Epsom Salt Baths Help Detox the Body, Improve Muscle & Nerve Function, and Reduce Inflammation

There is nothing more relaxing than soaking in a warm bath at the end of the day. But what if your bath could do more than just clean your skin and relax your body?

With the addition of one all-natural ingredient, you can take your bath from relaxing to whole-body healing.

Toxins In Our Body

Whether you’d like to believe it or not, we’re exposed to a lot of toxins on the daily. Whether this be from pesticides, air pollution, or heavy metals, we’re being constantly bombarded.

The researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have discovered we’re being bombarded with toxins before we even leave the womb:

“In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG)…researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies. The umbilical cord blood of these 10 children…harboured pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and waste from burning coal, gasoline and garbage (1).”

These toxins accumulate in our fat tissue and cells, and it is because of this that we need to perform regular detoxes to keep our body functioning normally (and fight off disease and illness).

Epsom Salts

Epsom salt may look like salt, but it is actually magnesium sulfate, a mineral compound (2).

Epsom salts have a variety of different uses, but one of the best uses is its ability to detox the body, reduce inflammation and promote muscle recovery.

As mentioned above, Epsom salts contain magnesium, which is easily absorbed in the skin when we take a bath with them. Magnesium is required for the proper function of over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It contributes to energy production, reduces inflammation, and regulates levels of calcium, copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and many other essential nutrients in the body.

It is known to play a role in the treatment of asthma, depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia, hearing loss, arrhythmia, heart failure, high blood pressure, migraines, osteoporosis, eclampsia, PMS and colorectal cancer (3, 4).

The other component of epsom salts is sulfate, an important mineral involved in liver detoxification. Sulfate is the necessary building block for healthy joints, skin and nervous tissue.

Using Epsom salts in your bath creates a powerful process called reverse osmosis – salt and harmful toxins are pulled out of the body, and magnesium and sulfates enter the body.

Taking regular Epsom salt baths can be used to treat the following (5):

– Arthritis pain and swelling
– Bruises and sprains
– Fibromyalgia
– Ingrown toenails
– Insomnia
– Psoriasis
– Sore muscles after working out
– Soreness from diarrhea during chemotherapy
– Sunburn pain and redness
– Tired, swollen feet

How To Use Epsom Salts

Make sure you schedule yourself at least 40 minutes. Although most Epsom salt packaging recommends sitting in a bath for 12-15 minutes, David Jockers DC, MS, CSCS says otherwise. He says that the quantity of salt you use should correlate with your body weight. He also suggests soaking for 40 minutes, where the first 20 minutes pulls out toxins, and the next 20 allows the body to absorb minerals (6).

He recommends using the following amount of epsom salts based on how much you weigh:

– Children under 60 lbs: 1/2 cup
– Individuals between 60-100 lbs: 1 cup
– Individuals between 100-150 lbs: 1.5 cups
– Individuals between 150-200 lbs: 2 cups
– For every 50lbs or more – add an additional 1/2 cup of salts

Before you take a bath, boost detoxification by using a dry brush for 5 minutes or so to move along lymph and open your pores.

Other Detoxifying Bath Additions

You can boost your bath even further, by adding these ingredients on top of the epsom salts:

– Bentonite clay: add 1/2 cup of bentonite clay to your bath to aid in the pulling out of toxins (this clay literally binds to toxins in the body, and pulls them out of the body).

– Apple cider vinegar: add 1/2 cup to your bath for an extra-deep detox (the acidity helps aid in more toxin removal from the body).

– Essential oil: add in oils like frankincense and rosemary for extra inflammation-relieving properties. Orange oil will help reduce anxiety, and rose oil will relax and uplift your mood.

– Baking soda: add 1 cup of baking soda to your bath to help detox heavy metals, and to provide an alkalinizing effect on the body (which can help reduce pain).