Hardening

Immediately we stipulate that the term " hardening " we use more as a tribute to the established tradition. For, as BP Nikitin quite rightly noted, "you can harden once and for all for life a steel knife or dagger, a cutter or file."

Practically hardening is carried out in the form of certain procedures or exercises. If we stop these procedures, then the achieved result disappears with time. Therefore, it is better to understand a certain way of life under tempering. Although this will be fair only in part, since the living conditions in a city apartment do not allow natural full contact with natural factors and this is compensated for by special procedures. In this regard, in the future, we will talk about hardening procedures, realizing that, if possible, they should be organically intertwined in life, and not be its separate isolated part.

Hardening is an increase in the internal reserves of the body as a result of exposure to natural natural factors within the limits of physiological stress. Natural natural factors are air, water and sun. Hardening is inseparable from physical culture, therefore they are always considered in a complex manner. For example, physical exercises are perfectly combined with staying in cold air or in cool water, walking barefoot has not only a temperature effect, but gives the feet massage, etc. Hardening and physical culture, in turn, are closely related to the whole way of life, nutrition,clothing, hygiene, etc.

Increasing the resistance of the body with what we call hardening procedures has its own long history. In every culture, from the earliest times, we find customs and traditions that are directed not only at the upbringing of certain traits of character, strong-willed qualities, inculcating the ethical standards inherent in this historical culture, but also in strengthening the health of the younger generation. The living conditions of people imposed significant demands on the state of their health, on their ability to withstand unfavorable factors of the external environment. The possibility of exposure to low or high temperatures, the lack of housing with a comfortable microclimate, the need for greater physical exertion to meet life needs, etc. - all this was not only a factor in natural selection, but also forced people to look, in addition to ways to protect themselves artificially from these factors, also ways to strengthen the human body, expand its adaptive capacity.

And clearly recognized that health must be pawned from the very beginning of life. This follows from the fact that the hardening procedures were applied not only to adults, but also to children, including infants and newborns. As an example, one can cite snowballing of newborns among the peoples of the North, bathing young children in cold rivers in the Scythians. In Russia, newborns were often hovered in a bathhouse and also crumbled in the snow. The same can be attributed to the baptism of children in ice water.

Modern life does not impose such strict demands on a person regarding the ability to tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions. We are sufficiently protected from them artificially. And the slightest deviation from comfortable conditions is considered something unfavorable. With increasing living standards and improving the means of artificial protection from environmental factors, the ways of tempering the human body have gradually receded into the background. Man created around himself a comfortable microclimate.

This, however, made itself felt."The widespread use of artificial protection against cold significantly increased the range of external temperatures at which a person can live and work, but at the same time it also had a negative effect: demobilized his own protective mechanisms ensuring a constant body temperature." They have lost the habit and unlearned "independently to withstand cooling, the human body has become extremely sensitive to it, easily exposed to various disturbances under the influence of cold. "

The physical loads necessary for life support also decreased. More and more people suffer with difficulty not only cold, but even insignificant heat, becoming practically incapacitated on hot summer days. In addition, the person was attacked by factors that can no longer be adequately protected by means of artificial means - a variety of environmental pollution: chemical, noise, radiation, etc.

Such a high incidence of children, we have, shows that the way we live, the artificial environment that we surround ourselves with, in the absence of special measures, affects not only adults but also children, and from the very firstdays of their lives. Even when the same artificial conditions manage to save the child in the first years of life, he sooner or later begins to ache, unable to cope with the slightest deviations in external conditions. And it is completely curious that the parents' surprise looks like when the child practically never gets sick in the first two years of life, the child suddenly starts to get sick with one illness after another. All this leads to the conclusion that tempering should be started in childhood, and the earlier, the better.

We have already mentioned the so-called critical periods( transitional between two relatively long and stable ones), which is both the period of the newborn and the greatest effectiveness of the action of physiological stress stimuli at such periods. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that tempering in the newborn period will have a strong and long-lasting effect.

The approach to hardening of young children in modern medicine is connected first of all with the concept of thermoregulation of a child, which, as you might guess, is very imperfect. Therefore, it is quite natural that there is no question of quenching newborn children at all( which also corresponds to the approach to the period of newborns as to the period of observation of the child for the detection of pathologies of development).As a result, we have the following "scientific" recommendations: "air baths begin to be carried out with 1,5-2-month-old children. ..";"wiping starts 2-3-month-old children. ..";sunbathing "can begin with children 3-4 months of age";"You need to start physical exercises for every healthy child from 1.5-2 months of age";"Massage can begin with 3-4 weeks of a child's life. ..".So, at least until 3-4 weeks, the only "hardening" are "air baths" when re-piping.

