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Abstract Introduction Population aging is a problem that has affected most countries in the world. Poor-quality sleep is a common complaint among the elderly. Foot baths are a method of heat therapy and are performed as an independent nursing care in different departments. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of foot baths with spa on improving the sleep quality of the elderly. Methods This research is a systematic review. We systematically searched six databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and the World Health Organization databases, to retrieve the related articles based on the keywords used in our search strategy from 2010 to March 2023. Result Finally, 10 articles were included in this study. All studies were randomized controlled trial (RCTs) and semi-experimental. In all 9 studies, the positive effects of the foot bath were reported. In 9 studies, the effect of foot baths with water above 40 degrees Celsius was reported. The PSQR questionnaire was used in most of the studies. Conclusion The total findings of this study showed that due to the high prevalence of sleep problems in the elderly, foot baths with warm water can be used as an easy, simple, and safe nursing intervention to improve sleep quality. Therefore, it can be used in nursing homes and hospitals. It is also a non-pharmacological and inexpensive nursing intervention that can be implemented by the elderly themselves after training by community health nurses.

Introduction: Population aging is a problem that has affected most countries in the world. Poor-quality sleep is a common complaint among the elderly. Foot baths are a method of heat therapy and are performed as an independent nursing care in different departments. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of foot baths with spa on improving the sleep quality of the elderly. Methods: This research is a systematic review. We systematically searched six databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and the World Health Organization databases, to retrieve the related articles based on the keywords used in our search strategy from 2010 to March 2023. Result: Finally, 10 articles were included in this study. All studies were randomized controlled trial (RCTs) and semi-experimental. In all 9 studies, the positive effects of the foot bath were reported. In 9 studies, the effect of foot baths with water above 40 degrees Celsius was reported. The PSQR questionnaire was used in most of the studies. Conclusion: The total findings of this study showed that due to the high prevalence of sleep problems in the elderly, foot baths with warm water can be used as an easy, simple, and safe nursing intervention to improve sleep quality. Therefore, it can be used in nursing homes and hospitals. It is also a non-pharmacological and inexpensive nursing intervention that can be implemented by the elderly themselves after training by community health nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Footbath therapy is effective for health and wellness. We compared the effects of hot water footbaths (HFB), contrast water footbaths (CFB), and warm water footbaths (WFB) using physiological parameters, including blood pressure, calf volume, flexibility, and meridian energy for six weeks. Significant differences in diastolic blood pressure and calf volume were observed from the third to fifth week, and CFB showed the best effect. CFB and WFB demonstrated improvements in meridian energy, while HFB had no effect. These findings highlighted the effectiveness of CFB in managing stress and promoting health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Stroke is one of the most important neurological diseases in the world. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders associated with stroke that can disrupt the daily functioning of patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot baths on physiological parameters and anxiety in patients with stroke. Methods: The present study was a single-blind clinical trial that was performed on 60 patients with stroke admitted to Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj. The available method was used for sampling and the samples were randomly divided into two groups of test and control (30 people in each group). For the patients of the experimental group, between 2 and 5 PM., a foot bath was performed for 15 minutes by a researcher colleague. For patients in both the experimental and control groups, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, SpO2, and anxiety in the supine position were measured before and half an hour after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 19 by the independent and paired t-tests at a significance level of P0.05). Discussion: Given the importance of the role of nurses in the rehabilitation of patients with stroke, complementary medicine methods, such as foot baths can be considered safe, inexpensive, and uncomplicated methods in patients with stroke to reduce anxiety and improve physiological parameters. Coresponding author: Fazel Dehvan, E-mail: F.dehvan@yahoo.com You can also search for this author in: PubMed, Google Scholar

