Majority of the people unable to visit a sauna, but have a bathtub may take detoxifying baths - often referred to as 'poor man's sauna'. People with build-up of toxic xenobiotics especially find such hot baths beneficial. The hot water augments circulation and activities of the capillaries close to the skin's surface, resulting in rapid elimination of toxic substances from the body. In addition, the heat also causes profuse sweating, opening up the skin pores, thereby allowing easy elimination of toxins through perspiration. While it is preferable to use filtered or well water for hot baths, you may also use the city water, even though it is chlorinated. In fact, any water that is not contaminated is useful in detoxification baths.
Be prudent and use your common sense while approaching these baths. It is advisable that you should seek the help of a healthcare professional to oversee your entire detoxification program. You may have an extremely sick feeling if there is an excessive build-up of toxic chemicals in your body. Therefore, it is important that someone should be at home with you when you are taking your detoxification bath, as they will be able to help you provided you develop any symptoms. You should stop your bath immediately in case you have a headache or feel exhausted, dizzy, nauseated or feeble.
Prior to taking a hot water bath, ensure that you scrub your bathtub using only tolerated cleansing products. Your bathtub needs to be impeccably clean before a detoxification bath, because your aim is to eliminate toxic substances from your body and not take up new ones.
It is recommended that you follow the broad instructions listed below for taking a bath with plain water as well as a detox bath.
Before you take the bath, thoroughly wash your body in the shower using any tolerated soap. Use a loofa sponge, skin brush, sisal mitt or any rough washcloth to scrub your body to get rid of dead skin, overload of body oils and any build-up of toxins. Then rinse your body thoroughly.
Next, fill the bathtub with hot water - the temperature of the water should be sufficiently hot, but not too hot to burn your skin. Plug the overflow valve of the tub to ensure that the water level is high enough for you to immerse your body up to the neck in it.
Start by soaking yourself for about five minutes in the hot water. Remember, you should not be in the hot water for more than five minutes when you are taking your first hot water bath. Increase the time gradually, each time by five minutes till you are comfortable to soak yourself for 30 minutes without any symptoms. While soaking, it is likely that you may have a feeling of being well, but this may be deceptive at times. Hence, it is essential that you do not exceed the time limit while soaking yourself in the hot water.
It has been found that generally the symptoms do not crop up till the following day.
While you are soaking in the hot water, massage your muscles gently using a skin brush with a view to augment blood and lymph circulation to your skin. Following the soaking, take a shower to cleanse yourself. Scrub your entire body using any tolerated soap and wash properly so that all toxic substances that deposited on the skin during the bath can be eradicated. Ensure that you rinse your hair too. If any toxin remains, it will be absorbed by your body again. Take another shower in case you continue sweating or start sweating again.
Prior to and following each bath, you need to take a tolerated dosage of vitamin C, as it will facilitate your body in getting rid of the toxins that might have entered your bloodstream. In case you are using antioxidant dietary supplements, take them prior to the bath.
It is also essential to drink a full glass (8 ounce) of water prior to, during and subsequent to the detoxifying hot water bath.
It is recommended that you should take three detoxifying baths every week till there is improvement in your health. Subsequently, you may take the baths once or twice every week with a view to put off toxin build-up. In case, you come in contact with unusual chemicals, you should not only increase the regularity, but also the period of your baths. However, you should only do it under the direct supervision of a qualified and experienced healthcare professional.
Once you are comfortable taking a bath with plain hot water for a complete 30 minutes and do not develop any symptoms, you are fit and ready to start taking detoxification baths. In fact, you may add a variety of substances to your bath to promote detoxification. It is important that you always follow the broad directives about detoxifying baths discussed above and add any of the substances described below to your bath water. Apart from Epsom salts, you may be required to rotate the other substances listed below, because they may become less effective very quickly if you do not allow a break between using them.