Homemade Detoxifying Baths

Baths are wonderfully healing, and it is easy to make your own homemade, detox baths.
When you sweat, the pores in your skin open, providing a clear path for toxins to get out. As a result, you may experience some detox effects such as flu or cold symptoms the next day. This is normal, so do not fret. Simply drink more liquids, and get through it. You want this to happen – if it doesn’t, it means toxins aren’t being rid of!
Hot water draws toxins out of the body to the skin’s surface, and while the water cools it pulls toxins from the skin. Epsom salts augment this detoxification by causing you to sweat. Other salts—all highly alkaline and cleansing—used in baths include sea salt, baking soda, clay, and Dead Sea salts. Several of the formulas below are Dr. Hazel Parcells’ great work.
*Basic Salt Soak Bath Formula
Minerals and salts make the bath water feel silky and leave your skin cleansed and soft. This marvelous soak relaxes muscles, draws toxins from the body, and contains a natural sedative to help your nervous system relax and unwind. It is also a natural emollient and exfoliant–and it reduces swelling. All this in one simple formula!

• 1 cup sea salts
• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup Epsom salts
• 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin per bath
• 4 to 6 drop of essential oil of your choice

Combine the sea salts, baking soda, and Epsom salts in a bowl. Stir to blend. Pour 1/4 cup or so into the bath while the tub is filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin to keep your skin from drying out (more for dry skin, less for oily skin) and essential oils of choice. ( make enough for 16 baths-store the remainder in a glass jar)

Medicated Baths:

1. Saline Bath -  Add 3-5 pounds of magnesium sulfate (salt or Epsom salt)  to a full tub of water.  Temperature – 95-97 F.  10-20 minutes.  Used to relax.  Cooler water and shorter time is more of a tonic.
2. Soda bath – Add 1 pound of baking soda to full tub of water.  Temperature – 95-97 F 10-20 minutes. Alkaline.  Acts as a mild antiseptic, opens pores, relieves itching and skin irritation.  Good for skin conditions such as eczema, hives or insect bites.
3. Starch Bath – Add 1 pound of dry corn starch to full tub of water.  Temperature – 95-97 F.  Acts as a cooling agent relieving skin irritations, itchiness from such conditions as poison ivy, poison oak, eczema and prickly heat.
4. Epsom salt Bath – Add 1 cup to 1 pound of Epsom salt to full tub of water (30 gallons).  Temperature- as hot as can be tolerated for 10-20 minutes.  Increases perspiration, relieves muscular fatigue, aches and pains. Used to relieve pain of arthritis, sciatica. Also used to deter cold, flu, or other infection. Contraindicated for patients in weakened conditions such as heart trouble, arteriosclerosis, diabetes. Sip on a glass of warm water water mixed with 1/2tsp of salt.
5. Detox Bath -  1-2 cups each of Epsom salt, sea salt, baking soda.  Temperature – as hot as can be tolerated for 20-30 minutes.  Used to detoxify body after deep tissue work.  Used to neutralize or detox radiation exposure during air travel, dental exams, mammograms……Sip on a glass of warm water water mixed with 1/2tsp of salt and 1/2tsp of baking soda.
6. Sulfur Bath -  Add 1-2 ounces of potassium sulfate to a full tub of water. Temperature – 95-102 F 10-20 minutes.  Can be relaxing or refreshing; increases perspiration, relieves breathing problems in asthma or bronchitis.
7. Oatmeal Bath – 1-2 cups finely ground oatmeal to a full tub of water . Temperature – 95-97 F 15- 30 minutes.  Used to relieve skin irritations, relieves sunburn, chafing and windburn. (Maybe contraindicated if a wheat or gluten sensitivity or allergy
8. Apple cider vinegar Bath – Use organic, raw, unfiltered and unpasteurized  with “mother” in bottle from health food store.  I generally suggest Bragg’s Apple Cider vinegar.  1-4 cups added to full bath.  Effective in detoxifying the body and treating vaginal yeast infections. Sip on a glass of warm water with 1TBS of organic apple cider vinegar.
9. Ginger Bath- Use 1/8 cup of fresh ginger, grated or chopped. Mix with 1 cup or Epsom salt, and pour this mixture into a full tub of water as hot as you can stand. A ginger detox bath helps removes toxins out through your skin through sweating.
10. Clorox  Bath- Pour 1 cup of Clorox bleach into hottest temperature you can tolerate. Get out of the tub when the water is cool. This bath helps detox from metal poisoning from cookware, dental amalgams, antacid, pesticide exposure and inhaled carbon monoxide.
11. Baking Soda Bath- Add 2 pounds of baking soda into the hottest tub of water tolerated. Get out of the bath until the water is cool. This bath helps detox from food born bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella.

