Maybe the words below may help people understand how detox baths work (I copied the part that talks about
detoxing from Connie Strasheim's book called New Paradigms in Lyme Disease Treatment: 10 Top Doctors Reveal Healing Strategies That Work.
lymebook.com/david-jernigan-treatment-of-lyme-disease: (Chapter 10 - David Jernigan, D.C.)
Hydrogen Peroxide/Epsom Salt Detox Baths
This is one of my absolute favorite bath therapies. It is the first thing we do for our own family whenever we feel we are developing a cold or illness. Not only does it detoxify the body and relieve pain, but it also seems to stop many infections quickly and help your body to regain balance. It has been shown in medical studies to relieve pain that does not respond to narcotic medicines.
For the bath, you will need:
• 4–6 cups Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
• 32–64 fluid ounces of hydrogen peroxide (3%, as found in grocery stores)
• 2–4 Tbsp. of ginger (preferably fresh-grated and wrapped in a thin piece of cloth or a tea ball. An old piece of nylon hose also works well).
This and all bath therapies work best if you first dry brush the skin on your entire body. This removes any dead skin that may otherwise block the absorption of energy and nutrients. It also stimulates the blood and lymph fluids to rise to the skin to accept the healing effects of the bath.
Instructions for the bath are as follows:
• Fill your tub with warm water. Add the ingredients.
• Soak for at least 20 minutes. The beneficial effects of this bath are cumulative and increase in effectiveness the more that you use them.
• Do for at least seven consecutive days or as recommended by your doctor. Continue to use daily, or as needed.
• Do not use if you are pregnant.
What the bath ingredients do:
First, hydrogen peroxide is a simple, nontoxic molecule of H2O2 that is beneficial in oxidizing (breaking down) toxins as well as killing anaerobic microbes. It also detoxifies pesticides and petroleum-based toxins, and oxidizes metals. It is naturally produced by macrophages in the body to kill harmful bacteria. Most harmful bacteria are anaerobic and cannot survive in the presence of oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. Cancer cells are also often very sensitive to oxygen and cannot survive in oxygen-rich environments.
Secondly, Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) help to stabilize hydrogen peroxide so that its ultimate breakdown into water and free oxygen is more gradual and beneficial to the body. Recent research has shown that when you soak in a bath of magnesium sulfate, both magnesium and sulfate increase measurably in your blood and urine. The Epsom Salt Council reports the following about
the benefits of magnesium in Epsom salt baths:
“Magnesium, a major component of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), is the second-most abundant element in human cells and the fourth-most important positively charged ion in the body. Magnesium also helps to regulate the activity of more than 325 enzymes and performs a vital role in orchestrating many bodily functions, from muscle control and electrical impulses to energy production and the elimination of harmful toxins.”
In addition, raising magnesium levels may do all of the following:
• Improve heart and circulatory health, which in turn reduces irregular heartbeats and blood clots, prevents hardening of the arteries and lowers blood pressure
• Improve the body’s ability to use insulin, thereby reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes
• Flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances
• Improve nerve function by regulating electrolytes. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood.
• Relieve stress. Excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of wellbeing and relaxation.
The “sulfate” part of Epsom salt confers its own unique benefits to the body. The form of sulfate used in Epsom salts must not be confused with “sulfa” drugs, to which some people are allergic. People who are allergic to sulfa drugs will not react to the sulfate in Epsom salt. The benefits of sulfate are summarized by Dr. Rosemary Waring of the School of Biosciences in Birmingham, England:
• Oral sulfate supplements cannot be easily absorbed across the gut walls; therefore, by soaking in this bath, sulfate can be more efficiently supplemented.
• Sulfate is essential for many biological processes, including the formation of proteins in joints. Decreased sulfate levels are common in the plasma and joint synovial fluids in cases of arthritis. Sulfate is also low in people with irritable bowel syndrome.
• Sulfate is necessary for sulfation, which is a major pathway in the body used for detoxifying drugs and endogenous toxins from within the body or exogenous (environmental) toxins.
• Sulfate is necessary for the repair and formation of brain tissue. Reduced levels of sulfate can lead to faulty neurological connections and subsequent dysfunction.
• Sulfate is needed for the proper digestion and utilization of digestive enzymes.
• Sulfate is essential for the production of mucin, a protein that lines the intestines. Mucin stops food and drugs from sticking to the lining of the intestines. It also blocks the transport of toxins from the gut into the bloodstream.
Finally, ginger
opens up the pores of the skin and increases blood flow at the surface of the skin so that the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide can do its work of detoxifying poisons, and killing bacteria and fungi. The pores
open wider so that the magnesium sulfate can be more readily absorbed. Ginger is invigorating and can stimulate perspiration for the elimination of toxins.
Dr. Jernigan’s Mustard Foot Bath™
(Excerpt taken from Beating Lyme Disease: Living the Good Life in Spite of Lyme)
I developed this product after years of raiding the spice cabinet in my own kitchen for footbath ingredients. Not only are kitchen spice bottles expensive, but they are generally small and of questionable therapeutic potency. For all of these reasons and for consistency of action, I decided to have my own recipe bottled. I will also give the recipe to those of you who would rather get started using your own spices. This is not recommended for use in a full-body bath, because the cayenne pepper will get into places where you definitely don’t want it!
Whisk or stir the following into warm (not hot) water to cover just above the ankles:
• 1 Tbsp. dry mustard seed powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper powder (Ideally, use 90,000 heat units)
• 1⁄2 tsp. dry ginger powder
• 1⁄2 tsp. dry rosemary powder
This foot soak is used for relief from general aches and pains, toxic headaches, and overall toxic conditions. It also seems to increase blood and lymph circulation, as well as promote an overall sense of wellbeing. To get further results out of your mustard bath, you may either also soak your hands only, or soak your hands immediately after completing the footbath using the same water.
Sit in a comfortable chair and soak your feet for 20–30 minutes in this mixture. If you are following the bath up with a mustard hand soak, rinse off and dry your feet before placing your hands in the footbath water for another 20–30 minutes. You may do this 2–3 times per day if desired, for weeks to months, and indefinitely during periods of intense toxicity and pain.
Hope this helps!
Denise