Objective To investigate the effect of Yao medicine foot bath therapy combined with mindfulness meditation on rehabilitation and sleep quality in chronic hepatitis B patients with liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome. Methods A total of 86 patients were enrolled in this study, all of which were treated in the hospital from January 2022 to December 2022. The patients were divided into two groups according to the different treatment methods. The control group (n=43) was treated with routine treatment, and the observation group (n=43) was treated with foot bath therapy combined with mindfulness therapy on the basis of routine treatment. The Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score, Pittsburgh Sleep quality Index (PSQI) score and total effective rate were compared between two groups. Results The score of SAS was decreased in both two groups after treatment, and SAS score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(P＜0. 01). The score of PSQI was decreased in both two groups after treatment, and PSQI score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(P＜0. 01). The total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (97. 67% vs. 86. 05, P＜0. 05). Conclusion Yao medicine foot bath therapy combined with mindfulness meditation is potentially effective to improve the rehabilitation and sleep quality in chronic hepatitis B patients with liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome. (目的 探讨瑶药足浴疗法联合正念冥想改善慢性乙型病毒性肝炎肝郁脾虚型患者睡眠质量及促进康复的效果。方法 选取2022年1月—12月医院收治的慢性乙型病毒性肝炎肝郁脾虚型患者86例。根据治疗方式的不同对患者进行分组, 对照组(n=43)实施常规治疗, 观察组(n=43)在对照组基础上增加足浴疗法联合正念冥想治疗。采用焦虑自评量表(SAS)评估患者焦虑症状改善情况, 采用匹兹堡睡眠质量指数量表(PSQI)评估患者睡眠质量, 评价两组干预效果。结果 治疗后, 两组SAS评分均较治疗前下降, 且观察组SAS评分低于对照组, 差异有统计学意义(P＜0. 01)。治疗后, 两组PSQI评分均较治疗前下降, 且观察组PSQI评分低于对照组, 差异有统计学意义(P＜0. 01)。观察组治疗总有效率97. 67%(42/43), 高于对照组的86. 05%(37/43), 差异有统计学意义(P＜0. 05)。结论 瑶药足浴疗法联合正念冥想能有效改善慢性乙型病毒性肝炎肝郁脾虚型患者焦虑症状以及睡眠质量。)

Objectives: Stroke is one of the most important neurological diseases in the world. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders associated with stroke that can disrupt the daily functioning of patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot baths on physiological parameters and anxiety in patients with stroke. Methods: The present study was a single-blind clinical trial that was performed on 60 patients with stroke admitted to Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj. The available method was used for sampling and the samples were randomly divided into two groups of test and control (30 people in each group). For the patients of the experimental group, between 2 and 5 PM., a foot bath was performed for 15 minutes by a researcher colleague. For patients in both the experimental and control groups, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, SpO2, and anxiety in the supine position were measured before and half an hour after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 19 by the independent and paired t-tests at a significance level of P<0.05. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 60.98±9.53 years. After the intervention in the experimental group, the mean scores of systolic (159.73 vs. 149.87) and diastolic (90.87 vs. 89.03) blood pressures, heart rate (86.47 vs. 85.37), and anxiety (51.8 vs. 48.4) significantly reduced and the amount of SpO2 (96.2 vs. 97.67) significantly increased (P<0.05). Based on the independent t-test, no statistically significant difference was observed between the experimental and control groups in terms of physiological parameters and anxiety (P>0.05). Discussion: Given the importance of the role of nurses in the rehabilitation of patients with stroke, complementary medicine methods, such as foot baths can be considered safe, inexpensive, and uncomplicated methods in patients with stroke to reduce anxiety and improve physiological parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aim. Edema and pain may occur in the lower extremities due to the long-term standing work of nursing students and the stress they experience. In this study, the aim was to determine the effect of foot baths applied after clinical practice on foot pain and leg edema in nursing students. Material and methods. This randomized controlled study was carried out with second year nursing students. The intervention group received a foot bath (including immersion in water and massage). No intervention was performed on the control group. The data was collected using a survey form, edema follow-up form, visual analog scale, and foot bath equipment. Results. Edema levels in the right tibia decreased statistically on the 1st and 2nd days after the foot bath compared to the values measured after nurses performed clinical practice, while the edema level in the left tibia decreased significantly in the first and fourth weeks (p<0.05). The right and left foot pain scores in the intervention group increased in the evening of the day after the clinical practice compared to before clinical practice, and pain scores decreased statistically significantly after foot bath (p<0.001). The foot pain scores expressed by the students in the first week increased continuously (p<0.001). Conclusion. The study showed that a foot bath performed after clinical practice were effective for easing foot pain and leg edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Footbath therapy is effective for health and wellness. We compared the effects of hot water footbaths (HFB), contrast water footbaths (CFB), and warm water footbaths (WFB) using physiological parameters, including blood pressure, calf volume, flexibility, and meridian energy for six weeks. Significant differences in diastolic blood pressure and calf volume were observed from the third to fifth week, and CFB showed the best effect. CFB and WFB demonstrated improvements in meridian energy, while HFB had no effect. These findings highlighted the effectiveness of CFB in managing stress and promoting health and well-being.

