Impact of cold mud pack on abdomen and eyes on the autonomic control of heart rate

Abstract

Mud therapy is a system of naturopathic medicine where treatment is given using various forms of mud. Hence, the present study aims to evaluate the physiological effects of simultaneous application cold mud pack over the abdomen and eyes by determining the cardiovascular and autonomic parameters of the study participants. 30 healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. All volunteers were subjected to two sessions of treadmill run up to 10 minutes and subsequently to supine rest. Their first session was considered under control trial, during which they were given a dry abdomen and an eye pack after the treadmill run for 20 minutes. With a gap of 15 days in between, in the experimental trial, they were given a cold mud packs to the abdomen and eyes during the supine rest after the treadmill run. HRV Assessments were done during the intervention and their BP and pulse were recorded immediately after the intervention. All HRV parameters in the time domain and HF in frequency domain remain increased during the mud pack trial.