Epsom Salt + Hydrogen Peroxide Baths

Just want to let people know how helpful I have found these baths to be!

1-2 cups of Epsom Salts (I used natural lavender scented) + 1 16oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide
Warm (not hot!) bath, soak for at least 30 mins (I add the salt while the bath is running & then the peroxide after I get in so that I get the maximum "hydrogenating" effect...)

I make sure I get my poor aching neck & shoulders into the water. To make it really relaxing have a radio w/ music you like, read a book or just close your eyes & meditate....

I think it's best not to take this bath less than 2 hrs before bed since a physical therapist I spoke to said that altho' you will feel very relaxed, you will actually feel worse in the morning because your body gets stimulated by the soak & really can't rest properly during the night. I think that was the explanation....(?) At any rate, I have found them to be best soon after I wake up...they make me feel better for the rest of the day....

tf

For anyone starting these baths for the first time, it is best to start off slow and only stay in for 10 minutes. You should work your way up to 30 minutes VERY slowly or you risk causing a herx reaction, where all of your symptoms get worse just like they do when you are on antibiotics.

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Co-Moderator- Lyme Disease Forum

Lyme Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Prescription Meds:Orencia(RA), Medrol pack(Steroids), Cymbalta(Fibro),
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That's good to know, thanks!

tf

I emphasized that the water should be warm not hot in my original post....

Hi all,

That is helpful--I was feeling as if I wasn't "committed" to getting better b/c I didn't feel up to taking a bath yesterday... Makes sense not only to gradually increase the length of the baths but also not to necessarily take them every single day.... duh!

thanks--tf

Detox baths ROCK !!!   They are especially helpful to me after exercise.  If I push it too hard I get shaky and my head feels sooooo drunk-- the lovely Lyme brain fog. 

I have actually herxed from taking a too hot or too long of a detox bath! I have also herxed because I tried to do the baths too close together.

I would heavily suggest that anyone just starting out with detoxing move slowly for the first couple of weeks. If a person finds out that the full body detox baths are just a little too intense, use the foot bath. There are two different types described in the detox thread in the "New to Lyme?" thread. One is the peroxide/epsom salt combo and the other one uses dry mustard, cayenne, ginger and rosemary. Although a person should know that this foot soak is used for relief from general aches and pains, toxic headaches, increased blood and lymph circulation as well as giving a sense of well-being.

Once your body is into the routine of detoxing, daily detox baths would help everyone to heal!


***The Soles of the Feet have the most pores compared to any other part of the body (about 2000 pores per foot)***

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Co-Moderator, Lyme Disease ;)

Treating with Acupuncture, Traditional & Modern Chinese Medicine & Western Herbs.

"Absence of proof is not proof of absence" - Dr. Edwin Masters, great LLMD & researcher -RIP

I break up my post because my eyes have been effected by TBI's as well, which makes long paragraphs very hard to read.

hi everyone,

I am new to this site and have found the baths really helpful. Still trying to figure out if I have chronic lyme... but I have so many of the neuro lyme symptoms it's almost funny...

I've been detoxing twice a week in the sauna for a couple years (this is the only thing that got me through school and prevents me from getting chronic ear/throat infections), and minimizes my brainfog & inflammation.

So I was used to detoxing already... but to be safe, I started with 1 cup of epsom salt mixed with 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide and am building from there. I already notice a difference... less inflammation around my eyes, less brainfog, and my skin has improved too. It's so nice to have another way to detox that i can do in just 30 minutes at night...

My question is... does it have to be epsom salt? Can it it be sea salt or mineral salt, etc. And if it does need to be epsom salt, does anyone have a link for where to order it bulk online, at a reduced cost? I'm going through this stuff fast!

thanks and I'm so grateful to have found this site...

violetablue

I'm minutes away from trying this. Will let you guys know what kind of effect it has on me.

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Long Days and Pleasant Nights

I thought I read somewhere else that consistency was important with detoxing (ie doing every night). I think I would rather follow this more lenient view.. sooo tired tonight all I can think of is sleep. So do not feel like running a bath right now.

violetablue--i think I also read somewhere that you can buy bulk (50lb) bags of epsom salts at garden centers.

Post Edited (aquaholical) : 5/27/2011 10:30:44 PM (GMT-6)

I wouldn't do the bath every night until I don't react to them so strongly. Since I took a bath a few days ago my symptoms are all worse. Mainly air hunger, chest pains and joint aches. I was hoping to take a bath every other day but I'm hurting pretty bad now. So I wait.

