Soaking in a hot bath with Epsom salts , scented oils and candles is one of my weekly pleasures. It is a great way to relax while helping your body detox as it raises your core temperature, dilates your blood vessels, aids blood circulation, lowers blood pressure and draws contaminants out through your pores, along with many other benefits .

But there are just as many health dangers to hot baths as there are bonuses. At the risk of getting too personal, I’d like to share a recent traumatic experience with a cleansing hot bath so that others are aware of the dangers and can take the necessary precautions.

This post was updated with photos on November 4, 2009. It took me awhile to get over myself before publishing them.

My Bath Tub Trauma

Normally, Sundays are my bath night so I can wind down the weekend and gear up for the week ahead. But this week was different. The weekend was exceptionally busy and by Tuesday morning, I woke up with a sore throat. I called in sick so that I could rest, give my immune system a chance to attack the virus and escape the otherwise inevitable cold. A cold would certainly slow me down – the last thing I needed or wanted.

Drinking plenty of liquids and grabbing lots of sleep, the afternoon brought an impulse to have a hot, steamy bath with Epsoms salts. I thought, “This’ll take care of any nasty cold virus; I’ll flush it out!”

The bath was heaven and a half an hour later I stood to get out…and fainted! I was lucky: my face broke my fall. It could have been much worse since we have a narrow bathroom and I missed hitting my head on the porcelain sink, toilet and heat register.

When I woke, which was only seconds later, I was on the floor. I lifted myself up slightly, blinked, and blood started falling to the floor in big drops. Disoriented, I stood and looked in the mirror and sure enough, I was bleeding through my mouth and nose. Grabbing a clean facecloth, I soaked it, held it to my face and stumbled into the living room to grab the phone.

I had no thought processes at this point, by the way. I was confused, I couldn’t get a handle on what happened, and all I knew was that I needed help. It was pure instinct that led me to grab the phone and call my hubby on his cell. I got out, “I need your help. I’ve fallen.” And before he had a chance to respond, I was out for the count again.

He was able to call 911 and told them our address before I awoke and called him again. As I tried to talk to my Love (he spoke to both 911 and me at the same time), I staggered around, naked, dazed and confused, attempting to figure out how to get dressed. I managed to get downstairs, unlock the door and greet the E.M.S. guys with clothes and with a VERY crooked smile on.

An ambulance ride over to St. Joe’s Emergency, an ECG (electrocardiogram), blood work and 7 hours in the Emergency and we’re still clueless to exactly how it all happened. My face is smooshed in. My nose escaped being broken but it makes a funny crinkly sound now, and it’s bruised and swollen. My lips, the same and split open.

This photo was taken the day after the accident. I was on the phone with my Mom getting the TLC I needed. By the way, my nose is usually NOT that big.

I’ve been singing, “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” in my head since because they are what took the brunt of my fall. You might not be able to tell from the picture but they were in the middle of my mouth.

At least until 800$ worth of oral surgery (so far) and a lot of pain as the dental surgeon (thank you, Dr. Pain!) reset them by pushing them back into their sockets. Two of my front teeth are chipped and Dr. Pain used a metal splint and wired the front four teeth together for stability while they heal.

Here’s me after oral surgery and a trip to my dentist for repairs to the chipped teeth, 3 days after the accident. Much better, wouldn’t you say?

Health professionals suggest hot baths may be dangerous for individuals suffering from obesity or having a medical history of heart disease, low or high blood pressure, circulatory system problems, diabetes or pregnant women and their fetuses. 

So, this bath tub episode of mine is a complete mystery. I JUST had a physical examination on Saturday with my Naturopathic Doctor and I’m in top physical condition (my blood pressure was perfect). I’ve never fainted before and am a bath-time master. Now, the bath was hotter than usual and I did a bunch of abdominal exercises before I got up. Exercise has the same effects on the body as hot baths so perhaps I lowered my blood pressure double-time and coupled with getting up too fast…

I have an appointment with my G.P. tomorrow for more tests to make sure it was the circumstances and not an underlying health problem.

Will I ever enjoy another hot bath? Certainly! The benefits of baths far outweigh the slight possibility of this ever happening again. Do I recommend hot, steamy baths for others? Definitely for healthy people! Just do what my friend Denise suggests: pull the plug and pour cold water in to gradually bring your core temperature down. And get up slowly.

Man, what a way to learn a lesson! Please, please, please be careful with your bath-time fun!

The last article defined detoxification as a necessary function our bodies naturally perform to keep our system free of poison. It is a regular, internal process of hygiene that helps keep us healthy.

