Laura Schoenfeld: Yeah, I have the Ancient Minerals. They come in, like, a spray and a gel. I have to say, like, I know that magnesium can get absorbed through the skin, and I think epsom salt baths are really nice. Epsom salts are magnesium salts that you can make a bath out of, and there is definitely evidence that that magnesium gets into the bloodstream. There’s always a question of whether topical application of a nutrient is adequate for absorption of that nutrient, and with magnesium it definitely is. Personally I don’t like the topical magnesium, and that’s because it tends to sting my skin for whatever reason. I don’t know if I’m just weird or if it’s common that this would happen for people that are using these topical gels and sprays and stuff. Especially if I have any cut on my hands or if I have any cuticle dryness or something, it just really, really stings, so I don’t like topical magnesium from a comfort perspective, but from a functional perspective, I think it’s fine. Oral magnesium, again, if you’re not doing super-high doses, it should be pretty tolerable. You’re not going to be causing things like loose stools or diarrhea if you’re not doing super-high levels of magnesium. Some people like the topical magnesium. It’s definitely a preference issue at that point, so if you have a client that wants to use the topical, that’s fine. I don’t see any reason that it wouldn’t be helpful unless the purpose is to help with encouraging bowel movements, which in that case, it won’t do what you’re trying to do with magnesium for that purpose, but if you’re just looking to increase blood levels of magnesium, then topical or epsom salt baths are just as good as oral magnesium. I like epsom salt baths. I just, unfortunately, don’t have a bathtub in my bedroom, so I can’t do that at my house, but when I’ve had a bathtub available, it’s nice. Not only are you getting the magnesium in there, but it’s also relaxing for the muscles. It’s one of those self-care practices that can help people de-stress.
Joy says itching is common but usually improves after two or three weeks, and essential oils can be added to epsom salt baths to make them heavenly. Yes, I would agree that that would be a really nice combination—epsom salts and some essential oils.
The itching … I can’t stick with something if it takes three weeks for it to stop feeling uncomfortable. Maybe that’s just me. Like I said, it’s kind of like with the liver, where you want to give patients options, and if they don’t want to take a pill, but they’ll do the epsom salt baths, then that’s fine. If they are feeling itchy skin and they don’t want to do topical, then you have the pill option. That’s nice to have a couple of different equally effective options that you can recommend to people.