About that magnesium. I hesitated to add that bit yesterday, but since it is such an integral part of my regimen, keeping me mobile and well, I included mention of it. I'll elaborate some, include a hefty sprinkle of links, and you can explore and see if this is something you'd like to adopt. For starters, it seems most of us are deficient. Symptoms and causes vary: gut absorption issues, low vitamin D, soil depletion, stress, hormonal fluctuations, aging, autoimmune conditions, and calcium levels. I am grateful for my alternative community of midwives way back in the day who pioneered magnesium supplementation. Still, absorption, we are coming to understand, is not a given in all of us. For this reason it is worth exploring the best types of mag for your condition. I've tried many and change them up regularly, just in case. Right now I have a new one that is sourced from a variety of these.
Dr Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle, has a video here which gives more information.
There is reason to believe we can absorb some magnesium through the skin. I did not find that to work as well as the primary source of delivery over time, however. This is an extra for me but it does seem to give special relief to joints and surface muscle. Following my physical therapist's suggestion I began making a routine of soaking in epsom salts or Magnesium crystals several times a week. It was not an instant miracle and I did not rise from the tub healed and whole. I have noticed though, when being faithful, there are more good days than bad and I am able to make progress again with range of motion. And, honestly, a nice warm bath is an inexpensive little luxury that soothes and refreshes tremendously so there's nothing to lose here. Add a few drops of essential oil fragrance and some music on your phone and you have a mini spa break. (side note: I received an actual spa break as a gift once and honestly I'd rather be home and alone any day.)
So that, my friends, is my magnesium public service announcement. All common disclaimers apply. I am not a doctor and do not play one on tv. Do your homework. Experiment. Be well!
I'll also mention I totally understand that access to a bathtub is also not a given. I grew up in a semi-decrepit 1917 house which still had its original clawfoot tub. We did not have a shower then, mind you, nor did we always have sufficient heat in the room, but it was indeed a fabulous tub. For the next two decades we were in and out of midcentury government housing units which often had low, boxy tubs, not given to soaking. It has been a blessing to have had soaking tubs in various rentals and homes over the past ten years when they became less an extra and more vital to my health.
Thanks, friend. May I borrow the tub?
Posted by: Barbara Stein | July 29, 2019 at 02:35 PM
Barbara I think you should come hang out and use it here. Pretty sure that would an awesome stress reliever. 😊
Posted by: Kim | July 29, 2019 at 04:48 PM