posted
My mother swears by these and say they make her feel great.
I can barely stay in the tub for 15 minutes. I am miserable. Why is that?
I am drinking the whole time.
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Keebler
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- Heat can be really bad for some with lyme & co. Many can't handle even a rise of a degree - if that might be the case with you, plan ahead for safety measures in the summer heat, too.
Cozy warm water is good; too hot is not.
Maybe the bath water was too hot for you. Or - too exhausting? That can certainly be the case.
Listen to your body.
Maximum time is 20 minutes but even 5 minutes can be helpful - if it is enjoyable to you. If not, stick with showers and walking or other gentle ways to move your body.
A foot or hand soak in hotter water is fine and will actually absorb epsom salts just fine, you can even have a higher concentration of epsom salts for foot soaks - just not so much as to irritate the skin.
ALWAYS RINSE with clear warm water. Don't get chilled. If you have dry skin, be sure to moisturize with a non-petroleum and scent-free lotion. Avalon Organics is one line of such products. -
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Keebler
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posted
- If you have a vinyl shower curtain or toilet seat, you may want to consider getting the vinyl out of the bathroom. Vinyl can off-gas nearly forever and then we breathe in the fumes when it gets warm.
There are many fabric shower curtains (but try to find one without a teflon-like coating).
Synthetically scented products could also be clobbering you. -
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Keebler
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- Google: Foods high in Electrolytes
You can also use about 1/8 teaspoon sea salt with the juice of 1/4 lemon or 1/2 lime - in hot or cool water - a drop or dash of stevia perhaps for some sweetness.
Most electrolyte formulas contain additives. Be sure to read the labels. -
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posted
I probably had the water too hot. I thought I should be sitting in water as hot to the touch as I could stand. Guess not. I will try a lower temperature. I assume it will still do some good?
I dont have any vinyl or scented products.
Your drink sounds good. I am tired of drinking plain water.
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Keebler
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posted
- Yes, even warm water helps increase circulation & sweating - and is very calming.
But, when drawing the bath, hotter water may best dissolve the epsom salts. Add those early and then adjust water temperature.
Just make yourself COZY and enjoy the water. "ENJOY" is a good word.
Put on some nice music, take water in with you to sip on. Dream of far off places.
You can make your own lemon or limeade anytime with water and stevia - and a slight dash of salt.
For electrolyte enhancement, just a little more salt and it won't be like beverage but can help replenish what might be lost during sweating.
Always rinse mouth with clear water - swish and spit - and wait a while before brushing as the acid in the citrus fruit can soften tooth enamel. It needs some time to harden before brushing. -
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AuntyLynn
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Stevia, UGH! This stuff does NOT agree with my body! I had unknowingly bought a bakery item (at whole foods)that contained stevia, and it gave me a sickly sweet gas problem for two days. No thanks.
Apologies if this is "too much information."
Posts: 1432 | From New Jersey | Registered: Jan 2012
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Keebler
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posted
- AuntyLynn,
I've never gotten gas from stevia and I've tried probably a half dozen kinds over the years. I've used it approximately 5 days out of 7 for nearly 20 years, even before it officially came on the market (as Sunrider offered it as a supplement).
Might that have also had a sugar alcohol added such as sorbitol, erythritol or xylitol?
Those will result in some painful gas, even with a little bit - for days following.
Some bakers and chocolate makers use a combination of sweetening ingredients. And many store bought items are made just too sweet, even at "natural foods" stores.
Some stevia brands can taste a bit gamey. I find SWEETLEAF Stevia Clear Liquid drops to be the best. And just one drop - or a few - can be easily managed.
Trader Joe's also has a stevia extract powder that is pretty good but harder to measure consistently.
With stevia, after finding a brand that is not too "earthy" - it's all about the dose - even just a bit too much can ruin the food. I've gone overboard by mistake but it has never caused the least amount of GI distress or gas.
A very, very tiny amount goes a long way.
