I’m currently enjoying some time with my family at the beach. This is a favourite summer activity and I always look forward to sunsets with a cocktail in hand, bicycles as a regular form of transport and swimming in the ocean.
Another consistency in this annual gathering is that my mother will suggest that whatever is ailing you can be cured with salt water. I think her most surprising application of this idea came when I was training for a 60-mile charity walk and was having issues with my toenails. “Soak them in the sea,” my mother chimed after each training walk I took while I was at the beach that summer. And because I generally listen to my mother, I did as I was told. I won’t provide any more details at the risk of losing you reading this piece, but suffice to say, it did help.
Recently, I found myself offering the same advice to my nephew when he scraped his leg. He gave me a slightly skeptical look, but was willing to give it a try and the graze was small. Sea water and sun work together to help clean and regenerate the skin and while I wouldn’t recommend this for any kind of serious wound, it worked a treat in this situation.
Time at the seaside also provides improvement to breathing. I always love that first deep inhalation of sea air when I arrive at the beach. The smell really convinces you of your surroundings. And published studies have shown that salt air helps to clear lungs. So if you are experiencing asthma, a cough or other respiratory issues, time by the beach may be helpful.
Swimming or exercising in salt water is also helpful to ease bone and muscle aches from arthritis or circulation issues, as well as being beneficial post-surgery thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects of the water.
No time at the beach on your horizon? Take a bath with household sea salt. Yes, you can get Epsom salts or something else fancy with essential oils from a pharmacy. But if you’re feeling a bit stiff and you are using sea salt to season your food at home, this can also be used in your bath, with a similar outcome.
Do you use sea water to help your wellness?