Background: Foot baths are used in complementary and alternative therapy to improve the duration and quality of sleep and reduce tension, anxiety, fatigue, and confusion. They are also known to improve the frequency of labor contractions and to increase their duration in women; thus, they are commonly used by midwives in clinical settings in Japan. However, the physical and mental effects of foot baths during labor are unknown. Objective: This study aims to assess the physical and mental effects of foot baths based on biomarker levels and self-administered questionnaires. Methods: A single-arm pre-post test trial design is being used in this study, and the study is being conducted at a general hospital in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The target study population is women in the first stage of labor, the phase when the uterus starts to contract and when the cervix dilates to 10 cm, or those undergoing labor induction. Participants who meet the eligibility criteria are recruited, and written informed consent is obtained from them. They are asked to answer the questionnaire and to collect 1.5 mL of saliva in 2 microtubes each, before and after the intervention. The intervention is foot baths for 15-20 minutes using a foot bath device. Data on delivery, such as gestational age, gravidity, parity, diagnosis following the last vaginal examination, and presence or absence of membrane rupture, are retrieved from the medical records. The primary outcomes are salivary cortisol levels before and after the foot baths. The secondary outcomes are levels of relaxation and comfort, labor pain, body warmth, vital signs, and interval of labor pain before and after the foot baths, which are assessed using a numerical rating scale. A paired t test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test will be performed to compare the data for salivary cortisol levels and numerical rating scale scores. Results: Data collection started on April 1, 2022. As of October 2022, we had enrolled 10 participants. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, it is difficult for medical personnel to freely interact with women in labor until the results of the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test are available in the research facility, complicating the recruitment process. Conclusions: This is the first prospective study to assess the effects of foot baths using a biomarker during the first stage of labor. The findings on the effects of foot baths on women in labor will provide novel insights that may improve the outcomes of delivery. A randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of foot baths to obtain robust evidence should be conducted in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a nondrug complementary therapy and healthy leisure physiotherapy method, foot bath (FB) is gaining acceptance and popularity in many areas. The significance of this research is to study the close and complex connection between FB stimulation and the human brain using fNIRS neuroimaging techniques. Participants were placed under two different conditions (normal and foot bath) and instructed to perform Stroop task of color word matching. Research on the behavioral results of the subjects showed that FB can effectively regulate the efficiency of humans in the process of performing tasks in a natural state. The fNIRS findings showed that the PFC in the FB condition was weakly activated compared to the normal condition. FB can realize the natural and healthy regulation of human brain cognitive function, which will have an impact on many production activities in human daily life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the adverse effects of medication we decided to provide a safe, economic, and easy intervention to decrease sleep problems in menopausal women. This trial aimed to determine the effect of footbath on sleep disturbance in postmenopausal women. One hundred menopausal women were randomly stratified using a permuted block randomization procedure by Random Allocation Software, and assigned to one of two study groups: control (without intervention, n = 50) and intervention (footbath, n = 50). The footbath group was asked to lie their feet into the warm water for 20 min in a container with a depth of 10 cm one hour before the usual sleeping time for 6 weeks. To assess sleep quality, we used the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). To evaluate severity of menopause symptoms, the Greene scale was applied. Before the intervention, 96% of the subjects in the footbath group and 94% in the control group were poor sleepers. The results of analysis of covariance showed significant improvement in sleep quality and decrease in severity of menopause signs in the footbath group compared to the control group. At the baseline, there was a statistically significant correlation between the severity of menopause signs and the global score of PSQI in all study individuals (p ≤.001, r =.464). The present study findings showed that footbath intervention enhanced sleep quality in menopausal women. Thus, footbath as a safe, simple, and non‐pharmacological application can improve quality of life in postmenopausal women and inhibit problems due to inadequate sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Labor pain is one of the most severe pains that women experience during the pregnancy period. Inhalation and foot bath are common methods that reduce the pain of labor. