What do Epsom Salts actually do?

Question

I just had an ingrown toenail removed and I wondered epsom salts actually do. Do they have antiseptic qualities. I have heard it will increase blood flow to the area, but what benefit will it give my aching toe.

Answer 1

It is very ionic salt mixture and magnesium chloride and sulfates. Some mixtures also contain cupper sulfate. Since its high in ions not found in your body it dehdrates your skin and decreases the size of your capillaries, reducing swelling which reduces the pain. Yes, it, like regular salt, is so high in some elements that it kills some cells, dehydrates and oxidizes others. But only at surface contact.
It is also used as a laxitive and as a fertilizer supplenment for roses and other long flowering shrubs. I would not use mineral salts as a laxitive because it is rough on your stomach lining and unless is labeled for this use, may not be proccessed for consumption.

Answer 2

It has antiseptic qualities. The following link tell you other things Epsom Salts are useful for...:D

Answer 3

sure, a minimum of 20 minutes in a warm bath with the salt does wonders. It takes that lengthy to open the pores and be absorbed into the muscular tissues.. The salts also pull out the pollution that make you sore. upload sea salt or lavender mandatory oil to spice up the end result.

Answer 4

It is supposed to be very good for soothing pain. My ex used to use if for hemorrhoids. You just soak the hurt part for a while.

Answer 5

This is what I found online:



Epsom Salts
copyright Kd. 2002 last updated 8.25.05

* Why Use Epsom Salts
* What are Epsom salts and how do they work
* How to give Epsom salts
* Phenolic foods, additives, and enzymes
* Which enzyme products do not contain fruit-derived enzymes?


Why Use Epsom Salts

Dr Rosemary Waring found that most people with autism conditions have a deficiency in a key detoxification pathway. The pathway involves using sulfur in the form of sulfate (known as sulfation). The enzyme involved is phenol sulfur-transferase (PST), but the problem is thought to hinge on an inadequate supply of usable sulfate ions, not the metabolic enzyme itself.

Dr Waring found that most children on the autism spectrum are very low in sulfate and may be as low as 15 percent of the amount in neurologically typical people. People with low or no ability to convert compounds to sulfate have problems handling environmental chemicals, some medications, and even some chemicals produced within the body. They include people with other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and chemical sensitivities.

The PST sulfation pathway is necessary for the breakdown and removal of certain toxins in the body. This includes the processing of a type of chemical called a phenol. Phenols are a regular and necessary part of life. All foods contain some phenolic compounds. However, some foods have a much higher content than others do. If the sulfation pathway is not functioning well, a person may not be able to process out the phenolic compounds as fast as they consume them. There is a cumulative effect. When the phenols start backing up in the system, it can cause a myriad of negative reactions. Symptoms of phenol intolerance include night waking, night sweats, irritability, eczema, and other skin conditions. The symptoms of phenol intolerance and yeast may be very similar because they both involve the body trying to deal with toxins.

This detoxification pathway processes other phenolic compounds including salicylates (salicylates are a subset of phenols), artificial food colorings, artificial flavorings, and some preservatives. Besides requiring PST, research has found the salicylates further suppress the activity of any PST enzyme present, making matters worse. Food dyes also have been shown to inhibit the PST enzyme.

First Part
You can unclog this ‘bottleneck’ in one of two ways. One is reducing the amount of phenols and toxins entering the body. This is the basis of the Feingold Program or diet. The Feingold Program removes the hard-to-process artificial colorings, flavorings, and three preservatives. It also removes the most problematic of the salicylate foods at the beginning of the program. Later in the program, you may be able to add these salicylate foods back after testing them one at a time. The foods targeted by the Feingold Program and their effects on hyperactivity in children have been extensively studied. Eliminating these chemicals has been effectively helping many children with all sorts of behavior problems for many years, although the reasons why are just now beginning to be understood.
Feingold/Failsafe Programs

There is an abundance of studies in the references that specifically show that eliminating these types of chemicals significantly improve neurological problems in children.
www.feingold.org
note: look in the Research section at the top of the page at the above link. This site contains information on the possible symptoms from various food and environmental chemicals also.

A literature review by Kidd (2000) concludes that although the exact cause of attention deficit conditions is unknown, the current consensus is that genetics plays a role. Other major contributors include adverse responses to food additives, intolerances to foods, sensitivities to environmental chemicals, nutrient deficiencies, and exposures to neurodevelopmental toxins such as heavy metals. This sounds exactly like the factors contributing to autism, migraines, sensory integration issues and other related conditions.

Second Part
The second method of enhancing the detoxification process is to supply more sulfate. This increases the amount of toxins processed out. Sulfate ions may not be absorbed well from the gut, so simply giving more sulfur directly by swallowing supplements may not produce satisfactory results. Some people have seen improvements by supplementing with the sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and taurine, or MSM (methysulfonylmethane), or by using one of the many commercially available MSM creams. However, others have not found this tolerable. This may be because their body is unable to convert the sulfur to the needed sulfate form.

Most people do see improvement with Epsom salts because the form of sulfur in the Epsom salts is already sulfate and readily available to the body.

What are Epsom salts and how do they work?

Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. Salts are just molecules that form because the parts have opposite electrical charges that bind together. Magnesium has a positive charge. Sulfate has a negative charge, and performs all sorts of unique biological functions. The two elements dissociate in solution (English translation: break apart and separate in liquid). Epsom salts are available at most local grocers or health food stores, or inexpensively in bulk at agricultural supply stores.

The magnesium and sulfate in the salts are absorbed into the body through the skin. Because the sulfur is already in the sulfate form, it does not need to be converted like other forms of sulfur do. Sulfate is thought to circulate in the body up to about nine hours. Any Epsom salts left on the skin may continue to be absorbed as long as it is still on the skin, offering continuous ‘timed-released’ input into the bloodstream – like medications given through skin patches. Many people on a typical ‘modern’ processed diet are very deficient in magnesium as well, which Epsom salts also supply in a highly available form. Main effects of insufficient magnesium are hyperness, irritability, anxiety, and muscle twitching or spasms. So the salts may provide two-way assistance.

Footbath – Mix one part salts to two parts water (or more so the salts dissolve) and let the person soak their feet in it. My boys would soak their feet about 30 minutes while they did reading or homework.

Answer 6

it will relieve the pain that you have with your toe it also if a part of your body is sore such as legs feet it will relieve the soreness.

Answer 7

it reduces swelling and pain and salt reduces infection!

Answer 8

helps relieve any pain that you might be in at anytime

Answer 9

can I soak a sore back