About a month ago I tore my calf muscle while performing a Blues Brothers routine at a fundraiser. Playing Elwood meant some intense dance moves and doing something I don't do very often. It has been a journey that has allowed me to see things from a different perspective. It is somewhat amazing when you think about it how many things that we do on a daily basis are set up around us being able to walk, drive, and get around from point to point. It all changes when you are on crutches.
After first going to Urgent Care, then following up with an Orthopedic, I was having trouble sleeping each night. I was trying to do as told to rest, put it on ice, use compression first with an ace bandage then with a compression sock, and elevate it. I was not on any pain medication or anything to help me sleep. The problem I was finding was that no matter how I moved or what position I was in I could not get comfortable to a point where the pain allowed me to sleep.
After a couple weeks I was unable to get a good nights sleep even though I would go to bed early enough to get eight hours of sleep before getting up to go to work. One night it was about 2:00 AM and I had been tossing and turning, putting my leg on pillows, and failing in every way to fall asleep. It was then when I began to think, what was the main thing that was causing me pain?
It was the swelling and inflammation not only in my calf, but in my ankle and foot. I also had developed a bruise on the back side of my thigh which was caused by a pulled hamstring. What do I do at 2AM to relive the swelling to get some sleep? All of a sudden I thought of Epsom Salt. We had some that we had bought a few months ago when I had some back pain. Why not, I am not sleeping anyway. A bath with some Epsom Salt might relax me and hopefully ease the pain so I could sleep.
My Mom always used Epsom Salt to soak her feet. She stood on her feet all day on concrete and had diabetes, and high blood pressure. I was not aware at the time but her sore feet was caused by many health issues she had and not necessarily just by her standing on her feet.
I drew the water and got in the tub. At first the pain in my foot and ankle intensified and I thought oh great this was a dumb idea. After a couple minutes the pain began to ease. I stayed in the tub for about ten minutes then went to lay down back in bed.
The pain in my leg was reduced and I hoped it would stay that way long enough to allow me to go to sleep. It worked and I got about three hours of decent sleep before it was time to go to work. The next four nights I took a bath in Epsom Salt before going to bed. Since it worked one night I wanted to do all I could to get as much sleep as possible each night. Sleep is a time for the body to heal. There are many benefits to getting a good nights sleep and that has and will be addressed in future blog posts.
Epsom Salt contains magnesium and sulfate. Both of these are sometimes lacking in our bodies. There are many uses for Epsom Salt not only to detox our body, but to reduce swelling and inflammation from bruising. It can also be applied to the skin to help with mosquito bites, sunburn, and poison ivy. It can be consumed with water to relieve constipation. It also has been used to exfoliate skin and helps by adding body to hair.
I thought for awhile if I should write this post on this Blog. This Blog was originally created to share the benefits of diet, exercise, and supplementation using USANA Products. Some of my posts have e covered additional ways to live a healthier and happier life and finding a balance. I realized that this is my Blog and I can put anything I want to on it. An old time remedy such as Epsom Salt is timely and still relevant today. Mainly for the healing and soothing that it can bring. Healing can lead to wellness and that is what it's all about.
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