Heat Therapy: ‘Counterintuitive’ Depression Treatment Has Potential, Study Shows

Is an ancient remedy for depression poised for a comeback as a modern-day, drug-free treatment?

For many people with depression, standard treatments give only partial relief, and medications often come with side effects. Additionally, 30 percent of patients are diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression.

It is well-known that physicians in early times believed in the power of heat to cure “melancholia"—the ancient Greek word for depression. Galen of Pergamon, who served as Marcus Aurelius’ physician, prescribed hot baths for melancholy. Hippocrates—considered the father of medicine—believed heat could cure many diseases.

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