THERAPEUTIC SHOWER AND METHOD OF USING THE SHOWER FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION

Abstract

A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction includes a water heater for heating water at relatively low pressure and a mechanism for spraying the heated water at a relatively low pressure onto a majority of a human body. The mechanism also includes multiple arrays of generally horizontally disposed openings at multiple levels and wherein the water is directed upwardly at an angle of between about 40° to about 60° from horizontal whereby the droplets fall onto portions of the human body. The assembly also includes a valve for stopping the spray of heated water and a heater for directing drying air at a temperature of about 35° to 45° to thereby dry the body.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a therapeutic shower assembly and a method for weight reduction using such showers several times a day and more particularly to a therapeutic shower assembly for subjecting a human body to relatively low pressure heated droplets of water over a majority of the body for a preselected period of time several times a day to melt fat cells and increase circulation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Full body showers and therapeutic shower systems are known and have been in use for a number of years. For example, an early shower structure is disclosed in a Ejchorszt U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,252. As disclosed an improved shower structure that may be used as a replacement for a conventional shower head or installed initially as an integral part of a bathroom, the shower structure permits the user to selectively direct a uniform spray of heated water over a desired portion of the body and is particularly adapted for the use of a woman and elderly persons who may now take a shower without getting their hair and head wet. Further, the shower structure is adapted for being formed as an integral part of a wall structure to direct a spray of water over the trunk portions of a user.

A full body shower is disclosed in a Davison U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,969. The Davison patent discloses a full body shower system having three generally horizontal water dispensing portions and two generally vertical closed portions connecting the horizontal portions. The maximum number of water spray apertures in the system is sixty. The apertures are located in the horizontal water dispensing portions at angles with respect to the horizontal to direct water in a predetermined pattern.

Finally, a Brunelle et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,504 discloses a therapeutic shower enclosure wherein a top wall assembly converts a shower enclosure into a therapeutic shower enclosure. The top wall assembly has an air blower in communication with one ore more air return orifices in the top wall. An air distribution channel is in communication with the air blower and at least one air injecting orifice is provided in the top wall and communicates with the enclosure. A heater is provided in the air distribution channel for heating convected air therein to a temperature of up to about 75° C. to provide a stream of hot dry air circulating in the enclosure about a person's body standing therein. This causes the person's body to transpire and provide a therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin. In combination with the hot dry treatment there is available chromotherapeutic and luminotherapeutic light treatment and an ion and ozone generator to inject ions and ozone into the hot dry air stream.

Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for a therapeutic shower assembly or device and for an improved method for losing weight associated with the improved shower assembly according to the invention. There should be a need and a potential commercial market for the improved shower assembly because it provides an additional approach to weight reduction without the use of pills and/or exercises that may be overly stressful for some individuals. Further, the therapeutic shower assembly in accordance with the present invention is rugged, easy to use and can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In essence, the present invention contemplates a therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction that comprises or consists of means for providing heated water under relatively low pressure and means for directing a spray of heated water upwardly at relatively low pressure onto a majority of a human body. The means for directing a spray of water onto a majority of a human body includes multiple arrays of generally horizontally disposed openings disposed at multiple levels and adapted to direct a spray of water in a slightly elevated manner as for example, at an angle of about 30 to 45 degrees from horizontal. The shower assembly also includes means for stopping the spray of heated water and means for drying the human body. The drying means may include a blower for directing heated air around the human body and/or a series of infrared lamps to heat the air directed onto the human body to surround the body with heated air.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the therapeutic shower assembly provides a source of water and a water heater for raising the temperature of the water to a temperature of about 25° C. to 30° C. (77° F. to 86° F.). A one-half horse power water pump and means for directing a spray at relatively low pressure including a plurality of droplets of water onto the person's body. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality preferably ten generally horizontal sections of one-half inch diameter pipe are connected together in a serpentine arrangement by nine generally vertical pipes and wherein the pipes are connected to the water pump and the ten horizontal sections include a total of about 100 slightly upwardly directed apertures and wherein each aperture has a diameter of about 0.12 inches for spraying droplets of heated water onto a majority of the human body. A heater for directing heated air onto the human body to dry the human body include a plurality of vents that direct heated air to various parts of the body.

A second embodiment of the invention relates to a method for reducing the weight of a human individual. The method includes the step of providing a therapeutic shower including a water heater for supplying a mass of heated water at a temperature of about 25° C. to about 30° C. and a one-half horse power water pump. Ten generally horizontal sections of about one-half inch diameter pipe are connected together by nine generally vertical sections of pipe in a serpentine configuration wherein the generally horizontal sections include a total of about 100 slightly upwardly directed apertures each with an opening of about 0.12 inches for spraying heated water droplets on a majority of the human body. In the preferred form, the droplets are sprayed upwardly at an angle of about 30 degrees to about 45 degrees and up to about 60 degrees with the horizontal sections vertically separated from one another.

Spraying a majority of a the human body with heated water droplets for a period of about two and one-half minutes to five minutes three times a day is believed to be effective in reducing weight. In addition, heaters are provided for directing heated air onto the human body and drying the human body. Finally, a moisturizing lotion is applied to the human body after each treatment.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like parts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shower enclosure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a serpentine water distributor in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing the pathway of water droplets as distributed in the preferred embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for weight reduction in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and more specifically to FIG. 1, there is shown generally at 10 a therapeutic shower enclosure of the present invention. The enclosure comprises a bottom and a first wall 12, two sidewalls 14, a top 13, and a door 14 permitting access to by individual into the enclosure 10.

