The wonders of medicinal baths!

            The wonders of medicinal baths!



I come from a family who love baths. While most of my friends growing up had mostly showers, I thought of showers as what only those in a stressed and hurried lifestyle would have to choose. My family lived an unusual life where both parents stayed home. . .My family was in a full time Christian  ministry to kids.

Our not well off family was probably the least likely to own a jetted tub growing up, and yet we did. My Dad built a custom coach out of a 40 foot greyhound bus, and in it he put a wee little, deep, jetted tub. Regular bubble baths were a highlight of my early life!

So when I left home and my husband eventually built us a home, some 7 years ago, I insisted we put in a jetted tub, with a view, in a huge bathroom. (We had 6 or 7 people in there at one point when I had a baby in that tub, if that gives you an idea of the size. . .) Sadly we had to move, but each move I have wanted a deep tub at very least. At my latest house I have another huge jetted tub, in which I recently got to birth another child! So to say the least, baths are important to me and my family. . .though I've had to ease my hubby into them, as he didn't grow up with them.

Why are medicinal baths so important to me? Numerous reasons!! Your skin is the largest organ in our body, if you didn't already know it. Through our skin we detox our body from 60% of our junk. (The rest being expelled by our bowels, bladder or occasionally by throwing up.) So you have your choice in your method of detoxing from the germs when you are sick: having the runs, throwing up, or sweating it out your skin in a bath. . .

Furthermore, we are able to put stuff into our bodies through the absorption of our skin, which acts like a million little mouths. Can't bring yourself to take apple cider vinegar? No problem! Bathe in it! Like the benefits of baking soda for ph balancing and deoderizing but hate it in drinks? No problem! Bathe in it!

There are probably hundreds of things you can add to your bath to customize your bath to your needs, but here are some general ideas of the best ones:

• Epsom salt 1-2 cups
• magnesium flakes 1 cup
• Himalayan salt 1/2 cup
• tea tree oil-  a few drops. 
• Baking soda 1-2 cups
• vinegar 1-2 cups
• Bentonite clay 1/2 to 2 cups
• Activated charcoal 1/2 cup
• colloidal oatmeal 1-2 packages
• herbs in a bag or loose as desired or
• essential oils 15 drops
• honey-1/2-1 cup
• Milk-1 cup
• ground ginger or ginger tea-1 tablespoon to 1/3 cup can be added.(Most people sweat profusely with the addition of the ginger, and if you wrap your body in a blanket immediately after getting out of the tub, you can continue to detoxify through perspiration for another couple of hours. This is especially beneficial if you are trying to get rid the body of a bug of some sort of disease, like the flu, or a cold.)
• hydrogen peroxide 1-2 cups to open the pores, kill infections and oxygenate the body.

How to take a detoxing bath

• Fill the tub with as hot water as you can handle.
• Plan for at least a 30 minute bath. The first 20 minutes are said to help your body remove the toxins, while the rest of the time is for absorbing the minerals in the water.
• Try to get all the benefits of a relaxing bath by having good smells, good sounds (music) and candles.
• Try to drink before or during as well as after a detox in the bath, in a similar way that you need to drink after a detoxing massage, or you will feel sick and/or have a headache. You are releasing a lot of toxins, and depending on what you put in your bath, they may just be released into your bloodstream to be later flushed out. . .consequently making you feel tired or feverish after the bath. 
• Best to plan to wrap up and sleep after the bath, to continue the sweating and detox.
• You won't want to get your hair in this kind of a bath, and you may need to rinse off in the shower afterwards anyways, so that would be a better time to wash your hair. (Ideally using the "no pooing method" which is a shampoo and conditioner that also detox!)
• Put in whatever combination you want, there will be no contra indications with this natural stuff.  (Other then some claim diabetics may feel sick by using Epsom salts.) I would give you more specifics as to the benefits of each individual ingredient, but this would get much too long. So I'll just pretend for a minute that you are 1. a relatively knowledgable reader as to the properties of most of these things, and/or 2. able and willing to do a quick search about the benefits of ----------in baths.
• Use a brush to scrub all the dead skin off, preferably in the rinsing shower afterwards. . .
• Carefully get out, (watching for faintness) and pat dry.
• Use an oil or lotion on dry spots if desired.
• Go to bed or take it easy. 

And that method is what you do as an easy way to get rid of germs, bugs and most any inner or outer problem of the body. Easy peasy.