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Try this simple tip: tuck the towel under the front of the bucket before resting it in on the person’s lap.
A quark chest compress is the application of quark cheese warmed to body temperature, spread on a cloth that is then folded over the cheese into a poultice shape, laid across the chest and kept warm.
The quark compress can be used daily when fluid is ‘caught’ on the chest in conditions such as mastitis and pneumonia. It is also useful on a regular basis as preventative health care to help harmonise the Sense of Life and Sense of Balance.
The quark has a drawing effect on fluid in the breasts and chest cavity. It creates a space for breathing and helps to bring equilibrium to the body’s rhythms.
WHEN TO USE: The compress can be used daily when fluid is ‘caught’ on the chest in conditions such as mastitis and pneumonia. It is also useful on a regular basis as preventative health care to help harmonise the Sense of Life and Sense of Balance.
PRECAUTION: Contains dairy
Make the room a comfortable temperature, free of drafts and with gentle light. Use adequately warm bedding with a bottom layer that will protect the bed from leaks that can drip from the compress. Hot water bottles can keep the bed warm and /or be used to prepare the quark. The scarf shaped towel can be positioned around the patient as they rest.
The cheese must be heated gently and evenly to body temperature by placing the sealed container in warm water or between hot water bottles for 10 – 15 minutes.
Place the compress cloth onto a hot water
bottle and spread the quark onto it, about
21⁄2cm (1 inch) thick. Then fold the cloth over like a sandwich. Prepare it in such a way that only one layer of cloth will be between the cheese and the chest. The size of the finished poultice is going to be about 15cm x 25cm (5 x 10in) on the average person. Though sometimes a full back and front wrap with larger cloths may be more effective.
An alternative heating method is to very briefly and gently warm the pre-spread quark poultice in a low oven or between hot water bottles, being careful not to overheat and make the cheese separate.
CURD (QUARK) CHEESE child 250g (1/2 lb); adult 500g (1lb)
SCRAPER OR SPOON
HOT WATER BOTTLE WITH COVERS x 2. Fill to half, releasing trapped air before sealing.
COMPRESS CLOTH – a cotton or linen cloth about the size of a very large tea towel that the cheese will be sandwiched within.
TOWEL OR THICK ABSORBENT NATURAL FIBRED FABRIC folded or cut into the shape of a scarf the length of which must fit around the chest 11⁄2 times.
SAFETY PIN OR OLD SINGLET to keep the towel and compress in place
PROTECTIVE BEDDING such as towels or matress liner.
Carry the compress to the patient keeping the compress warmed by hot water bottles.
The compress is applied directly onto the skin of the chest then the towel wraps around the chest and is fixed into position with safety pins or by putting on an old singlet that will fit firmly over the chest.
The temperature of the cheese should be soothing and warm. Keep it warm with hot water bottles until it ‘dries out’; the solids and liquid will separate. The solids will stay in the cloth and the liquid will soak into the cloth and /or drain out. This can take more than an hour. It may be applied to a child at bedtime then quietly taken off later in the evening.
Ensure the patient is wrapped well from shoulders to feet. Being cocooned with bedding can be very nourishing and helps to reduce distractions. Rest should continue for about 20 mins after the compress has been removed.
Alternate footbaths involve the use of two bowls of water (one hot, one cold) into which the patient’s feet are placed alternatively.
Alternate footbaths can be a fun and easy treatment that provide an experience of moving between temperatures which stimulates the Sense of Balance and the Sense of Warmth, promoting inner equilibrium and awareness of the warmth of the body in relation to the environment. As simple as these treatments seemingly are, they provide awareness and understanding that is only possible through experience. Being told how things are does not give us a measure; experience gives us a measure.
They may also help to increase circulation, immunity and lymphatic drainage.
Fill one bucket 2/3 full with water below body temperate like water in a cold pool. If doing this in a very hot climate you may need to use iced water from the refrigerator. Fill the other bucket 2/3 full with water above body temperature, but not so hot as to burn. The water temperature in each bucket will blend throughout the activity, so have a cold and hot supply ready to top up the buckets
Position the buckets on towels in front of a chair or stool, or in a water resistant area that is also in a moderate to warm environment. Remember the patient’s feet must be able to reach the bottom of the bucket. Manage the impact of the outside temperature by covering the shoulders with a towel or blanket if the room temperature is below about 25°C (75 °F)
The patient’s legs must be unrestricted and bare so that they are comfortable and clothing will remain dry.
Place the feet in the warm water for 2 – 3 mins, then immediately into the cold for 1 min. Then back into the hot for 2 – 3 mins and so on for about 3 sets. Finish in the warm water. Maintain the water temperature with each change.
Thoroughly dry the feet and legs and cover with socks. Rest.
Hot water
Cold Water
Two bowls/ buckets - such as large laundry-style buckets or very large stainless steel bowls that are wide enough for two feet and deep enough for the water to cover over the ankles towards the calves.
Do not use footbaths if a fever is present
A yarrow liver compress is the application of yarrow tea in a hot, dry cloth, compressed over the liver with a narrow blanket.
When to use it
Use under the guidance of your healthcare provider. Some of its uses include supporting the liver to detoxify and the emotions to stabilise.
When not to use it
Never use hot compresses over the torso when the digestive system is inflamed, for example with diarrhoea or vomiting from bacterial infection. Use only under prescription during pregnancy.
Make the tea in the thermos. You need about half a litre of water and it will take about 10 minutes to steep.