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of warm foot bath with inhalation of rose essence and warm foot bath lonely on pain of labor in primiparous women. Materials and Methods: This randomized clncontrolled trial study was carried out on 120 primiparous women who were volunteer for physiologic birth at Shaheed Akbar-Abadi Hospital in Tehran. Conspicuously, the pregnant women were randomly assigned to one of the two intervention groups (warm foot bath with inhalation of rose essence group and warm foot bath group) and control group (routine labor care). Correspondingly, the interventions in both experimental groups were performed for 10 minutes, once at the beginning of the active phase and the second time at the onset of the transition phase. The pain was measured every 30 minutes during the active phase of the labor by using a visual-numerical scale. After collection and extraction of data, statistical comparison was performed using the SPSS software version 16 and p <0.05 was considered significant. The Chi-square, Fisher exact, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Scheffe tests were used as statistical methods. Results: The results at this present study showed that the mean of pain severity were significantly lower in the both interventional groups in comparison to the control group at the beginning of the active phase of labor and delivery (p <0.001). However, the mean of pain severity at the transition phase was lower only in warm foot bath with inhalation of rose essence group in comparison to the both warm foot bath and control groups. Conclusion: Aromatherapy by inhalation of rose essence and foot bath have the positive effects on reducing the pain of labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-based passive body heating (PBHWB) as a warm shower or bath before bedtime is often recommended as a simple means of improving sleep. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Cochran, Medline, PsycInfo, and Web of Science databases and extracted pertinent information from publications meeting predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to explore the effects of PBHWB on sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset, total sleep time, sleep efficiency (SE), slow wave sleep, and subjective sleep quality. The search yielded 5322 candidate articles of which 17 satisfied inclusion criteria after removing duplicates, with 13 providing comparable quantitative data for meta-analyses. PBHWB of 40-42.5 °C was associated with both improved self-rated sleep quality and SE, and when scheduled 1-2 h before bedtime for little as 10 min significant shortening of SOL. These findings are consistent with the mechanism of PBHWB effects being the extent of core body temperature decline achieved by increased blood perfusion to the palms and soles that augments the distal-to-proximal skin temperature gradient to enhance body heat dissipation. Nonetheless, additional investigation is required because the findings regarding PBHWB are limited by the relative scarcity of reported research, especially its optimal timing and duration plus exact mechanisms of effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Lack of sleep (insomnia) is a common problem involving society members and inpatients causing different physiological effects. Treatment includes a variety of several pharmacologic or other techniques. One of the non-pharmacologic methods is local heating of terminal organs (passive body heating). Manipulation of body temperature is a potential therapeutic intervention. The purpose of this study was to review the impact of passive body heating on the sleep quality. Materials and Methods: After searching in available databases with proper keywords in both Persian and English language and with no time limits, 114 articles were collected. Of these, 31 were selected as the most relevant and were reviewed. Results: Based on the previous researches, the warm footbath was selected for implementation of passive body heating which was the most common and safest method. In some studies, the warm footbath also improved mental sleep and polysomnography findings. Conclusion: Although the impact of passive body heating on sleep has not been proved in all studies, it increases patient comfort and relaxation and the parasympathetic stimulation. Hence, this method can be used as a non-complicated nursing procedure in patients with insomnia.

Background and aim: Aromatherapy is the art and science of using essential oils extracted from aromatic plants, and is concerned with natural balance, coordination and promotion of health. This study was designed to determine the effect of "rose (Rosa damascena) essential oil" inhalation and foot bath on the improvement of maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Material and methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial, conducted on 80 primiparous women in Shahid Akbar Abadi Maternity Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Subjects were randomly assigned to aromatherapy and control groups. Aromatherapy group received methods of inhalation and foot bath with rose essential oil for 10 minutes at the beginning of the active phase and then at the onset of the transitional phase of labor. Control group received the routine care of the delivery room. The measured variables in this study included episiotomy in the second stages of labor, Apgar score, admission to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and maternal satisfaction with the administration of pain relievers. Statistical analysis of the extracted data was performed using SPSS version 16 with Chi-square and t student test. Results: Two groups were significantly different in terms of the second stage of labor duration (P

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of hand and foot baths on sleep and body temperature of the elderly. Methods: The research was designed for a nonequivalent control group before and after the test design. The subjects of this study totaled 43, aged 65 and over (23 people in hand bath group and 20 people in a foot bath group), who received a written voluntary consent to participate in experimental treatment and are in the W care center, S Nursing Home, and H care center in Seoul. Data were collected with questionnaires and observations, and were analyzed on the basis of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, χ2-test, Fisher exact test, t-test and paired t-test. Results: There are no significant differences in homogeneity test of a dependent variable between groups (hand bath, foot bath). The differences between 2 groups on the sleep quality score and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure temperature were not significant statistically except on the pulse. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, hand bath is as efficient as foot bath. Therefore, a hand bath can be a nursing intervention in order to enrich sleep quality for the elderly because a hand bath is more convenient than foot bath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virulent ovine footrot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus is an endemic disease worldwide. It is associated with severe pain, impaired animal welfare and economic losses. The competitive real-time PCR for the differentiation of virulent aprV2 and benign aprB2 strains of Dichelobacter nodosus provides an objective, rapid and sensitive diagnostic tool for footrot surveillance, especially as it enables early detection of subclinical carriers of virulent strains. