Household solution for itches and burns

MedSpas are all about health and wellness, and improving yourself. So, it would be appropriate to add some hints on well-being that have been around for a while.... and that we happen to have readily available at home. We all grew up with Epsom salt in the house, but with summer arriving, doctors say there’s an important use that isn’t as well-known:

Reducing the itch that comes from mosquito bites, bee stings, mild sunburn, poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

“Basically, anything that itches or burns the skin, Epsom salt can soothe,” says Dr. Joe Matusic, a pediatrician in Charleston, W.Va., and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the Charleston division of the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

Epsom salt helps reduce itching in three ways:

• Make compresses by soaking a cotton washcloth in cold water that has been mixed with Epsom salt (two tablespoons per cup), then apply to the skin.
• Create a paste to apply to the skin by adding a teaspoon of Epsom salt to about a cup of hot water until it dissolves, then chilling the solution in the fridge for 20 minutes. Note: Clean the skin and pat dry before applying the paste.
• Take an Epsom salt bath, by adding two cups of Epsom salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub and soaking for at least 12 minutes. The Epsom salt will dissolve quicker if you put it under the running water.
  

Epsom salt is always there in the pantry, and you should use it as soon as possible for temporary relief. It helps draw the moisture out of lesions caused by rashes, such as poison ivy, according to the doctors. With bites or stings, Epsom salt reduces the swelling. This in turn eases the itching sensation because the body’s nerves fire less frequently, according to the doctors.

Always remember: You should consult your doctor for serious or persisting skin conditions.

To learn more, please visit www.epsomsaltcouncil.org.