On the bed, lay a large sheet that will be used to cocoon the patient; the patient will lie on the sheet and be wrapped in it. Make the pillow comfortable and the room temperature suitable for them to be wrapped completely (including around the head and ears and over the eyes). Ideally the fan is off and the room quiet. We are seeking a non-stimulating environment to block out sensory experiences and allow the yarrow, touch of the sheets and warmth to be the only things the person experiences.
Onto the sheet lay out the scarf and then the scarf liner on top. Line it up to be able to cover the liver once the person is lying on it. The liver sits on the right hand side of the body inside and slightly below the ribs.
The person now lies down in position on the scarf and liner, remove or fold back any clothing that is in the way.
Lightly wrap the scarf and liner around the patient, place the hot water bottle on top so that the area warms and they start to relax.
Open up the wringer cloth fully. Place into the centre of it the compress cloth that you have folded and rolled up (in such a way that when you unwrap it, you will be able to place it neatly over the liver). Then roll the cloths together like a bonbon.
Put the bonbon in the bowl, keeping the ends dry so you can hold them to wring. Pour over the tea, straining as you go. Then when it is soaked through, wring very well. Take the 3rd cloth as an extra wringing layer to protect your hands and make sure you can not squeeze any more drops out of the cloths. We are trying to achieve a hot cloth that has been soaked in tea, but is not dripping wet. (Otherwise It will burn the skin if hot water still remains in the cloth, and it will then go cold much faster.)
The inner cloth is the only one used on the patient. There is about 5 seconds between it being too hot, and being too cold. So make sure the patient is ready. Give a wring to make sure no more drips remain, then unwrap the bonbon. The patient will need to roll slightly to their left so the inner compress cloth can be placed around their back on the right side. It WILL be hot when you lay it on the skin, but if you have successfully wrung it, only the first second will feel very hot. In a gentle but non-delayed motion take one end of the scarf liner and wrap it firmly but gently over the compress cloth and tuck it under the person’s side, do the same with the other end. Then repeat with the woollen scarf over the top. The idea here is to compress the cloth onto the body without air being able to enter the area. Place one hot water bottle around their back and side and one on top.
Cocoon or keep the sheets tucked close to the patient’s body so the only part exposed is the mouth and nose. There they rest for 20 mins.
After 20 mins quietly loosen the sheet and scarf enough that you can slide out the compress cloth and let them continue to rest for a further 20 mins. The rest is equally as important as the compress. If they are hot, loosen the cocoon, keeping them in a quiet space.
If the compress feels cold to the patient it should be removed as a cold compress is detrimental. It is the warmth of a compress that aids the therapeutic effect.
1 tablespoon of yarrow flowers
A thermos or a saucepan with lid to steep the tea
A tea strainer
A bowl to strain the tea into
2 hot water bottles with covers. Fill them ½ full and without air trapped inside.
3 cloths -made of linen, wool or cotton. The 1st is the compress cloth and must be large enough to cover the liver, the 2nd is the wringer cloth and the 3rd is an extra wringer cloth. Tea towels, old woollen thermal underwear and pieces of linen work well.
A woollen scarf to wrap around your abdomen and tuck in to be tight. You can cut a blanket for the purpose or use a folded towel, (wool is a much better insulator).
A scarf liner - a piece of flannelette is ideal, the size of the scarf so that the scarf does not irritate the skin or become wet from the compress cloth.
Short, regular, massage applications of a protective lotion provide an experience of the body as well as a buffer to preserve the forces needed for growth and maintaining health. Touch brings awareness to the periphery and body parts in which pressure is applied. Developing whole body awareness is part of healthy child development. In adults it serves as a reminder of parts that may have dropped out of consciousness. The application process draws attention to the distinction between self and other. This awareness increases the opportunity to filter the many impressions that come towards us throughout the day. A well prepared lotion can act as an extra layer between the self and the world. The combination of application process and product can be very useful for hyper sensitive children by receiving extra protection, and for hypo sensitive children whose limbs extend beyond their boundary and into the space of others.
Lotion can be applied after bathing, before bed or before going out for the day. The gesture is to envelop the body with rhythm in harmony with the body’s rhythms.
Prepare the room to be adequately warm and free of drafts. Hot water bottles on the feet or abdomen can be very soothing if it is at bedtime.
Dispense and warm the lotion in the hand before application. Rest the hand for a moment on the body where the stroke begins, move the hand using the whole palm leading with the finger tips until the hand arrives at the end of the body part. Lift off the hand and return to the starting place for the next stroke.The stroke has a beginning and an end on each body part rather than a continuous stroking across the body. This definition helps to create the rhythm and a sense of completeness with each stroke and the full treatment.
Apply:
- about three strokes on each side of the back, and the same on the front of the torso.
- about three strokes on the inside and the outside of the arms from the hands over the shoulder to the heart.
- about three strokes on the back and the front of the legs from the foot to the hip.
Add lotion to the hands as needed to keep a decent coverage. It can be relaxing to finish with a foot massage and rest.
A lemon footbath is grounding and re-centering, making it ideal to support transitions; it harmonises the distribution of warmth and promotes healthy rhythms. It can be used daily as preventative healthcare to bring harmony to the Sense of Balance and Sense of Warmth, and at regular times to aid transitions between school, work and home, children transferring between parent’s homes, returning from holidays, or after over-stimulating experiences. It is also useful for acute symptoms such as headache and sinusitis by drawing the congestion away from the head.