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Long Days and Pleasant Nights

hi everyone,

thanks for the epsom salt info aquaholical... I've also found I can buy 50 lbs online of spa-quality epsom salt for about $40. I'll let everyone know what I think of it once I've tried it... (can I post a link here?)

its interesting, I've also been having chest achiness the past few days, but I assumed it was the remains of the flu & throat infection (which started over a week ago, actually before I started taking the peroxide baths). But maybe this is just an added reaction to the baths~ detoxing tends to draw the symptoms/"healing reaction" out of us faster. It hasn't been too uncomfortable, so I'm staying with my daily schedule for now.

But by all means, if symptoms are too intense for anyone, I would stick to whatever feels comfortable to you personally. Even taking a bath a couple days a week can start to facilitate the detox process.

also an added note: I've found that keeping a big bottle of water near the bath helps a lot. I get so thirsty while I'm in there... and I use the ginger slices recommended in the original protocol and this helps me to sweat. I try to encourage the process of sweating and moving toxins/bacteria through my body by drinking while I'm in the bathwater.

I think this makes a difference for me, as I've read that one symptom of lyme is that the body has difficulty processing toxins of any kind. Anything we can do to facilitate this process seems like a good idea (as long as its in moderation and not overwhelming to immune system.)

sending healing thoughts to all of you...

violetablue

Found the link on the Dry Skin Brushing (originally posted by Deejavu/Denise). Folks this is really good stuff.

naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniquesdry_brushing_technique.htm

Let me just highlight a few things that the link shares:

* The skin is the largest most important eliminative organ in the body and is responsible for one quarter of the body’s detoxification each day?

* That the skin is known also as our third kidney?

* That the skin receives one third of all the blood circulated in the body?

* That the skin is the last to receive nutrients in the body, yet the first to show signs of imbalance or deficiency?

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing Explained:

1. Removes cellulite

2. Cleanses the lymphatic system

3. Removes dead skin layers

4. Strengthens the immune system

5. Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands

6. Tightens the skin preventing premature aging

7. Tones the muscles

8. Stimulates circulation

9. Improves the function of the nervous system

10. Helps digestion

11. AND it’s easy, inexpensive and invigorating!

Entire article worth reading

PS: Edited post to update with correct link to the Dry Skin Brushing

Post Edited (daisyrlb) : 6/11/2011 10:34:43 PM (GMT-6)

thanks so much for posting, daisyrlb, this is great information. I'm going to start the dry brushing tomorrow~ have been doing the baths for about a week.

is there a natural bristle brush you would recommend? should it be soft bristles, or harder like wooden bristles?

also, in terms of the ginger~ can you sprinkle it fresh/sliced up right into the bath water? or does it need to be wrapped in some kind of cloth? I've been putting it directly in the bath, but wondering if it might intensify a herx reaction, or be hard on the skin?

thanks for any info,
violetablue

violetablue,

It's my pleasure to pass on to you what others have passed on to me. You say, "I'm going to start the dry brushing tomorrow..." Great!

Yes, use a natural brush. I should have double checked the link above that I posted...it's not working...so I'm reposting it here. (And I'll fix the above one too, hopefully.)

naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniquesdry_brushing_technique.htm

Go to the link and scroll down...you'll see the type brush I use. Link also explains the dry brushing technique. I think it will answer your questions, however if it doesn't please let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

I was having issues with rashes and noticed the ginger irritated my skin so I stopped using ginger all together. I WOULD NOT sprinkle it. When I was using the ginger this is what I did:

* 2-4 Tablespoons of Ginger I cut up a pair of new nylons, after grating the ginger/measuring it out appropriately, stuffed the nylon and tied knots at the ends.
I personally would not put it directly into the bath.

FYI, the Ginger helps to open the pores of the skin. Thankfully the rashes have stopped!!! I could start the Ginger...but I'm liking the results I get with the Hydrogen Peroxide and Epsom Salts...so keeping it simple :D

May God's healing touch be upon you...ALL!

(Updated link)

Post Edited (daisyrlb) : 6/11/2011 10:36:11 PM (GMT-6)

hi everyone,

I've been taking the epsom salt/peroxide baths for about 10 days and have been very achey, particularly in my ribs/chest area/intercostal muscles.

Is anyone else experiencing this, and is it a herx reaction? I notice I'm also quite fatigued, which seems like a normal reaction to the detox, but the chest pain is making me a bit nervous. I also notice this persistent throat infection (which started before I began the baths) but I'm having a hard time knocking it out completely. And now it feels like a infection-type pain under my tongue as well, which isn't something I've experienced before.

Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on this... should I stop taking the baths for a few days and see what happens? Or is all this just a normal part of the detox process?

