Transdermal absorption! Magnesium in a foot bath

February 25, 23

There is a foot bath corner in front of Atami Station, where tourists can be seen wrapping their shins in the water and soaking in the comfort of their own home.

The pigeons are also enjoying a bath in the spilled hot water.

Perhaps because it was particularly cold in Japan last week, this felt unexpectedly like paradise.

Opposite me was a girl about two years old whose legs were too short to reach the water, so she was sitting next to her mother with only her feet in the bath.

Older~Older~

It was making a splashing sound.

Changing the topic, let's talk about magnesium (Mg), a mineral that modern people lack.

It works in conjunction with calcium to regulate muscle relaxation and contraction and is essential for activating metabolic enzymes.

Europe has hard water with limestone soil and a high magnesium content, meaning people there can get it from their water.

On the other hand, Japanese people live on volcanic ash soil and have soft water that is low in minerals, so in the past they consumed sea salt made using the sun-dried open-pan method.

It is true that natural sea salt is rich in potassium and magnesium. ( In Europe, rock salt is the norm, which for some reason does not contain magnesium.)

The salt used by modern people is sodium chloride refined using the ion exchange membrane method, so there is no magnesium in the salt.

So, what about the food?

Atami Station again.

A tiny 2-year-old girl with short legs wanders around, while her big mother feels blissful. Beside her, a pigeon is swimming in the water, flapping its wings.

In such a peaceful winter day in Atami... I suddenly remembered!

In Seongju, which does not have a bath culture, foot baths are the norm.

Magnesium is absorbed through the skin. We use Epsom salts (MgSO₄ = magnesium sulfide), a European bath additive. ( Gardian sells it for about $5 per kg.)

From now on, I'm going to try absorbing magnesium through foot baths, which will also help relieve stress.