Infant's content throughout the entire period of the newborn in the usual conditions( remember: 32-34 ° C and more than 90% humidity) leads to the fact that it is hardly possible to talk about any thermoregulation at all. Raspelenuty, he begins to tremble, even at room temperature. Is it because all the recommendations on physical culture, massage and tempering remind a rehabilitation program for a seriously ill patient? Who was the first in the civilized twentieth century to come up with such a sophisticated cruelty-first cripple, and then selflessly heal, imbued with the noblest motives?

What usually serves as the basis for considering the child's thermoregulation imperfect? What is the next mistake made by nature, condemning the newborns to certain death outside the horrific conditions that they are made to create?

"In general, the thermoregulation in newborns is much less perfect than in adults, which is manifested in the instability of body temperature. The increase in heat production is relatively weak, there is no cold shiver. The increase in heat transfer is limited by the relatively high skin temperature in the thermoneutral zone and a relatively small amount of sweat formed.the effectiveness of thermoregulation is associated with a relatively large body surface, as well as low thermal insulation of the body. "

Or, perhaps, is nature so cruel, producing such imperfect creatures?

According to Rubner's rule, or the "energy rule of the surface," the heat output of a child to the environment is greater than that of an adult. In figures, this is expressed as follows: if the relative surface of the body( in cm / kg) in an adult and nursing infant is 221/528, then the heat production( in kJ per 1 kg / day) as 146/380( adult at rest).Hence it can be seen that the baby loses more heat, and his larger production does not compensate for the difference in the adult's body. Accordingly, the temperature of the self-diffractive zone is 32-34 ° C( in the adult 28-30 ° C).

"The higher temperature of the thermoindifferentiated zone in children is due to the ratio of heat production and heat transfer. Heat production in tissues of newborns per 1 kg of their mass is approximately 1.4 times higher than in adults, but also heat transfer in newborns due to relative large body surface and low thermal insulationoccurs 2.5 times more intensively than in adults, so a higher temperature of the external environment is required to maintain a constant body temperature. "

In addition, it is believed that the thermoregulation of the child( especially the newborn) is carried out mainly through the mechanism of chemical thermoregulation, i.e. by producing internal heat, while the physical thermoregulation, ie, by narrowing and expanding the vessels, develops only later.

The question is quite appropriate: what kind of child are we talking about? We have already seen what kind of "average" baby, which is studied by science. Let us also recall the conclusion of the Perinatal Research Group of the WHO European Bureau: science is studying the "changed" mother and the "changed" infant, respectively. The baby "normal" has not been studied yet.

Could a person not inherit from his distant ancestors, who did not wear clothes and gave birth to children at any time of the year, the ability to withstand the temperature fluctuations in the newborn state?

Observations of children born at home and not subject to washing off of original lubrication and swaddling that are in constant contact with the mother, with whom from the very first days they practiced gymnastics and conducted certain hardening procedures, show that imperfect thermoregulation of newborns is a myth. Another thing is that this thermoregulation should be "started".Natural conditions allow this. The swelling and creation of conditions with a constant temperature( conditions that also threaten the body to overheat, that newborns suffer much worse than cooling), lead to the fact that this system not only "starts" but also atrophies.

At birth, the child experiences the first cold load. Even if in the delivery room + 25 ° C, the temperature difference reaches 13 degrees( in the uterus the temperature is about 38 ° C).And this happens against the background of stress when passing through the birth canal. The need for oxygen immediately after birth is increased 4 times. For comparison, we note that for adults, an increase in oxygen consumption by 76% occurs with a cold load, which is considered large, i.e., at 40-50 kcal in heat loss not compensated during the cold exposure, which corresponds to a stay of about 1 minute in waterat 0 ° C.And although the increase in the oxygen demand in a child is caused not only by the temperature drop, it is nevertheless seen how much the organism can withstand. How many adults can immerse themselves in an ice hole for a minute?

If we observe newborns and infants who lead a natural lifestyle, we will be amazed by their ability to produce heat.

