More about Epsom Salts

As a followup to the previous post on colon cleanse, found additional information on Epsom salt which may interest you. Below is from WikiAnswers.

Epsom Salts, or Magnesium sulfate, when used through soaking with a 1% solution, can soothe muscle pains and give a feeling of well-being. Magnesium and sulfate are absorbed through the skin.

Magnesium can be ingested as a nutritional supplement, but studies show that a wide variety of factors - the presence of specific foods or drugs, certain medical conditions, even the individual chemistry of a person's stomach acid - can interfere with their effectiveness. But all of the subjects in a recent study experienced increased magnesium levels from soaking in a bath enriched with magnesium sulfate crystals, commonly known as Epsom Salt.

Raising your magnesium levels may:

-- Improve heart and circulatory health, reducing irregular heartbeats, preventing hardening of the arteries, reducing blood clots and lowering blood pressure.

-- Improve the body's ability to use insulin, 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 neurotransmitter within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation. A magnesium-deficient brain is also more susceptible to allergens, foreign substances that can cause symptoms similar to mental illness. Deficiency of serotonin can result in migraine headaches and depression.

While increasing your magnesium levels, Epsom Salt also delivers sulfates, which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin. Sulfates serve a wide variety of functions in the body, playing a vital role in the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the mucin proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Sulfates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and are believed to help detoxify the body's residue of medicines and environmental contaminants.