One of the things to do when fighting Lyme Disease (and any illness in my opinion) is to examine the role of detox in your life. At the beginning of this journey I had a really hard time detoxifying and it was a learning game over the years to figure out what worked with my body without being to harsh. I have shared before about the the benefits of dry brushing (which you can read about HERE) and today I wanted to update and share a bit more about detox baths. For a LONG time my life consisted of two detox baths a day to help in the role of healing. To be frank, I am not sure why I didn't start doing detox baths before November 2014. I used to take a relaxing bath once a week when I was teaching, but I never really investigated the arena of detox baths until 2014. After several of my Lyme symptoms continued to flare and worsen and become debilitating, I was desperate to find relief and a friend suggested Epsom salt baths. I researched a ton about it, talked with several other "Lymie friends", discussed it with a naturopath doctor, talked with my physician, and continued to research some more. After about 4 weeks of intense research I thought it was worth a try and could help me on this journey. Frankly I have never regretted it or looked back. The benefits that I have found plus the benefits to my health and help in healing have been priceless. For a long time I was asked if I really kept up with 2 a day detox baths and the answer was a definite YES. I did them every single day- even on holidays and continue to do them even though I don't always do two a day at this stage in my healing journey. One of things that best things that a detox bath does is help my body remove unwanted toxins. Due to the fact that I do have the MTHFR gene my body struggles (more than the "normal person") to detoxify. Having added toxins is never good for your health but especially when you are fighting Lyme (or any other illness) you do not need to carry additional toxins. These baths are a simple aid that I can use to help my support this detoxification process. A second thing that a detox bath does is to help strengthen my immune system. When you are seriously ill detox baths can be a simple way of allowing you to absorb some things that you might not be able to otherwise do through your skin. Some of the products that you can use in your detox bath can help strengthen your immune system which can also be a wonderful help! So as I mentioned before I take Epsom salt baths (as my base).There are so many benefits of Epsom salts which include: (1) improving heart health (2)reducing blood clots (3) lowering blood pressure (4) improving the body's ability to use insulin, (5)reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes, (6)Flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells (7) easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances, (8)Improve nerve function by regulating electrolytes and more." (All of this information was found on the Epsom Salt Council's website page.) I add to the Epsom salt baths a 1/3 of a cup of raw apple cider vinegar (you can read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar here), a 1/3 of a cup of Aloe Vera Juice, and then certain essential oils that I have researched and found to be helpful not only with my symptoms but also help in the healing process of Lyme Disease. [I have also been known to add in additional kinds of Aloe Vera juice, probiotics, and even water from stems of greens]. There are so many different detox bath recipes that you can find online or in doing research. Kris Carr has created a detox bath recipe which you can find by clicking here. The wellness mama lists three different detox bath recipes on her website which you can find by clicking here. (Honestly I could list about a thousand so I would encourage you to talk with your physician and do lots of research!) As far as the temperature goes I actually vary the temperature every day with every bath. It takes a crazy amount of planning but I take the time to really think through and map out my baths and their temperatures. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, many people believe that very hot baths are the best at killing toxins. I believe that there is merit to this, but there is also research coming out of Japan (Kyoto Prefectural University) that states that there is some correlation between extreme hot baths and heart attacks. Due to this (and I don't think this can be stressed enough) it is VERY important to consult with a physician before beginning baths. Second, I also vary the temperature because there is some research that states that taking a cold shower can actually improve your immune function. All of that to say it is best to consult with a physician to come up with a detox bath schedule that works best for you! At the end of the day there are some negative side effects of detoxing (which again is why you want to consult a physician) and I would encourage you to go slow. Anyone who has done any type of detoxing knows what I mean. Last year when I first was set to begin I researched a bunch, didn't talk with a physician and jumped right into doing several different detoxifying things. I was sick as a dog for several weeks and it was awful. When I started the research process again I did things more slowly (even with the amount of the ingredients that I use) and slowly starting adding different detoxifying methods in. At the beginning it felt that I was doing absolutely nothing, but now, years later I can't believe all that my body is doing. So take things slow... and especially if you are seriously ill take things even slower. Treat your body like the warrior that it is and honor it with taking things one step at a time. Drink lots of extra water and rest more. Detoxifying is a process and it is not a sprint so take your time and you will get there! I would love to know if you take detox baths and what you put in yours! Do you find them helpful? ALL of this information is only to be helpful and I can't stress how important it is to follow the path of a doctor in your detoxifying process. Detoxifying is a necessary part of healing but must be done under the care of a knowledgeable physician.