Directions:
1. Using a vegetable brush, brush your skin, ensuring you brush it towards the heart.

2. Fill the bathtub with suggested water temperature and add the salts or formula as recommended for each bath.

4. Get into the bathtub and stay in for the recommended amount of time BUT no more than that.

5. You will be sweating a lot after just 15 minutes,  this is what you want! Rub your entire body clockwise, while remaining soaked in the hot water. Rub your stomach, breast, etc. Have some bottle water near you, so you will have something to drink in case you get thirsty!

6. Get out of the water after the recommended time and rub your body vigorously with a towel. Do so until you turn extremely red. Wrap yourself up into a towel, and get into bed, covering your body with a blanket or covers. You will find yourself sweating for a hour or so. Try to fall asleep. While you’re asleep, your body will be eliminating toxins through your skin.

Reminders: Do not apply any lotions/creams or powders into your skin prior to heading to bead.

Do not take more than 1 bath a day and do not mix baths!

When is Enough Enough? The new Gardasil Vaccination

I do not support the American Associations position on the prevention or treatment of heart disease. That does not mean that I am not concerned about heart disease. I do not support the American Diabetes Associations methods for treating or preventing diabetes. That does not mean that I am not concerned about diabetes. I am not in favor of the new Gardasil Vaccination and I am concerned about cervical cancer.

Let me tell you why the Gardasil Vaccine is a bad idea. First of all, the vaccine is not really a vaccine against cancer but rather a vaccine against the Human Pappilomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted virus. Recommendations are for girls ages 11 and 12 to receive a series of 3 vaccines against HPV at the cost of about $900. The vaccine is supposed to protect against 4 of the most common strains which add up to about 70% of all HPV infections. There are about 60 known strains of HPV and this vaccine will not protect you against about 56 of the less common strains and could lead to a false sense of security. Merck, the pharmaceutical manufacturer of the vaccine, does not know how long the antibody protection will last. Vaccines only offer passive temporary immunity.

So how much is enough? Should we vaccinate against everything that we can possibly vaccinate against? When will we stop? We already have an incredible number of vaccines with which we are assaulting our immune systems. The number of vaccines we give our children is staggering. If a child receives the recommended vaccines including the flu vaccine and the chickenpox vaccine he/she will receive 96 vaccines in a total of 29 shots before kindergarten age is reached. Do we really need to start vaccinating young girls for sexually transmitted disease?

I am not in favor of cervical cancer and the Gardasil vaccine is not the answer. Efforts are underway to make Guardacil a state mandated vaccine. The governor of Texas recently signed legislation making the vaccine mandatory in his state. Other states, including Colorado are considering similar legislation. The political group Women in Government initiated The Challenge to Eliminate Cervical Cancer Campaign. Merck has made no apologies for financing this campaign through Women in Government. If the vaccine becomes mandatory, Merck tends to make profits estimated in the billions.

While I am personally opposed to the state mandating vaccines in general, I am particularly troubled by mandatory vaccines protecting against sexually transmitted diseases. Will people be more promiscuous because they are immune to disease? Will the virus mutate and become more virulent as they tend to do? Will there be side effects and complications that we are not aware of yet. How many vaccines can we combine in the human body before we cause irreparable harm?

I would like to urge caution on the new Gardasil vaccine. At the risk of being politically incorrect, it is safe to say that I do not advocate the new Gardasil vaccine to my patients, and I guarantee you that my 12 year old daughter will not be receiving it. I am not in favor of cervical cancer.

Written By: William M. Kleber, D.C., D.A.B.C.I
Board Certified Chiropractic Internist

The 10 Commandments of Water

I don’t think that a day had gone by that at least one patient has not asked me,  ”How much water am I suppose to be drinking a day?”   I can say that almost every one is shocked when I answer, “You are to drink half of your bodies weight in ounces of water every day”.  The majority of the time people seem shocked  and even upset by the answer I give.  The most common response is “there is just no way that I could ever possibly drink that much water in a day”.

We love water and our bodies love water. We play in it, some of our favorite sports are on and in it, we spend our vacation time and dollars to go near it, we dream of living in the most luxurious homes next  it, we visit spas and read about all of its cleansing powers. The earth’s surface is nearly 70% water , our bodies are approximately 67% water by weight, and we baptize in water.