I'd appreciate any thoughts!
violetablue

HI Violetablue,
I would recommend that you not stop your detox bathes, but slow them down for a bit. Use less of the ingredients, or wait a day in between the baths. It sounds as if maybe with having that throat infection and tick-borne infections, your body maybe dealing with too much to take on daily detox baths. Although dry skin brushing daily, and drinking plenty of water still would be good.

Once you are over the throat infection, you could try to ramp up the detoxing again - just go slowly.

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Co-Moderator, Lyme Disease ;)

Treating with Acupuncture, Traditional & Modern Chinese Medicine & Western Herbs.

"Absence of proof is not proof of absence" - Dr. Edwin Masters, great LLMD & researcher -RIP

I break up my post because my eyes have been effected by TBI's as well, which makes long paragraphs very hard to read.

Violetablue,

I agree with Traveler to keep up with the Dry Skin Brushing (I do so AM and PM) and drink plenty of water...eat healthy food...etc...

Following is what I've done...perhaps something I share may be of help to you too.

Routinely, I did three detox baths a week, usually Mon, Wed, Fri (a schedule keeps me consistent). On occasion, I added an extra one on the weekend IF needed, however, I've never taken 10 in a row. (Now that I am feeling better I only take one or two a week.)

My doctor* says that detox baths are very draining to the body. He recommends a "Strengthening/Nutritive Bath" be taken once a week as "so much effort is given to detoxification that the body becomes strained and tired from being constantly challenged...the bath...assists the body in recuperating from this strain."*

It makes sense that a person can't just detox, detox, detox only. The body needs to be replenished, rejuvenated, revived, and that's only possible when we give it the necessary "tools" to build it up.

You mention your throat; I had strep throat (googled and found this). It worked!

Gargle with warm salt water throughout the day and spit it out.

LIGHTLY (and for not long) SOFTLY brush (well, actually more like paint) your teeth, gums, tongue, and cheeks with hydrogen peroxide (the kind you buy at Wal-Mart or other drug store, 3%), then RINSE well with distilled water.

Swoosh your mouth, even gargle, with 1 ounce of Coloidal Silver 2 or 3 times a day. Try to do this for three minutes. Spit it out, don't swallow.

The above is to kill bacteria. After the strep was gone I stopped doing the above.

However, every morning and night (just part of my regular routine) for healthy gums/mouth and to keep my teeth, is something a dentist in Florida, Dr. Behm created. In his own words:

"The healthy gum Recipe creates an environment around your teeth in which harmful bacteria can't live...The Recipe neutralizes the acid environment(and bacteria can't stand oxygen."

Below you'll see the link to the webpage on Dr. Behm's site to what he calls "The Secret". I'm not sure why he called it that. (It uses only three ingredients that you can get at your local store or health food store, not expensive.)

Anyway, he shares this info freely.

FYI, 80% of the immune system is actually in the gut and it starts in the mouth! So doing what we can to keep bacteria down in the mouth is super important.

Anything I can do to help my immune system become stronger, is something I want to do.
Natural Dentistry, Dr. Ray Behm

www.saveyourteeth.com

* Beating Lyme Disease, Second Edition, by Dr. David A. Jernigan

Post Edited (daisyrlb) : 6/3/2011 11:47:02 PM (GMT-6)

Daisyrib,
I would be interested in what would be suggested as a "Strengthening/Nutritive Bath", if you don't mind. If you don't feel comfortable posting it, would you email me?
Thanx!

---

Co-Moderator, Lyme Disease ;)

Treating with Acupuncture, Traditional & Modern Chinese Medicine & Western Herbs.

"Absence of proof is not proof of absence" - Dr. Edwin Masters, great LLMD & researcher -RIP

I break up my post because my eyes have been effected by TBI's as well, which makes long paragraphs very hard to read.

I would also be very interested in the "Strengthening/Nutritive Bath" remedy, if you don't mind posting here, that sounds like a fabulous idea.

Daisyrlb, thanks for posting the dental "Secret" link, it seems like it would be good info for anyone with Lyme co-infections or really any kind of systemic bacterial infection. It's interesting~ I recently started flossing again after I remembered reading that the mouth is like a microcosm of the rest of the body. It can affect heart disease, immune functioning, and overall health. I'm also adding a tea tree mouthwash in the next few days.

I typically take Red Root for a throat infection (gargling with it and swallowing it several times a day) but I couldn't find it at the store this time around, so I used topical Oregano oil instead (mixed with olive oil and applied to the throat and chest). It's quite powerful stuff, I use about 7-8 drops of oil per 2 drops of Oregano. My infection seems almost gone, though I'm still having the strange breast/intercostal pain which I have a feeling is a herx reaction from the detox baths.

