Scope of Hydrotherapy, Courses, Jobs & Salary

• Like Ayurveda or Acupuncture, Hydrotherapy as an alternative medicine has found its way into people’s lives and many are who are rejecting modern medicine and accepting traditional medicines which include Hydrotherapy which is therapy by using water.
• A Hydrotherapist uses the healing power of water by non-traditional methods to cure ailments. The concept of hydrotherapy finds origins in medicines as old as the ancient civilizations, however with time, it lost its importance and as late as the 19th century, a European monk regained the concept of hydrotherapy to eliminate the waste from the human body and also terminal diseases.
• Water has always been an important element not only as a natural force and also as a major component of the human body.
• The basis of hydrotherapy is to use water in all its types and forms that is to say its solid, liquid and gaseous forms. Water itself has many natural properties and on consuming water itself, many ailments particularly muscular diseases have been found to be cured within a short span of time.
• A hydrotherapist’s job is to use the various forms of water and cure ailments which include muscular pains, immunity, stress, respiratory problems as well as cardiovascular ailments and neurological functions of the human body.
• Results have shown that when hydrotherapy has been used on patients, almost 99% feel stress relieved and rejuvenated. Sleep disorders, clinical depression, arthritis, stomach related issues, menstrual disorders are some of the ailments from which patients have gotten relief by using hydrotherapy.
• Hydrotherapists use steams, saunas, scrubs, packs, wraps, water jets and mineral baths. One usually uses hydrotherapy in the process of physiotherapy.  

• To take Hydrotherapy as a career, the candidate has to complete their 10+2 in any stream but preferably in Science with Physics, Chemistry and Biology as their basic subjects.
• Thereafter complete a bachelor’s course in any stream or a master’s course and then train in Hydrotherapy. One can also do a certification course of 6 months.
• There are several institutes that provide for courses in Hydrotherapy by online and through distance learning such as the All India Para Medical Technology & Alternative Medicine Council in Punjab which offer a 2 year bachelor degree and also a one year diploma course in the field of Hydrotherapy also there is the Indian Board of Alternative Medicine in Kolkata as well as Chhattisgarh University from where one can do their Diploma course from.
• The course in Hydrotherapy consists of the techniques and basic principles that are used in hydrotherapy. One is required to be acquainted with the various equipments that are involved. One must also understand the uses of the different states of water and to use them effectively.

In a world where traditional practices are finding revival such as Acupuncture, Ayurveda and Yoga for the well being of the human body, Hydrotherapy is also finding itself back to hospices all over the world.
A hydrotherapist can seek employment at:

• Health Clinics
• Private organizations in metropolitan cities, cosmopolitan cities and rural areas
• Gyms
• Rehabilitation centers
• Health Centers
• Psychiatric wards
• Recovery care units
• As a teacher or professor in a reputed medical college or training institutes
• Own practice

To be a hydrotherapist, one must have few basic skills. These are as follows:

• The person should have a keen interest in people and their well being
• A hydrotherapist should have understanding of water and understand its different states and forms.
• The person should have immense patience in his work.
• A hydrotherapist must be open minded
• A hydrotherapist must be a people’s person as the profession deals with people.
• One must have excellent skills in respect of handling patients
• One must also understand the physiological and psychological aspects of the patients they are dealing with.
• As hydrotherapy deals with the relaxation of the body one must be able to calm the person down and make the patient at ease when undergoing hydrotherapy.

• To pursue a career in Hydrotherapy, the candidate must have completed their 10+2 in any stream but preferably should be of the science background and thereafter they may pursue either a bachelor’s course or a postgraduate course in any stream and get training in Hydrotherapy. 
• One can also do a course in alternative medicine and thereafter do an online or distance learning course in Hydrotherapy.  

To be a Hydrotherapist on needs to understand the entire human body and every aspect of it. A job of a hydrotherapist involves the following:

• As a hydrotherapist deals with different types of people patience and concentration are very important
• A hydrotherapist must be ready for any type of case as people can vary in respect of different ailments of the body which may occur in the external parts to the body to the internal organs. 
• A hydrotherapist must have a strong willpower to examine various types of patients as each patient has different symptoms. 
• As a hydrotherapist must understand the physiological and psychological nature of people before conducting hydrotherapy as there are people who suffer from hydrophobia.
• A hydrotherapist must take care that excess water is not used otherwise the patient may sustain grievous injury

• A fresher can earn starting from a pay package of Rs. 8000/- a month and with time and practice several hydrotherapists charge Rs.1000-1500 by the hour.