Increasing Warmth in Oncological Patients: A Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Pilot Trial Examining the Efficacy of Mustard and Ginger Footbaths

Objective: To analyze the thermogenic effects of footbaths with medicinal powders in oncological patients (ON) and healthy controls (HC). Intervention and Outcomes: Thirty-six participants (23 ON, 13 HC; 24 females; 49.9 ± 13.3 years) received 3 footbaths in a random order with cross-over design: warm water only (WA), warm water plus mustard (MU, Sinapis nigra), and warm water plus ginger (GI, Zingiber officinale). Warmth perception of the feet (Herdecke Warmth Perception Questionnaire, HeWEF) at the follow-up (10 minutes after completion of footbaths, t2) was assessed as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included overall warmth as well as self-reported warmth (HeWEF) and measured skin temperature (high resolution thermography) of the face, hands and feet at baseline (t0), post immersion (t1), and follow-up (t2). Results: With respect to the warmth perception of the feet, GI and MU differed significantly from WA (P’s