Friday, September 11, 2015

Baths ( Natural Cleansing Support Series 2)



I never made time for myself as a busy mom before I was a wellness coach to take a soak in the tub. I whole heartedly believe today that I deserve a rebuke for that way of thinking. Moms everywhere need to soak in a bath at least once a week. I say lock the door, grab a magazine, and just enjoy it. This is a such a gentle and non-invasive way to take care of yourself.

Bathing can actually be a therapy to cleanse the body. Before beginning any detox regimen make sure your body can handle it by eating properly with plenty of vegetables and fruits along with a "healthy for you" daily water in-take. 

Baths are an extra luxury because it's an inexpensive day at the spa in your own bathroom. This is an opportunity to support emotional and physical wellness. This is NOT an option. Our bodies are covered in pores and were designed to release all foreign undesirable visitors in the body. Our lymphatic system, underneath our skin, is one of our bodies' hugest defenses against disease. According to Ayurvedic Healing Expert, John Douillard, it is easily clogged to due digestive distress with the villi in the digestive tract being irritated by inflammatory foods as well as stress. Much of the lymphatic system surrounds the intestines. 

Baths encourage good movement of the lymph as by helping to rid the body of non-beneficial bacterial disturbance as well as releasing negative stress so the white blood cells can get where they need to go to fight for us. It's a great way to encourage the body to keep going strong.

Simplicity

I'm a single homeschool mom and business owner, so I don't have a whole lot of time, and every penny counts.  Almost everyone has real Epsom salts laying around the house. If not, they are extremely inexpensive. I bought the brand below at Costco. In my area it came with two 6LB bags for $8.99.Epsom salts are rich in magnesium sulphate, which removes impurities from the body as well as relaxes the internal systems. Since the magnesium does relax the body, consider taking them in the evening before bed. I use them in all of my detox baths. Use 3-4 cups.



I also always use high quality essential oils.  Lavender is a wonderful choice to support emotional wellness. There are many others from which to choose. Use 6-8 drops of each oil. You can blend oils.

 ***IMPORTANT TIP*** Make sure when using essential oils, that you first mix them with the Epsom salts before putting them into the tub. This will result in much more pleasant experience. Certain essential oils have a very heated effect on the skin when not diluted, in this case by the Epsom salts. Mixing them will prevent the oils from all rising to the top and sitting on the skin in an overwhelming fashion. This way the oils will be evenly disbursed which will make the experience heavenly.


Good Options

Another helpful addition is bentonite clay.


I really like Redmond Clay because it is food grade. (Yes, it can be ingested for a detox too. That's a whole other article.) The bentonite helps keep heavy metals out of the body. This is a great option if you aren't using filtered water to bathe in. You can use 1/4 of a cup mixed as well as possible into the water.



Utilizing Himalayan or pink salt, like the one by Redmond, will purify the body as well as add minerals that are needed. Use 1/4 of a cup.

Use What You Have

Do not despair if you don't have these items. If nothing else, use Epsom salts if the other items are too difficult for you to ascertain right now. Do be sure to use water as warm/hot as you can possibly stand it. If using essential oils with the Epsom salts, then mix them in the water just before or as you are getting in the tub. Extreme heat can damage the effectiveness of the oils. In order for the bath to be effective, bath for 20-30 minutes. You will probably sweat, and that is a good thing. That means impurities are being released. After your bath rehydrate yourself with a filtered glass of water with a sprinkle of Himalayan or Celtic salt. I hope you will make detox baths a regular part of your regimen to live healthy now!

Helping you to be a good steward of your health!~Marie A. Ligorria, HHC

References:

http://lifespa.com/the-miracle-of-lymph/

 http://draxe.com/detox-bath-recipes/