Benefits of the Bath

Balneotherapy is defined as the treatment of disease by baths.  While these diseases might be arthritis, skin conditions, or illness, it could also be used to treat dis-ease, as most people are more at ease after taking a bath.  Bathing in mineral waters like hot springs or mineral pools has been practiced around the world for centuries.  If you have ever gone to a hot springs or sprinkled Epsom Salts in your bathwater you have practiced Balneotherapy.  Who knew?

While I am not a medical professional and this information should in no way be interpreted as medical advice, Balneotherapy is an easy and pleasurable custom to add to your personal care routine (and your vocabulary). It's very relaxing to soak in hot water and sometimes its even hard to bring ourselves to get out of it.  Maybe because it reminds our subconscious of being in the womb, where the stress of life has not yet taken hold on our consciousness.

The practice of soaking in thermal springs or mineral pools dates back many centuries, across the globe. The Greeks were attracted and intrigued by thermal springs and endeavored to study their effects, properties, and benefits for the body.  Herodotus was the first to establish the specific practices of Balneotherapy.  A bit later Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, wrote extensively about the beneficial properties of bathing in thermal waters.   While the Greeks were studious of the healing water of the thermal springs, the Romans made work of creating elaborate architectural bath houses.  Remnants of a "Great Bath" in modern Pakistan dates back to 2500 BCE.  Meanwhile in Japan the first recorded Onsen (thermal bath house) dates back to 712 AD.  Then, of course, there is the Dead Sea where the water is 29% salt compared to the water in the ocean which is 4%.

There are more benefits to soaking in these waters than just putting yourself in an adult "time out".  Using bath salts is a terrific way to replenish minerals in your system.  Several minerals, specifically Magnesium, are easily absorbed through the skin. 

Magnesium is considered a "Master Mineral" as many of our bodily functions need Magnesium in order to perform optimally.  It is utilized by the Nervous, Cardiovascular, Immune and Muscular systems of the body, and more.

In our modern world where mono-culture dominates (growing huge amounts of a single crop year in and year out), and "conventional" agriculture uses chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc., the mineral content of the soil has been depleted.  If the soil that our food grows in doesn't have adequate minerals, then the food that it produces also doesn't provide us with adequate minerals.  Magnesium deficiency shows up in a variety of symptoms like physical weakness, anxiety, calcium deficiency, muscle cramps, poor heart health, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, fatigue, poor memory, muscle cramps and more.  Does that sound like you?  Does that sound like everyone you've ever met?  It's quite possible it is.  Magnesium deficiency is experienced by around 75% of the population of the United States.

There are various ways to boost your Magnesium levels, like eating foods that are rich in Magnesium like avocados, nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens, fish, bananas and dark chocolate (yay!), as well as others.  You can apply Magnesium oil topically in an easy-to- use spray application.  Of course you can also practice Balneotherapy, your new favorite word (and mine). 

Apothecuryous' Mineral Soak is a blend of Epsom Salts (not actually salt but a compound of Magnesium and Sulfate) which draws toxins from the body and improves circulation; Dead Sea Salts contain 21 minerals including Bromide, Iodine, Sulfur, Potassium and, of course, Magnesium; Himalayan Pink Salts (which contain over 80 minerals and trace minerals); Colloidal Oatmeal which improves the skin barrier function and contains antioxidants not found in other plant sources; and Sea Kelp Powder which is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins that are not found in land plants, like B12.  This blend easily dissolves in water (unlike Himalayan Pink Salts by themselves), and is relaxing and invigorating.

While I can justify eating chocolate by reminding myself it is high in Magnesium, I certainly won't shrink away from a reason to soak in the bath.  Maybe I'll eat chocolate while soaking in a bath filled with the Mineral Soak by Apothecuryous.