoki MAEDA ¹ ; Koshi MIMORI ² ; Naoki MAKINO ¹ ; Takahiko HORIUCHI ¹
Author Information

1. The Department of Internal Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital
2. The Department of Surgery, Kyushu University Hospital
Keywords: hot spa; epidemiology; disease prevention; disease promotion
From:The Journal of The Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine 2019;82(2):41-47
CountryJapan
Language:Japanese
Abstract: Although body-warming with hot spa-bathing has been proposed to exert medical therapeutic effects on certain diseases, whether body-warming has preventive and promotive effects remains unknown. To clarify this issue, an epidemiological questionnaire study regarding personal hot spa-bathing habits and disease history was carried out in Japan, where individuals engage in daily warm water bathing. Questionnaires regarding hot spa-bathing habits and disease history were randomly sent to 20,000 residents aged ≥65 years living in Beppu, a city in Japan that has the highest concentration of hot spa sources in the world. The results showed that habitual hot spa-bathing exerts preventive or promotive effects on the occurrence of certain diseases, such as hypertension (preventive) and collagen disease (promotive) in women, and cardiovascular diseases (preventive) in men. These findings suggest that habitual body warming is an effective and economical method with beneficial preventive and promotive effects on various diseases.