Because our ecosystem is set up to continuously recycle water, the water we drink today is the same water that our ancestors drank from Moses to Cleopatra to George Washington.
Did you know that ever living cell , whether it be plant or people contains a nutrient fluid that is mostly water.
If your body’s water content drops by as little as 2%, you will feel fatigue and /or dizzy. If it drops by 10%, you will experience significant health problems. Loses greater than 10% , that can be fatal. Still American’s don’t drink enough water. Although Americans drink many liquids, a significant proportion of those fluids are actually dehydrating to the body. Tap water, bottled water, juice, milk and carbonated beverage without caffeine are hydrating beverages. Coffee, tea, carbonated soda with caffeine, beef, wine and other alcoholic drinks are dehydrating beverages. The Average American drinks 54.5 gallons of soft drinks per year. For every 16 ounce bottle of water consumed Americans drank approximately 64 ounces of soda. These are the same people telling me that they cannot possible imagine how a person can drink 80 to 100 ounces of water a day.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF WATER

Water is the most important ingredient in our diets and we cannot live without it!

1. Drink 1/2 ounce of water for every pound that you weigh every day. So, if you weight 200lb you need to drink 100 ounces of water. That equals out to 12.5-8 ounce glasses of water a day. If you sleep 8 hours a day and awake 16 hours then you need to drink 1-6 ounce glass of water every hour,  or a good drink every 20 minutes.
2. Drink water in regular intervals throughout the day. Don’t wait until you are thirsty, it is too late.
3. Drink the purest water available , but any water is better than no water, just drink water.
4. Start off each day with 2-3 glasses of water before you eat to rehydrate from the fluids that your system lost overnight and to get your digestive system started. The major function of the large intestine is to reabsorb water.
5. Make water a habit. Get in the habit of carrying a bottle with you when you go in the car, to work, make it convenient for yourself.
6. Avoid dehydrating beverages that rob your body of water like coffee, tea, alcohol, carbonated beverage with caffeine.
7. Increase your daily water if you increase your exercise level or even if your stress level increases.
8. Increase your daily water intake during illness and recovery. Fever can dehydrate you very quickly. Water also helps flush out the toxins from your body.
9. Exercise to the point of perspiration. Our skin is our largest organ and sweating is one of the best avenues for allowing our body to detoxify. It forces us to rehydrate.
10. Enjoy the taste of water. Remember, we love water and our bodies love water

FUNCTIONS OF WATER

• improves oxygen delivery to cells
• transports nutrients
• lubricates joints and absorbs shock
• cushions bones and joints
• regulates temperature
• removes waste and flushes toxins
• improves cell communication
• empowers the bodies natural healing process

BENEFITS OF WATER HELPS:

• prevent high levels of cholesterol
• prevent brain damage
• prevent Osteoporosis
• prevent Cancer
• prevent the aging process of skin, the Fountain of Youth
• promotes good eye health
• promotes weight loss
• moisten mucous membranes

Remember, water is a vital nutrient in our ecosystem recycle when you can.

• Don’t leave the water on while your brushing your teeth.
• Don’t wash partial loads of laundry.
• Make sure your dishwater is full when running.
• Collect the water in a bucket when you are waiting for your shower to warm up and water house plants or mop your floors, water for your pets.
• Before you toss out your families left over water in glasses,  collect  the water from the cups  and  use for your indoor plants.

Let me know your creative ways to help your body and our earth keeping water in balance.

In good health,

Dr Heather

Health Benefits of the SQUASH family

I call it “sensational squash” because of the fabulous variety and versatility of this vegetable. There are unlimited possibilities of recipes that you can make with squash. Squash are fleshy vegetables protected by a hard rind. They belong to the plant family that includes melons and cucumbers. Squash a good source of vitamins A and C; it also contains calcium and iron. It has very low calories, ideal to be a component in the diet plan. Summer squash has two phytochemicals: coumarins and flavonoids . The skin and rind of summer squash are also rich in the nutrient beta-carotene, but the fleshy portion of this vegetable is not. To gain the full nutritional benefits of this vegetable, the skins or rinds must be eaten.
The winter squash group includes pumpkin, acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash.  Winter squash, like other richly colored vegetables, provide excellent sources of carotenes.  Generally, the richer the color, the richer the concentration.  They also offer a very good source of vitamins B1 and C, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fiber, and potassium.  Winter squash are also a good source of vitamin B6 and niacin.

Summer squash includes, summer yellow squash, zucchini, pumpkins, scallop squash and crooked neck squash. Since the summer squash have a higher water content, they are not as nutrient dense as the winter squash. But their high water content helps prevent dehydration in the summer and the carotenes help protect again sun damage. They are still low in calories and provide a good amount of Vitamin C,   potassium and carotenes.

Studies show that the  carotene properties of squash protective effect against many cancers, particularly lung cancer. Diets that are rich in carotenes (especially pumpkins) offer protection against cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Studies have also shown that pumpkin seeds are helpful in reducing symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Here are some great simple recipes that can be made with a squash:

Please share with me one of your favorite recipes made with your favorite squash

Simple, Easy,  Sweet Spaghetti Squash

Sauteed Tex Mex Zucchini & Potatoes

Spaghetti Squash and Veggies

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Squash Pudding