Capillaries: why no treatment works without warmth and movement
Dr. Boris Wydoff · 2026-09-09Blood and lymph bathe every single cell: they bring nourishment and carry waste away. But this river flows through the tiniest of vessels — capillaries only a few microns wide. Dr Zalmanov, a great clinician who over sixty-three years of practice treated tens of thousands of seriously ill people, saw in the capillaries the key to all of medicine: when they are squeezed shut, the tissues starve and suffocate, no matter what a person eats or what treatment he takes.
WHAT SQUEEZES THE CAPILLARIES SHUT
Sitting still is the main enemy: in a sedentary person the blood stagnates in the deep tissues. Shallow breathing is the second: without a full exhale the blood gives up its waste poorly. The third is constant cold — or, on the contrary, stuffy air. The capillaries answer all of this the same way: they contract, and the cleansing of the tissues comes to a halt.
Three things that open them again
- Movement. A brisk walk of 30–40 minutes a day, in any weather. This is the minimum, and it matters more than any weekend sport. There is no need to exhaust yourself chasing records — the point is regularity.
- Warmth. In the evening, a warm bath or warm shower for 10–15 minutes, and straight afterwards into the warm, to rest. Warmth opens the capillaries of the skin, and the blood begins to rinse the tissues through. Hot procedures "until you are red and dizzy" are not needed: the warmth should be comfortable.
- Breathing. Three times a day, a breathing pause: ten slow deep breaths in and out by an open window, the exhale longer than the inhale. And an aired bedroom for the night: cool clean air at night is a form of cleansing too.
Why this works in the most varied illnesses
Zalmanov believed one should treat not a single organ but the metabolism and circulation of the whole body — then the body itself repairs what medicine "never gets round to". His chest wraps, baths and heat procedures I go through in detail in my books and demonstrate on my YouTube channel.
The "biological poet" of medicine
Italian doctors called Zalmanov a "biological poet" — for his ability to see the body not as a set of organs but as one living system. He spoke several languages, studied and worked in Russia, Italy and Germany, and taught his art to more than thirty doctors from different countries. His books — "The Secret Wisdom of the Human Body", "The Miracle of Life", "Thousands of Roads to Recovery" — I consider required reading for anyone who treats people.
Capillaries and ageing
What we call ageing is, to a large extent, the emptying-out of the capillaries: tissues the blood no longer reaches dry out and weaken. Hence cold feet, dry skin, slow healing. The good news: the capillary network is responsive — regular warmth and movement bring blood flow back even where there has been none for years. Age is no sentence for the capillaries; immobility is.
Chest wraps: what they are for
Zalmanov's chest wraps increase the flow of arterial blood to the chest, revive the small vessels of the lungs and clear the capillaries. Zalmanov used similar methods even in patients with tuberculosis. I show the technique with terry towels and a herbal solution in detail on my YouTube channel youtube.com/@boriszalman and go through it in my books — do it by the full method, not from second-hand retellings.
A word of caution
If you have heart or vascular disease, varicose veins or high blood pressure, check heat procedures with your doctor: temperature and duration are chosen individually.
Frequently asked questions
What is Zalmanov's capillary therapy?
A system for restoring circulation in the finest vessels — the capillaries — through heat procedures, baths, wraps, movement and breathing. When the capillaries are open, the tissues are nourished and cleansed.
How much walking do you need for healthy vessels?
At least 30–40 minutes of brisk walking every day, in any weather. Regularity matters more than intensity.
What good does a warm bath in the evening do?
Warmth opens the capillaries of the skin, improves blood flow and helps the tissues release the waste they have stored. 10–15 minutes of comfortable warmth is enough.
Where to start — step by step
This article is part of my system of natural healing. Start with the free guide "7 Steps to a Cleaner Body": water, nutrition, juices, warmth and mindset — one step a week.
Get the free book Full methods — in the books →
Boris Wydoff — naturopathic doctor, Ph.D. For over fifty years I have helped people restore health through nutrition, cleansing and the power of the mind — in Europe, America and Asia. About the author →