Let's turn to IA Arshavsky:

"According to Rubner, the high energy costs per unit of body weight in the newborn period( at the same time, the highest in this period) are due to the relatively large surface area of ​​the body." The associated high level of heat transfer supposedly determinesprimarily the highest level of heat production in this period. At the same time, according to our research, a relatively large body surface area not only causes significant heat loss, but in particular providesThe greater the value of the surface of the receptive field, the reflexively stimulating mechanism of chemical thermoregulation, primarily carried out by the skeletal muscles, which is why it is possible to understand the greater or lesser degree of bareness of the body surface in almost all mammals.time is completely incomprehensible, has a deep adaptive physiological meaning. .. At the same time, the analysis revealed that in the early postnatal age and in subsequent periods of individualThis is not a loss of heat, as one would think( Rubner), that is, not the magnitude of the surface of the body and the heat transfer associated with it, are a factor that primarily regulates heat production. On the contrary, the physiological characteristics of the surface of the body, the difference in its relative magnitude, and the heat transfer mechanisms associated with them only adapt to the changing level of heat production in different age periods only in a secondary way. Moreover, as follows from the data. .., the level of heat generation in the early postnatal age exceeds the possibilities of heat transfer, provided not only by the size of the surface, but also by its maximum vasodilation and a small coefficient of thermal insulation. The latter, in particular, has its expression in the relatively high temperature of the surface of the skin and thus in the small value of the internal temperature gradient.

Thus, we see that, first, the large relative size of the child's body surface is not a reason to consider its thermoregulation imperfect. Secondly, during the neonatal period, the stimulation of the skin receptors is necessary for the functioning of the thermoregulation system, which is absent in the standard care of the child.

Further: "It is generally believed that the temperature homeostasis at an early age is provided mainly by the mechanisms of chemical thermoregulation and that the mechanisms of physical thermoregulation in this period are not represented or mildly expressed, and it is connected with the idea that in the postnatal ontogenesis, the mechanisms of chemical and,thermoregulation. ..

Our studies. .. found that the mechanisms of physical thermoregulation begin to function immediately after birth. .. "

Functioning physicalThermal regulation is obvious even in a newly born baby. When dousing with cold water, his skin turns red. If you put it in warm water, then the parts of the body that are above the water in the cool air get a cyanotic shade, while the body parts that are in the water are pink.

As for the higher temperature of the thermoindifferentiated zone in the newborn, it is quite natural - after all it is intended to be with the mother, warming it with its heat.

The myth of imperfect thermoregulation of the child has led to fear of the constant threat of its hypothermia, and even more so before applying strong Cold hardening procedures.

Observations for children show how much these fears are unfounded. When cooled, the child is much faster than the adult, able to restore its temperature."Since at an early age a small mass of tissues, especially musculoskeletal, occurs on a unit of surface, it is evident that a small increase in the intensity of metabolism and heat generation is necessary to warm the core relatively quickly."

What is a tempered child? Here is what modern medical science says: "Most babies like to walk barefoot. They should not be prevented from doing this. However, to start better with small and short-term effects, for example, to teach the child to stay for a while( 3-5 minutes) barefoot on the rug or blanket. On hot summer days you can run on grass or sand. Then you can be allowed to run barefoot on the parquet floor in the room. Gradually, the time of walking barefoot at home to increase to 15-20 minutes. Walking barefoot in the courtyard is dangerous because of the possibility of an overdose of exposure. .. "

Here is how the story goes:" As for the children of the West-Russian peasant, it's worth noting that the thought of God is especially manifest. In summer and winter they walk in the same, almost in Adam's attire. Winter and summer, autumn and spring for them, as it were, do not make up the time of the year. We ourselves saw that some of them are digging in the snow in the winter, just like in the summer in the sand. Only in the spring the snow begins to melt, as they splash with artistic pleasure already in the puddles formed from the melting snow. And nothing seems to harm them, on the contrary, it seems to be useful to them, strengthens them. "

Or:". .. In the vast majority of cases, Russian mothers leave their children at first birth without any special clothing, but wrap upthey are only in one diaper. A few days later, and most of the time after baptism, they put on a shirt for the child from the material that the state allows and which amounts to almost the only clothes since that time. .. It is often necessary to see how a child, bored with his loneliness at home, in winter, in a frosty frost,and bad weather, in deep snowdrifts, in one shirt and barefoot, moves from one hut to another to play with his peers. .. "

Already these examples show how medical approach to tempering children is far from reality. Racha often complain that parents do not quenched their children do not engage in physical activity with them. Alas, in ways that are usually described by physicians in popular books for the parents, the child can not harden.