Traveler, thanks for your thoughts.... I'm going to slow the baths down to every other day for a while. (I still do very rigorous sweats at the sauna twice a week, so I'm already detoxing quite a bit.) I won't stop the baths, but I will be a bit more lenient with them. It's so true Daisy, that we can't just detox all the time!

Also true I think, that the intestinal tract & digestive system are 80% of the immune system. (They are also, as it turns out, part of the Nervous System~ now called the "enteric nervous system.") I have Celiac Disease as well, and my digestion has put me through hell over the past 10 years. I have a multitude of food intolerances/allergies, which I now believe were probably activated by the chronic Lyme.

Sigh. It's so hard to stay away from sugar. Summer in New Mexico and I could not resist Blackberry Sorbet yesterday! My body was not very happy with me after that.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, and sending plenty of healing thoughts to all of you.

violetablue

violetablue, Glad the throat infection is almost gone. Another thing I do, just for maintenance is gargle a time or two throughout the day with sea salt in distilled water. Also, when I mentioned the Dry Skin Brushing a few posts up you seemed interested. It is so worth it. For those who have read the Dry Skin Brushing link...you know the skin is the largest organ of the body and it is called "the third kidney". In other words, detoxing...

Dr. Behm's "Secret" for the mouth...he shares it with all his patience and online for anyone, everyone. It just makes sense if a "healthy" person should do that...whoa....all the more reason for a person on this healing path. He does it daily himself.

FOR THOSE INTERESTING IN THE "Strengthening/Nutritive Bath" I put a few personal comments in italics about what I do/use--excerpts from "Beating Lyme Disease"** as follows:

Bath can be used at least once a week.


You will need:

* Goat milk - 1 quart to a half gallon (raw or if not available pasteurized from health food store)
I use 1 quart pasteurized

* Sea Salt - 1 cup (preferable sun-evaporated)

* Succanat or turbinado sugar 1 cup-raw cane from health food store OR optional 1 cup Ningxia Red Wolfberry juice.
I use Succanat

* 1-2 egg yolks, beaten

* 1-Lemon

* Equisetum (Horsetail) herb powder-3 Tablespoons

^Optional: Sip 8 oz glass of water mixed with 1-2 oz Ningxia Red Wolfberry juice while soaking. (Although the book lists benefits of this...you can google it to save my time typing )

^Optional: Bathing by candlelight for added soothing, strengthening effects.

Instructions

* All bath therapies work best by first Dry Skin Brushing.

* Warm bath, whisk all ingredients (use extra if bath is larger than average)

* Score skin of lemon while holding it under the bath water to better release the oils, then cut into quarters and squeeze out the juice, leaving the lemon quarters in the water.

* Salk for at least 20 minutes.

* Do NOT rinse off, simply towel dry (use no soap or shampoo)

* Can use this bath any time, but most beneficial before bedtime since sleep is the time when the body focuses on healing, regenerating, and recuperating.
This bath always relaxes me and makes me tired so I do it at night before bed


FYI, in response to your comment, violetablue, about sugar. A thought about eating sugar from time to time or eating something else that you enjoy. This is just my opinion. Life is for living. We should "indulge" from time to time. I believe the enjoyment hormones come out, those endorphins, and if it's done in BALANCE, for me, it is therapeutic! (Seriously, being cast down and negative, feeling deprived, does affect the body...and it ain't good affect.)


**"Beating Lyme Disease" Second Edition, subtitled "Living the Good Life in Spite of Lyme" by Dr. David A. Jernigan

Post Edited (daisyrlb) : 6/4/2011 11:02:51 PM (GMT-6)

Thank you so much for sharing that recipe with us, Daisyrib! I just got goats today, so I will be in goat milk soon enough!

Daisyrib said:
" Life is for living. We should "indulge" from time to time. I believe the enjoyment hormones come out, those endorphins, and if it's done in BALANCE, for me, it is therapeutic! (Seriously, being cast down and negative, feeling deprived, does affect the body...and it ain't good affect.)"

- I sooo agree!!!!! Trav

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Co-Moderator, Lyme Disease ;)

Treating with Acupuncture, Traditional & Modern Chinese Medicine & Western Herbs.

"Absence of proof is not proof of absence" - Dr. Edwin Masters, great LLMD & researcher -RIP

I break up my post because my eyes have been effected by TBI's as well, which makes long paragraphs very hard to read.

Been taking one of these every other day. I think they've really helped and feel less brain fog. I would highly recommend these baths to others.