It is worth knowing that salt has an extensive health-promoting effect. Knowing its advantages will be useful, especially in the fall and winter seasons. Many adherents of folk medicine will admit that there is no better way to warm up the body than soaking your feet in salt. Is it really so?
Soaking your feet in saltwater: an antidote to colds?
Our grandmothers would have no doubts: one of the indispensable elements of cold therapy is soaking the feet in warm, sometimes even hot water, often with salt.
It cannot be denied that the moment of relaxation associated with soaking tired feet in warm water can have a soothing effect on our well-being. The only question is whether it really has a pro-health effect.
It can be assumed that it is. Of course, immersing your feet in a warm salt solution will not cure you of a cold or flu, but it will certainly improve your thermal comfort. It has been said for a long time that the infection needs to be warmed up and even sweated. And since the heat from the feet travels quite quickly, the conclusion that in order to warm the body you need to take care of your feet, it comes to your own.
The question is, where did the idea to add salt to warm foot baths come from? The explanation here is more complex, because natural medicine knows a lot about the beneficial properties of salt.
Salt: common and pro-health
Salt, apart from the fact that it enhances the taste of any dish in an incredible, even addictive way, is also a substance with a very broad health effect. No wonder, in the old days it was a more desirable “metal” than gold.
Salt is famous for its antiseptic, disinfecting and cleansing properties. In medicine, it is used very widely: it is used to perform inhalations, baths, rinses and crenotherapy, i.e. salt aerosol therapy. These activities function together under the banner of halotherapy, i.e. salt treatment,
Soaking your feet in salt: how to prepare a warming solution?
When we get an infection or a cold, it is extremely important to improve blood circulation and heat the body. This is how it mobilizes the body to fight viruses or bacteria, which is why warm foot baths should also act prophylactically: as soon as we come home, cold after a walk, it is worth drinking a little water, adding salt, and warming our feet.
Specialists recommend taking warm baths not only of the feet but also of the whole body during increased exposure to infections. However, soaking your feet in warm water is a faster and more effective method.
If we decide to take a bath with the addition of salt, we can also count on the fact that its vapors help to open the respiratory tract, as well as strengthen the warming effect.
So how much salt should we put into the bowl of water? And what salt is best for a warming bath?
The first question is easier to answer. It is assumed that just over 50 g of salt is enough for 10 liters. Of course, you can add more, but the upper limit is around 150 g. Let’s not exaggerate with the length of the bath either. Soaking your feet in salt water will only be effective when the water is warm. When it reaches summer temperature, it is a sign that we can pull our feet out of the water.
There is no single answer to the question of which salt is best for this type of therapy. Of course, common table salt will be the poorest in minerals. So if you plan to protect yourself against infection by soaking your feet in salt, it is worth getting a more nutritious version of it.
We will have no problems finding known medicinal varieties in stores. The nutritional properties are shown by Bochnia salt. Ciechocińska, on the other hand, activates regenerative processes and supports the skeletal system. The popular pink variety, i.e. Himalayan salt, is an antidote for rheumatic ailments, while salt from the Dead Sea is especially recommended for allergy sufferers: it soothes eczema and skin irritation
It is worth adding that colds and skin diseases are not the only ailments that can be combated with salt baths. Salt can help reduce excessive sweating. It will certainly also bring relief in the event that the feet are tired or swollen. It also supports the regeneration processes of the callous epidermis.
Soaking your feet in water and salt… and more
If soaking your feet in salt water is too … boring for us, we can increase its effect. For example, a clove bath is recommended. Put a few cloves into a pot of water, bring to a boil and remove from the burner. Add a handful of salt and soak your feet for a few or a dozen or so minutes.Green tea oil will be an additive supporting the antiseptic effect of salt. If, on the other hand, we want to act immune, we should decide on a few drops of pine oil. A recommended admixture for salt baths is … also mustard. A grain of truth may be found in this recommendation: mustard is a plant with a warming effect.
An interesting way to improve immunity is also an alternating bath: in warm (approx. 38 degrees for 5 minutes), and then in cold (18 degrees for several seconds) water. Such a procedure will effectively stimulate blood circulation and increase blood pressure. It can also help people who complain of chronically cold feet. The ritual of soaking in warm and cold water should be repeated at least once and the treatment should be completed in cold water.
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