If you want to give stevia another try, this is the type that I've found to be the best.
I called about their "natural flavors" as sometimes they are not all that natural. I was assured that - for this product - they are from various plant sources in tiny amount as a freshness measure, not a chemical byproduct.
For a 16-oz. mug of tea, one drop may be all that is desired.
Three drops is just about right for my taste. Seven drops makes it very sweet to the max. Eight drops is way too much and I have to add lots more hot water. Just one drop too many matters. -
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surprise
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posted
I wish I had a FIR sauna, I don't, so I take hot Epsom salt baths about 4x a week. They really make me sweat.
Yep, it is hard to stay in for 20 minutes, sweating, bored... sometimes I say to myself 'you've got 3 cups of Epsom salt, 1 cup of dead sea salt in here... what is this, a $5-7 dollar bath? Stay in! (lol)
I keep electrolyte water next to me, extra hand towel to mop my head and neck, I've tried the music to daydream (sometimes helpful) and sneak my iPhone to read, but scared I'll drop it in.
Yep, they are tough. I know, only 20 minutes, right? Feels like jail sometimes, lol again.
BUT, a good detox. I am not up to exercising for a sweat, and it is very good to sweat (replace with good water) and I do a dry brushing of the body before I get in, and the magnesium helps the muscles.
Hang in there!
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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Keebler
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- One reason that heat can damage those with lyme is that lyme can damage the myelin sheath, that protective coating around the nerve fibers.
When that has "holes" in it, the stress of heat seems to make the nerves more tender.
I've been bed-bound and nearly unable to walk - up to a week after a bath that was too hot. Several times before I figured out that heat can kill me, literally.
Do not force the heat. Make it cozy. Even warmth will encourage sweating and increase circulation.
You don't have to sweat bullets, just get the pores open a bit to get the processing moving.
Remember that lyme can be one cause of "MS" - "MS" patients can be seriously damaged by heat exposure, so much so that there are specific "MS COOLING VESTS" for summertime.
There are a few of those with lyme who can handle heat, though.
They probably already know who they are but, that can also change and someone who previously could traverse the dessert mid-day may not be able to function in even 82 degree heat.
That is about the cut off before I pass out or seize from heat.
Just don't push it. Listen to your body and remember that a bath - and the time and day afterward, too - should not be torture or result in damage or a set back of ANY degree. -
[ 05-10-2012, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
"If a person is intolerant of Epsom salt baths, I think the reason is that some of the sulfate is chemically reduced to hydrogen sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria in the gut. Some of that is oxidized to sulfite by the human sulfur metabolism.
Both hydrogen sulfide and sulfite are toxins if they reach high enough concentrations, and they will both produce unpleasant symptoms."
I found that in a post by Rich van Konynenburg on another forum. So feeling worse after an epsom salt bath might not necessarily be because of the heat, etc.
Posts: 34 | From NYC | Registered: Mar 2012
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Keebler
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- vitamink -- thanks for that important detail - the guy's very searchable name, too.
I see that he's mentioned at Sarah Myhill's website. She's very knowledgeable about all this.
It might be worth a try to just have a nice cozy warm bath without the epsom salts as a test run -- but also free of synthetic fragrances, just in case that's a variable.
Though natural, lavender can really clobber many with MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities. I find that only lemon or mint - from the real source - work for me (Avalon Organics line).
Some unscented products can also be chemical / petroleum based. (Again, Avalon Organics is petro-free).;
Even some "unscented" products contain fragrance so be very careful. -
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surprise
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Hmmm, I'm sorry, I can't really follow the sulfite toxicity reasoning, but absolutely agree about it causing issues for some.
I have always loved hot showers- and my daughter and I both have A1298c MTHFR mutations (she a double) so my understanding is we can handle the sulfer-
She used to respond well to Epsom salt baths, now I just rub mag. sulfate cream onto her feet, back-
Also helps with phenol sensitivities-
I agree, we are all different.
Buy I do like the sweating for detox.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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