A molded shell 16 is secured over the top 13 of the enclosure and has molded therein distribution channels 17 which are connected to an air blower 18, and ducts 19 to provide an air stream that is convected downwardly in to the enclosure and in the direction of an individual. The hot air is then dispersed through vents 13′ in the molded top. In this way, the user is subjected to a hot dry air stream to undergo therapeutic effects as will be described herein below.

It is also contemplated that in place of a hot dry air stream, infrared lights can be disposed in an upper portion of the enclosure 10 to dry the individual. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the ideal zone for therapeutic heat treatment during the drying provides a temperature of between 31° C. and about 35° C. (88° F. to about 95° F.) at which temperature a human individual can accept the heat treatment for approximately 20 minutes. It is in this zone that we obtain some therapeutic effects and the physiological reaction to heat. For people who have exercised they will appreciate a range which is more elevated, for example, 35° C. to 40° C. Also after a person has acclimated to the therapeutic shower enclosure they can gradually increase the temperature range. It should be recognized that the temperature of air in the enclosure should be approximately 40° C. (104° F.) and the speed of the air on the user's body should not exceed about 0.2 m/s. It has been recognized that for temperatures of 38° C. at one hour of exposure, a person can develop a heat stroke. At 46° C. the temperature of the skin will be high enough to start exposing burn rashes. The more tolerant person can exceed 50 minutes at 52° C. In a sauna one can attain temperatures as high as 85° C. but a person should not be subjected to those for long periods of time and it is recommended that the period should be between 5 to 15 minutes maximum.

The invention also contemplates a method for weight reduction that comprises or consists of the following steps. A first step 40 provides a therapeutic shower enclosure having a first wall and a water outlet extending outwardly from an upper portion of a first wall. The enclosure also includes a bottom or a base with a drain therein, two side walls, and a door forming a fourth wall and a molded top including a plurality of downwardly directed channels or passageways for directing a flow of heated air onto an individual. The air is heated to a temperature between 30° C. to 35° C. to dry an individual.

A second step 42 provides a water supply and heater for heating a mass of water to a temperature of about 25° C. to 30° C., a one-half horsepower water pump and a serpentine array of nozzles arranged in ten rows of horizontally disposed upwardly directed openings that form an upwardly directed stream of water that are directed upwardly at an angle of about 30° to about 60° from horizontal. The horizontal disposed openings i.e. row are connected together by nine vertically disposed ½″ tubular pipes or passages.

In a third step 44 a majority of an individual's body is subjected to a wall of hot water openings at relatively low pressure for a period of 2½ to 5 minutes. In step 46 the water treatment is followed by subjecting the individual to a flow of heated air at a temperature of about 35° C. to about 40° C. (104° F.) for a period of about 5 minutes.

When an individual's body is dry, a moisturizing lotion or cream is applied to the body in step 48 to avoid drying out the skin.

While the invention has been described in connection with its preferred embodiments it should be recognized that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction, said assembly comprising:

means for providing heated water under relatively low pressure and means for directing a spray of heated water at a relatively low pressure onto a majority of a human's body and whereas said means for directing a spray of water onto a majority of a human's body includes multiple arrays of generally horizontally disposed openings disposed at multiple levels and directed upwardly from horizontal by about 30° to 60°;

means for stopping said spray of heated water; and

means for drying the human body by blowing heated air at a temperature of between about 30 to about 35° C. onto the individual's body.

2. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according to claim 1 which includes ten generally horizontal pipes connected together in a serpentine arrangement by nine generally vertical pipes and wherein each of said generally horizontal pipes includes a plurality of slightly upwardly directed apertures to produce a sprinkling mass of droplets onto the human body.

3. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according to claim 2 in which the lowest generally horizontal pipe is about one foot above the floor of a shower enclosure and wherein said horizontal pipes are vertically spaced by between about six inches to about one foot.

4. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according to claim 3 in which the size of apertures and water pressure provide a slightly upwardly arched shaped stream of heated water droplets wherein said droplets impact the human body with a force of a falling droplet from a height of about ten to twenty inches.

5. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according to claim 4 in which said serpentine pipe has a length of about 16 feet and a diameter of about one-half inch.

6. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according to claim 5 that includes about 100 apertures each with a diameter of about 0.12 inches.

7. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction of an overweight individual, said assembly consisting of:

a source of water, a water heater for raising the temperature of the water to a temperature of about 25° C. to 30° C. and a one-half HP water pump;

ten generally horizontal sections of one-half inch diameter pipe connected together in a serpentine arrangement by nine generally vertical pipes and wherein said pipes are connected together and to said water pump and said ten horizontal sections include a total of about 100 slightly upwardly directed apertures and wherein each aperture has a diameter of about 0.12 inches for spraying water droplets of heated water onto a majority of a human body; and

a heater for directing heated air onto the human body to dry a human body after the water spray is stopped.

8. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction of an overweight individual according to claim 7 which includes a timer for timing a session of water treatment to about 2½ to 5 minutes and a session of drying of about 10 to 20 minutes at a temperature of about 35° C.

9. A method for reducing the weight of a human individual consisting of the steps of:

providing a therapeutic shower including a water heater for supplying a mass of heated water at a temperature of about 25° to about 30° C. and a one-half horsepower water pump, ten generally horizontal sections of about one-half inch diameter pipe connected together by nine generally vertical sections of pipe in a serpentine configuration and wherein said generally horizontal sections include a total of about 100 slightly upwardly directed apertures each with an opening of about 0.12 inches for spraying heated water droplets onto a majority of a human body;

spraying the entire human body excluding their head with heated water droplets for a period of about 2½ minutes to 5 minutes three times a day;

providing a heater for directing heated air at a temperature of about 35° C. to about 40° C. onto the human body for drying the human body; and

applying a moisturizing lotion to the dry human body after each treatment.