Dose-response Relationship of Mustard Flour Footbaths in Healthy Volunteers

Dose-response Relationship of Mustard Flour Footbaths in Healthy Volunteers - a Blinded, Randomized, Controlled, Four-Arm Study With Crossover Design

A study to explore whether different dosages of mustard flour in footbaths cause different effects on warmth development as well as on general well-being and the autonomic nervous system.

This is a blinded, four-arm randomized controlled trial with crossover design to explore the dose-response relationship of footbaths with different dosages of mustard flour in healthy volunteers, compared to a placebo control (footbath with warm water only). The main focus is on thermogenesis and warmth distribution, as assessed by high-resolution infrared thermography and questionnaire data before, during and after the intervention. In addition, effects on the autonomic nervous system are assessed by measuring various parameters of heart rate variability and pulse wave analysis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent;
• Age between 18 and 55 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Chronic skin lesions at the lower legs or feet
• Varicose veins grade 3 and grade 4 (Marshall stage classification)
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Known intolerance or hypersensitivity to mustard preparations
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Cardiac pacemaker
• Asthma bronchiale
• Consumption of HRV-modulating medication (especially tricyclic antidepressants, beta blockers)
• Pregnancy
• Insufficient knowledge of the german language