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of complete elimination of Dichelobacter nodosus strains carrying the aprV2 gene from sheep flocks. The treatment protocol was based on careful removal of loose and severely overgrown claw horn, weekly stand-in foot baths of the entire flock for 10 min per sheep, using a 10% zinc sulphate disinfectant solution, clinical and PCR follow-up and isolation or culling of non-responders. Dichelobacter nodosus strains carrying the aprV2 gene were successfully eliminated from the feet of the sheep of all 28 flocks (100%) participating in the study within 6–19 weeks of weekly foot bathing. A strong correlation between the length of time for weekly foot bathing to eliminate the virulent strains and the within-flock prevalence of clinical footrot at the beginning was observed (rho, 0.68; P  <   0.001). A statistically significant correlation was not detected between flock size and the length of time for weekly foot bathing (rho, 0.28; P  = 0.14), or the prevalence of clinical footrot at study commencement (rho, −0.04; P  = 0.82), respectively. In conclusion, a complete elimination of Dichelobacter nodosus strains carrying the aprV2 gene in sheep flocks was possible with a protocol based on careful trimming, weekly stand-in foot baths, and identification of infection using a specific PCR-test and isolation or culling of non-responders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although warm footbath has been widely enjoyed in many Asian countries, little information is known about its effect on people's thermal responses. This paper experimentally investigated the variations in objective and subjective thermal responses of foot bathers during summer and winter. The subjective thermal responses of foot bathers (12 males and 11 females) were collected by questionnaire, and their body skin temperatures were measured at seven locations. Due to blood circulation, the heat gained from immersed feet could affect other body parts, while the thermal effect of warm footbath varied in different body parts. The results indicate that the footbath could cause marked increases in the thermal sensation of feet, legs and overall body. Participants feel more comfortable at the early stage than other stages during footbath, even though the water temperature is constant. Higher water temperature is expected by the participants to remain footbath comfort. Additionally, noticeable differences in skin temperature and subjective human responses of the male and the female foot bathers were observed. This study demonstrates that the females' foot is more sensitive to warm footbath than those of males. It can be concluded that warm footbath contributes to more satisfaction of thermal environment especially in winter and that males were likely to be more acceptable with footbath than females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Foot baths are used in complementary and alternative therapy to improve the duration and quality of sleep and reduce tension, anxiety, fatigue, and confusion. They are also known to improve the frequency of labor contractions and to increase their duration in women; thus, they are commonly used by midwives in clinical settings in Japan. However, the physical and mental effects of foot baths during labor are unknown., Objective: This study aims to assess the physical and mental effects of foot baths based on biomarker levels and self-administered questionnaires., Methods: A single-arm pre-post test trial design is being used in this study, and the study is being conducted at a general hospital in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The target study population is women in the first stage of labor, the phase when the uterus starts to contract and when the cervix dilates to 10 cm, or those undergoing labor induction. Participants who meet the eligibility criteria are recruited, and written informed consent is obtained from them. They are asked to answer the questionnaire and to collect 1.5 mL of saliva in 2 microtubes each, before and after the intervention. The intervention is foot baths for 15-20 minutes using a foot bath device. Data on delivery, such as gestational age, gravidity, parity, diagnosis following the last vaginal examination, and presence or absence of membrane rupture, are retrieved from the medical records. The primary outcomes are salivary cortisol levels before and after the foot baths. The secondary outcomes are levels of relaxation and comfort, labor pain, body warmth, vital signs, and interval of labor pain before and after the foot baths, which are assessed using a numerical rating scale. A paired t test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test will be performed to compare the data for salivary cortisol levels and numerical rating scale scores., Results: Data collection started on April 1, 2022. As of October 2022, we had enrolled 10 participants. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, it is difficult for medical personnel to freely interact with women in labor until the results of the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test are available in the research facility, complicating the recruitment process., Conclusions: This is the first prospective study to assess the effects of foot baths using a biomarker during the first stage of labor. The findings on the effects of foot baths on women in labor will provide novel insights that may improve the outcomes of delivery. A randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of foot baths to obtain robust evidence should be conducted in the future., Trial Registration: University Hospital Medical Information Network-Clinical Trial Registry UMIN000046539; https://tinyurl.com/2wwj7dns., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/39985., (©Naoko Hikita, Ritsuko Iso, Kiyoko Mizuhata, Akemi Isoyama, Ayumi Kobayashi, Rika Muroi. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 18.01.2023.)

