Picture from Pain & Able Magazine, Issue Number 12 - December 2000 - (c) Bronllys Pain Management Centre, Powys LD3 0LU
Bath has been famous for its therapeutic baths since Roman times. Taking the waters at Bath Spa was especially poplular in 18th century England, following the example of Queen Anne (1702-1714). The natural hotsprings were believed to have "healing qualities". By the end of the 18th century, Bath had a population of 30,000.
The tradition continues today as the indoor hydrotherapy pool at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (known locally as "the mineral water hospital") is used by hundreds of patients to prevent their physical condition from getting worse and to help them with pain management. Click on the picture to learn about pain management programmes worthy of your support.
By 1750, with the popularity of Dr Richard Russell's sea-cure, Brighton took over from Bath as the principal centre for health and culture.
The Observer Newspaper reported that Brighton is the most popular city in England. However, Brighton's hospitals do not have facilities for hydrotherapy and the city of Brighton & Hove does not run a pain management programme, in spite of the high injury statistics for Road Traffic Accidents in the south of England. We need more practitioners like Dr Russell, who understand the benefits of physical exercise in the treatment of pain and who are able to provide facilities for patients who need some support. Today, in the age of Traffic "Accidents" (I prefer the phrase "Statistical Probabilities" given the destructive power and speeding capabilities of our automobiles), a hydrotherapy pool with access for the disabled would provide more practical opportunities than a bathing machine and the roughness & temperature of the sea. It is difficult to promote naturalistic exercise in a polluted environment - in Brighton one in six children suffer from asthma. We live in the age of leisure complexes and private gymnasiums generally accessed by the motor car. The most popular city is also one of the most polluted where the Council has to battle with air quality management to meet European Community standards.