That post left us pondering a few `what ifs’. This article answers the question, “ Is it possible that our bodies can’t handle the rate at which our bodies are being poisoned? According to my research, most of us are functioning below optimal health levels because of toxic overload . Toxins and waste are killing us softly, decreasing our immediate quality of life and aging us at a faster rate.

The following article explains why some people believe that most of us would benefit from helping our bodies detoxify:
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The short answer: Detox is an abbreviated form for detoxification, a natural and continuous process your body uses to purify itself of harmful substances.

For those with a little more time: This about.com article, “What You Need to Know About a Detox Diet,” does a great job summarizing the research I’ve done so far in this area.

Long-winded, but interesting, answer:

The coolest thing about being alive on Earth is that we truly exist as part of something bigger – for this discussion, I mean biologically-speaking. All living organisms are co-dependent on their environment for basic survival (for air, water, energy, etc.).

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Everything in this world can be rated by quality. This includes fuels: some burn efficiently and are considered high performance fuels while others come up a little short. The same holds true for the fuel for our biological machines. Not all food is created equal and our bodies burn high quality food differently than its lower quality versions.

For instance, there’s been a lot of hype about the glycemic index of foods and the GI diet. Basically, the GI ranks carbohydrate-containing foods and measures their effects on the body’s blood sugar levels. Foods with a high GI (or sugar content) get digested and metabolized faster by the body.

Protein, on the other hand, tends to be a high performance fuel. It takes longer for the body to process it and so it also satisfies our hunger long after consuming it. So comparably, carbohydrates are a low-grade fuel used for immediate energy sources.

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One of the main ingredients to making it easy to get healthy is pleasure. I tell ya, I LOVE this workout DVD. I crave it weekly now. It’s fun and full of variety. I feel a marked stress reduction in mid-workout and it’s made me stronger both physically and mentally.

One of the videos from SELF Magazine’s Body Bonus workout series , “Your Best Butt Fast” has been the best workout video I’ve encountered so far. The following is a list of why I can’t get enough of this workout:

• It consists of 3 parts: exercises inspired by kickboxing, dance and yoga.
• If you’re time crunched, you can skip to your favourite part.
• It involves muscle building, stretching, cardio and active, deep breathing.
• The instructor is positive and motivating without being annoying.
• It’s great for beginner, intermediate and advanced fitness levels.
• The music is well-suited, the moves well-choreographed.
• It’s filmed on a tropical beach…ahh…

Why not check out this minute clip to see for yourself:

Getting healthy and finding a healthy lifestyle that works for you can be difficult. It took me several attempts over a period of several years to get a good beat on my health. Looking back, I can see that there was a definite process in getting healthy, and it continues to this day for in my ever-evolving healthy lifestyle.

To help you make healthy living easier, and for those who appreciate seeing the whole puzzle picture before trying to fit the individual pieces together, I thought I’d share the following process to getting healthy: Read the rest of this entry

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It’s mid-winter and I’m itchin’ for some summer weather. If you are, too, try this smoothie recipe – it’ll take you on a trip to a tropical beach!

1 cup Pineapple
1 medium Kiwi
½ medium Mango
1 cup (less or more for desired texture) Vanilla flavoured soy beverage
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
¼ cup plain 2 % yogurt
1 serving Living Harvest hemp protein powder

Blend until smooth. Mmmm…isn’t that yummy?

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We’ve been talking a lot lately about how to make getting healthy easy in the Live Lighter’s Health Made Easy Series . Much of what’s been covered so far has been intangible, like common beliefs about health, alternative perspectives, mental associations and developing habits .

This final post in the series is a follow up to 7 Tips to Easy Health and provides you with some hands-on, get-down-and-dirty suggestions that will help you make healthy living easy. The following 15 practical tips will have your body singing the right tune so it’ll be easier to develop your healthy lifestyle:

1. Get optimal sleep. Our bodies and brains need rest so that they can busy themselves with other work. You see, during the day we’re so busy sensing the world and living our lives that we don’t have the capacity to do much else. Being unconscious shuts down our senses and allows our brains to process the information and our bodies to heal. It is extremely important to get the right amount of sleep for your body to function effectively. Read the rest of this entry

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Happy Love Day, Everyone! In celebration of St. Valentine’s Day , I thought we’d tackle the question of, “Is love healthy?”

Intuitively, I know it is. The pure pleasure I get from human contact, the warm feelings I experience from love and the ecstasy from a night of hot romance, all reinforce this belief. But for the logical-minded people in the room, there is a very real biological dance of hormones and neurotransmitters at work here and for all for good, evolutionary reason!

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We interrupt this Health Made Easy Series for some very serious health humour.

Healthy living is making the most healthful choices; that is, you try to weigh the potential health benefits and risks against each other for every decision you make.

I’d count it towards a healthful activity! A few of those, done slowly and with proper form ? For sure!