Objective: To observe the effect of foot bath and massage on insomnia in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: By control design of retrospective nonconcurrent cohort study, 100 insomnia patients with liver cirrhosis admitted and treated in our clinic between October 2011 and September 2012, were recruited in the control group and given routine nursing of internal medicine. A total of 105 insomnia patients with liver cirrhosis, admitted and treated between October 2012 and September 2013, were recruited in the intervention group and given foot bath and massage on the basis of routine nursing of internal medicine. After continuous intervention for 14 d, the clinical effects and the nursing satisfaction were evaluated. Results: There were statistically significant differences in clinical effects and sleeping quality between the two groups ( P<0.05, P<0.01). The therapeutic effect was better in the intervention group than in the control group, and the nursing satisfaction was remarkably higher in the intervention group than in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion: Foot bath and massage can obviously reduce insomnia in the patients with liver cirrhosis, improve the sleeping quality, and effectively elevate the nursing satisfaction of the patients, and are worthy of clinical popularization and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose] This study aimed to clarify the optimal conditions of warm-water bathing required to improve peripheral circulation. [Participants and Methods] Ten healthy males experienced three warm-water bathing depths (half-body, low-leg, and foot) on different days. Peripheral circulation (earlobe blood flow), tympanic temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure were measured during each session and compared among the bathing conditions. [Results] In half-body bathing, the relative blood flow of participants increased steeply to a level 2.7-fold higher than the baseline during bathing and rapidly decreased after that. Conversely, the relative blood flow gradually and continuously increased to a level 1.7-fold higher than that at the baseline during low-leg bathing and maintained a similar level after that. The blood flow did not markedly change throughout the experiment in foot bathing. The pulse rate during foot bathing and that during low-leg bathing did not change throughout the observation period, but that of half-body bathing increased considerably. [Conclusion] Rapid changes in pulse rate or blood pressure associated with bathing are considered risky. We suggest that low-leg bathing, rather than the usually adopted half-body bathing, is appropriate for improving peripheral circulation in terms of effectiveness and safety., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose in relation to this work., (2022©by the Society of Physical Therapy Science. Published by IPEC Inc.)

This work was originally undertaken to determine the effective conditions of essential oils against Trichophyton mentagrophytes in vitro for the treatment of tinea pedis in a foot bath. Agar blocks implanted with T. mentagrophytes were immersed in 0.1% aqueous agar containing two-fold dilutions of essential oils with or without sodium chloride at 27°C, 37°C and 42°C for 10 and 20 min. The number of surviving mycelia on the agar blocks was determined from the standard curves of the colony diameter and original inocula of the conidia. At the same time, the thermal effect on the cellular morphology was examined using SEM. Most fungal mycelia (99.7%) were killed after treatment at 42°C for 20 min without essential oil. The fungicidal activity of essential oils was markedly enhanced by treating at 42°C for 20 min as compared with that at 27°C, showing ¼∼ 1/32-fold reduction of minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC to kill 99.99%). The order of the fungicidal activity of 11 essential oils was oregano, thyme thymol, cinnamon bark＞lemongrass#xFF1E; clove, palmarose, peppermint, lavender#xFF1E;geranium Bourbon, tea tree#xFF1E; thyme geraniol oils. MFCs were further reduced to ½∼1/8 by the addition of 10% sodium chloride. The salt effect was explained, at least partly, by an increase in mycelial adsorption of antifungal constituents in the presence of sodium chloride. Considerable hyphal damage was done at 27°C by the essential oils, but no further alteration in morphology of the hyphae treated at 42°C with or without oil was observed by SEM. The inhibitory effect of heat and oils was also observed against mycelia of T. rubrum and conidia of T. mentagrophytes. Thermotherapy combined with essential oils and salt would be promising to treat tinea pedis in a foot bath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the preventive effects of foot bath technique and immunization on interdigital necrobacillosis incidence in beef cattle grazing alfalfa pasture. The work was carried out in a farm with antecedents of high incidence of interdigital necrobacillosis (IN) and lasted from 10/10/98 until 03/15/99. Four hundreds Hereford steers were alloted to two groups of 200 animals: without foot bath (WFB) and with foot bath (FB). The food bath solution contained formaldehyde (2 % in water) and copper sulfate (2 % in water). The treatment was applied every 2 to 3 weaks. The bovines stayed 10 minutes in a concrete foot bath, with a 15-20 animals' capacity. In each