If you have no doubt about these "scientific" methods, then try on yourself, for example, here is this: "From 3-4 months of age you can use wet wipes. Before you start, you need to consult a doctor, then pre-prepareskin of the child to this procedure. To do this, dry the flannel or a piece of soft woolen cloth daily rub the body, hands and feet of the child to pink color. After 1.5-2 weeks you can go to wiping with water. The mitten of shaggy cloth moistened in water andpressed, wipedfirst the hands, then the chest and abdomen, the back, the buttocks, the feet of the child. We immediately wipe the moistened part of the body with a shaggy towel until lightly reddening of the skin. All the body, except the rubbed part, should be under the blanket. We can carry out rubbing by adding to 1 cup of water1 teaspoon of salt or a tablespoon of vodka and cologne. .. Duration 5-6 minutes The water temperature. .. first 32-33 ° C, then gradually, with an interval of 5-7 days, the water temperature is reduced by 1 ° C andbring it to 30 ° C. "

How much you need to lose the sense of reality to take such things seriously. And even more so, to invent them.

"The authors of these methods of hardening, - said BP Nikitin, - at once make at least three unpardonable mistakes( and, moreover, rewrite them from each other, repeating in each book):

1. Late for 3-4 monthsand they miss the higher rate of adaptation

2. The strength of the acting factor is zero or near zero, because there is no temperature difference. ..

3. The time for hardening is 5-6 minutes, and for pampering. .. the remaining 1434 minutes every 24 hours.

The effect of this "cozily-comfortable hardening", of course, no one has ever been able to observeHowever, scientists continue to recommend this recipe for the third decade in different versions, apparently, benefit from it for. .. themselves. "1

It is difficult to add anything to this assessment, except perhaps for one circumstance. The strength of the acting factor in such quenching procedures is not at all equal to zero. It is negative. That is why many parents who began to "temper" children on medical recommendations, quickly faced with the fact that the children were ill. And thus it is recommended to stop procedures. Having started them again after the child's recovery, the story repeated. On this "hardening" usually ended.

Try the above procedure on yourself. Try just to take a shower every day and every other day, or lower the temperature by 1 degree. If you do not shine with excellent health, then most likely you will note the deterioration of your well-being and maybe mark the end of your second week of hardening with "flu or sore throat."

That raises an exciting question and does not find the answer - what are the healthy children

Remember that nature "counted" children not for the ward of newborns, but for real conditions, in which even hot summer temperatures can reach up to 10 degrees or more. Therefore, hardening should simulate the reality, rather than some speculative conclusions sucked from the finger, and only in this case there is a real increase in the body's internal reserves and increasing its resistance to various adverse effects

In addition to strengthening health, the hardening also has the other side.

Whatever we do with the child, we must always take into account the fact of the impact on the psyche. Failure to do this in hardening can lead to traumatization of the psyche, and vice versa, hardening can become a powerful factor in shaping a future positive worldview.

Let's look at the frequently occurring picture. Crying a two-year( and even much older) child, parents can not persuade to go to the river bank and at least to help the legs. And the other joyfully splashes, and even in the water it's cool enough. One kid raises a roar from cold sprays caught on it, and another pours a bucket of cold water and, pouring it, pours it on himself. What does it say? Do these facts show only the individual differences of children in their total mass? Not only. These are different worldviews, because this is a different contact with natural factors. The most terrible thing in creating a man for himself is artificial comfort conditions - it's fencing yourself off from nature. And so he can not properly understand and love her.

Walk barefoot in the snow, swim in the cold river - it's not just hardening the body procedures. They bring us back to a lost intimacy with nature, let us feel like a part of it. And if from the very childhood the person will be "on a short leg" with natural factors, then in the future he probably will not have to prove the importance of environmentally literate relationships with his native home - his surrounding nature. To some extent, he will already be subconsciously environmentally literate.

It is necessary to instill such a culture to the child from the very first days of his life, for all our environmentally illiterate way from these very first days begins to exert his detrimental influence on him. Therefore, hardening is an integral part of the formation of ecological thinking, which does not allow the developing consciousness to turn nature into an aggressive "environment".

Below we describe the various hardening factors. However, we emphasize once again that one should not turn hardening into a set of mechanically executable procedures, even daily ones. Let it be a way of life and a way of communicating with nature.