Galvanic bath is an alternative medical

Alternative medicine

Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....

 treatment (a type of electrotherapy

Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of...

) based on the simultaneous use of water and electric current

Electric current

Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...

. The patient lies in a 34 degree Celsius bath

Bathtub

A bath , bathtub , or tub is a large container for holding water in which a person may bathe . Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally waterproof finished wood...

, while gentle electric current is passed through his or her body.

Galvanic baths are mostly used in the treatment of degenerative diseases such as inflammatory arthritis and problems with the joints. The treatment lasts about 15 minutes.

Types of galvanic baths

In addition to full galvanic baths, when the patient's body is fully immersed in water, there are also four-chambered galvanic baths (also called four cell galvanic baths), which also combine electro energy and hydrotherapy, but are used only on the limbs

Limb (anatomy)

A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....

. Patient's forearms and lower legs are put in water trays, and electric current is passed through warm water. This pain-killing procedure improves the circulation and is considered especially beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...

.

History of galvanic baths

Jennie Kidd Trout

Jennie Kidd Trout

Jennie Kidd Trout was the first woman in Canada legally to become a medical doctor, and was the only woman in Canada licensed to practice medicine until 1880, when Emily Stowe completed the official qualifications....

 played the most notable role in studying galvanic bath effects and generally popularizing the procedure.

The Therapeutic and Electrical Institute opened by Jennie Kidd Trout in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, specialized in specific treatments for all that involved Austyn galvanic baths and electricity. She also ran a free dispensary for the poor located at the same place, for six years. The Therapeutic and Electrical Institute included six houses. Eventually the Institute was able to open two more branches in Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

 and Brantford

Brantford, Ontario

Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

.

Physiological benefits

While some users claim to have benefitted from galvanic baths, there is little actual evidence to support the idea that electrical currents at low ampere have such an effect on the body. Contrasting with the idea of beneficial effects, it is plausible that the cell electrical gradients necessary for regular bodily functions might be inhibited or damaged from such a treatment.

See also

• Frequency Specific Microcurrent
  Frequency Specific Microcurrent
  Frequency Specific Microcurrent or Frequency Specific Microcurrent Therapy is a therapy based on neutralizing and eliminating disease radiations through the use of electronic equipment...
  
  
• Galvanic treatment (Cosmetic)