group, 100 animals received two doses of a commercial vaccine against IN. Then, the four groups formed were: WFB-WV, WFB-V, FBWV and FBV. All groups grazed in the same parcel of pasture and were handled in the same facilities. The incidence of IN on each group was 14, 15, 3 y 5. The results of this trial was compared with the X² test and it was observed a statistically very significant effect (p<0.01) of foot bath treatment and a null effect of the vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown that the warm water bath can be a beneficial approach in the management of fatigue. This experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effect of warm salt water foot bath in the management of chemotherapy-induced fatigue. This randomized controlled trial was perfomed between November 2017–February 2018. Seventy five patients who experienced moderate or higher level chemotherapy related fatigue were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. A training booklet about chemotherapy-induced fatigue was given to all patients. In addition, the experimental group performed 20 min warm salt water footbath for a week. The primary outcome was the change in fatigue level over 7 days after chemotherapy. The secondary outcome was the difference in physical, affective, emotional, and cognitive fatigue scores of patients. The level of fatigue was grade 2 and grade 3 for 65.3% and 33.3% of patients, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between groups regarding the mean of total fatigue score before and after bath (p > 0.05). However, the amount of decrease observed in the experimental group was found to be statistically significantly higher than the control group (p = 0.012; p < 0.05). In addition; the score in behavioral/severity, sensory, affective and cognitive dimensions related to fatigue decreased in the experimental group but did not decrease in the control group. This study shown that warm salt water footbath can be an effective approach in enhancing fatigue related quality of life cancer patients. More studies should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of this intervention. • Warm salt water footbath can be an effective approach in enhancing fatigue related quality of life cancer patients. • The warm salt water foot bath is a safe approach and does not have any side effects. • The warm salt water foot bath can be used in cancer patients to cope with chemotherapy-related fatigue. • Nurses can perform warm salt water foot bath to manage chemotherapy-related fatigue in the oncology clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aim to evaluate the efficiency and safety of traditional Chinese medicine foot bath combined with acupoint massage for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. A total of eight online databases were searched to collect studies published up to February 2019. Study quality of each included article was evaluated by the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were conducted based on the Cochrane systematic review method by using the RevMan 5.3 software. Traditional Chinese medicine foot bath combined with acupoint massage was the main therapy in experimental group. Interventions in control groups include western medicine, oral traditional Chinese medicine, other symptomatic treatment of western medicine, and blank control. Primary outcomes in this study include sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), total effective rate, and neuropathic syndrome score. Finally, 31 trials involving 3284 participants were included. The results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses showed that traditional Chinese medicine foot bath combined with acupoint massage was significantly better compared with the control groups in terms of the total effective rate, SNCV, MNCV, and neuropathic syndrome score. No case of adverse effect was reported. These findings show that traditional Chinese medicine foot bath combined with acupoint massage may be safer and more effective for the treatment of DPN. However, due to the low methodological quality, further research with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of higher quality is required to prove its efficacy and better evidence for clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Purpose] This research aimed to examine the effects of back massage and foot bath with blended essential oil on psychophysiological response in stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 14 adult stroke patients randomly divided into the experimental group (7 patients) and the control group (7 patients). Physical and psychological stress, mood state and sleep satisfaction was measured using evaluation instruments and body temperature was measured with infrared thermography (T-1000). [Results] Measurements included physical and psychological stress, and mood state of the experiment group became significantly lower than that of the control group. The body temperature and sleeping satisfaction of the experimental group became significantly higher than that of the control group. [Conclusion] The present study suggested that aroma therapy and foot bath that can be used as alternative physical therapy that offers an overall beneficial effect on psychophysiological response such as reduced stress, mood state and increased body temperature, sleeping satisfaction of stroke patients.