Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths

Life can be stressful, so it's nice to have some anti-stress tools that you can count on. A relaxing Epsom salt bath is one of my favorites.  Not only does it promote relaxation, but provides many other benefits too. 

Epsom salt isn't really salt, it's a mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate.  Soaking in an Epsom salt bath allows Magnesium to be readily absorbed directly through the skin, which is the body's largest organ.  Many people are Magnesium deficient for a variety of reasons, including eating a diet high in processed foods, depleted minerals in our soil and drinking caffeinated drinks and other diuretics.

Taking Magnesium supplements orally is helpful, but sometimes people don't absorb it as well that way and Magnesium has a laxative effect when taken in higher dosages.  You can avoid this effect by using transdermal magnesium therapy.  There are also other transdermal options such as Magnesium oil or Magnesium Flakes, but Epsom salt is easy to find, available in your local drug store or grocery store.  It's an inexpensive, effective, and gentle way to raise magnesium levels. 

Some of the benefits of Epsom salt baths include:

*Readily absorbs Magnesium into the body via the skin      

*Relieves sore muscles and joints

*Reduces inflammation

*Reduces stress

*Improves sleep

*Draws out toxins

*Reduces water retention

*Soothes skin issues

*Increases circulation

How to use Epsom salt:

Dissolve 1/2 cup of Epsom salt per 50 pounds of body weight in bath water and soak for up to 40 minutes to get the maximum benefits.  It's best to have a water filter so that you are soaking in the purest water possible.  Please check with your doctor before using Epsom salt to treat any medical conditions, before using it while pregnant and before using if you have skin cuts or abrasions.

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This article is for information purposes only.  I am not a doctor and this does not constitute medical advice.

Estrogen Dominance Symptoms-Natural Progesterone Benefits

If you suffer from symptoms such as weight gain that won't budge (especially around the stomach, hips and abdomen), cravings for sweets, anxiety, PMS, fatigue, hair loss and foggy thinking then you might be experiencing estrogen dominance.  Estrogen dominance, a term coined by Dr. Lee, is a condition where a woman may have deficient or normal levels of estrogen, but have little to no progesterone.  Progesterone balances out estrogen, so  having little to no progesterone causes estrogen dominance and a variety of unpleasant symptoms can follow, including but not limited to: 

*PMS

*hair loss

*low libido

*fatigue/exhaustion

*irritability/mood swings

*sweet and/or salt cravings

*foggy thinking

*breast tenderness/pain

*weight gain, especially fat around the hips, thighs & stomach
*headaches/migraines
*hypoglycemia
*memory loss
*PCOS
*infertility or miscarraige
*water retention/bloating
*depression
*dry eyes
*accelerated aging
*adrenal fatigue
*thyroid malfunction
*hot flashes


Low progesterone typically occurs during peri-menopause and menopause, but often happens even earlier in your mid to late thirties or sooner.  The good news is that supplementing with natural progesterone can help.  Progesterone is your body's natural anti-depressant and anti-anxiety hormone.  It is made in the body by the ovaries, the adrenal glands and the placenta when a woman is pregnant.  Many things can cause low progesterone including high stress.  Progesterone is used to produce cortisol, so when the body is under stress and cortisol and adrenaline increase, progesterone decreases.  Using a natural progesterone cream is a safe, effective way to increase your levels of progesterone.  Some benefits of progesterone and supplementing with a natural/bio-identical USP progesterone cream include:


*it's your natural anti-anxiety and anti-depressant (yay!:)
*builds bone/protects against osteoperosis
*it's a natural diuretic
*can protect against cancers caused by having too much estrogen
*necessary for a normal, healthy pregnancy
*promotes restful sleep
*anti-aging
*weight loss
*reduces symptoms of menopause including hot flashes
*increased energy
*balances blood sugar
*can help you get and stay pregnant
*stops hormone related hair loss


The best choice is a topical natural USP progesterone cream, not a synthetic progesterone.  Creams that contain only Wild Yam and not USP progesterone are not the same.  Wild Yam can be converted into progesterone in a lab, but there is no indication that it can be converted into progesterone by the body.  The best places to apply progesterone are on the palms of your hands, inner arms, feet, breasts, face and neck, avoiding fatty areas which will store the progesterone instead of allowing it into the bloodstream.  Men also produce progesterone in the testes, can have low progesterone and can benefit from natural progesterone cream.  An excellent resource for learning more about progesterone and dosage information is http://www.progesteronetherapy.com/. I am not affiliated with them, but find they offer a wealth of extremely helpful information. 

This article is for information purposes only.  I am not a doctor and this does not constitute medical advice.  Please consult with your doctor before using progesterone cream.