Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, in March-April-May is not for sissies. It's beyond hot. For literally months. Relentless. It certainly sorts the real women from the little girls, and the men from the boys. And thus we have an exodus. Of people who either "can't handle the heat" or can't handle the smoky air during South East Asia's burning season.
Image by kai kalhh from Pixabay
It was 42C again today, and expected tomorrow. When it cools down to 106F in the later afternoon, you're either handling the heat, or suffering.
I'm not quite sure what prompted the question in my mind, but it came while I was soaking my feet in a warm foot bath of Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salt). Despite the heat, I chose warm water, because it improves magnesium absorption. As someone healing from systemic bone problems, I try to do the magnesium soak every day. And despite having my feet in warm water and sweat literally trickling down my back and my neck, I didn't feel uncomfortably hot. Just super sweaty and thirsty.
And I felt the questions bubble up slowly:
Why do some people wilt at 32C while others can happily be out and about when it's 42C with no ill effects?
Why do I 'handle the heat so much better on some days?"
And then I had an "Aha!!" moment and hit up my old buddy, Dr Google.
Now I make and sell Magnesium Oil and I know about most of the common uses of magnesium in the body, and what the symptoms of deficiency look like, but I did not know this: Your ability to handle the heat is primarily controlled by magnesium. When you feel exhausted and hot and "can't handle the heat", it's not the way you are or something that runs in the family but rather a symptom of magnesium deficiency!
Is magnesium the only mineral driving your body's ability to handle the heat? Actually, no. The other major mineral your body consumes in industrial quantities when it's super hot is potassium. You can read more about that Here.
Getting enough dietary magnesium is challenging. Transdermal (through the skin) magnesium supplementation is now widely used, even in hospitals, as a front-line first aid option for things like bronchial asthma an even heart attack. So spraying on magnesium, or soaking your feet (or your whole self) when it's uber hot actually makes clinical sense. If you want the best "beat the heat" natural remedy, try sipping on a potassium-rich fresh tomato juice while you're soaking. Tabasco, salt, pepper, a celery stick and a splash of vodka allowed. GUARANTEE you will feel better fast, and be far more resilient during ultra hot weather, as well as more productive.
Ask the right questions and enjoy the learning that technology enables. Don't perpetuate the story of "I can't tolerate heat" - take responsibility for your own natural health and use the knowledge to care for those you love.
Sipping a tomato juice, soaking my feet in magnesium sulfate and GRATEFUL for simple natural medicine remedies which make every day easier.
Even when it's as hot as hell!
This post was prepared as part of @naturalmedicine's fortnightly post-challenge: Home Remedies. You can find that post (and Enter!) the challenge Here.
Contributing to the @earthtribe. Cos it MATTERS.
Well, you really do learn something every day. I might need to pass this on to my eldest daughter who always had the aircon on, even when we're thinking it's not necessary. My youngest and I have baths with Epsom salts in, but she usually opts for a shower. So I should get her using that magnesium oil a bit more often.
Posted using Partiko Android
Interesting.... yup. Get the magnesium oil on her 2 or 3 times per day, generously. Glad the post was useful to you.
Posted using Partiko Android
@artemislives, Great to know about the Magnesium Oil and the creator point is, you are making and selling it. Hope that this oil will help others effectively. Have a blessful time ahead.
Posted using Partiko Android
It's really nice making practical things for my livelihood which make things better for others. I'm blessed in what I do!
Posted using Partiko Android
Good to know that and enjoy your time ahead.
That is one hell of a hot spring... excuse the puns... I can't help myself ;-)
I remember travelling in Thailand in November about 9 years ago and that felt hot at around 35 C. I have spent time in mexico and egypt when it was in the low 40's and this pasty white Brit has a hard time dealing with those levels of heat.
I think I might have been one of the 'duck and run' crowds if I was in Thailand right now. Interesting to read about magnesium and strange coincidence as I'm taking Mag7 right now to relieve digestive problems.
I never knew that this was the case and it might possibly explain a few things for me as I get tired and hot real easily.
Anyway, great post and I hope you cope with that insane heat :)
Always happy to add to the body of knowledge out there.... :) LOVED your pun and had me chuckling. :) Looking forward to reading more of your natural medicine journey and which parts of it might help others.
thank you for this wonderful information, it gets over 40 degrees here in the summer and yes some days are harder than others. I look forward to trying this magnesium foot bath. I look forward to all the other wonderful entries all the new knowledge to learn xxx
I'm a fan of the Magnesium Sulfate footbath followed by Magnesium Spray, massaged into the feet (particularly the soles) with a few drops of whatever essential oil happens to hold my current attention. Today it's Juniper. :) I feel SO MUCH BETTER in the super hot days and also am sleeping way better - less time, more energized on waking and far more creative and productive. Am soaking my feet right now, as a matter of fact. :)
Uau!!! Thanks soooo much for this article!! 🤗 I'm here in Chiang Mai and I was suffering a lot with the heat. Also this month I had a lot of issues with my period and trouble sleeping. When I read about this topics and asked my doctor about all them the magnasium lack was also a possibility. So it makes a lot of sense!!! Thanks for sharing!
Yes, all common magnesium deficiency signs and all connected, my dear. You can buy 1kg of Magnesium Sulfate from Union Science on Suthep Rd for 55 baht - all you need is a plastic basin for nice footsoaks. Alternately you can find my magnesium spray at many shops around town. Apply to the soles of your feet often!! And rub into your belly to ease those period symptoms. Always nice to join the dots. Glad the article helped you in a small way.
I used to be super intolerant of the heat. Like my dad I would lose my shit or when it got too hot and I wasn't in the ocean. And you know how hot those Victorian heat waves can be comma you know when it is really dry. But then I did have heaps of Bikram Yoga when that was the go comma you know before we all found out he was an arsehole lol. I loved it. Got super obsessed by it. We would drink a lot of coconut water and electrolytes and magnesium. So much sweating. Part of me misses that, although I would never go back to it for various reasons. Anyway, since then I have a higher tolerance for heat mainly because I learnt that the things you pay attention to are going to come out at you much harder. Now I just do that trick with my brain where I try not to think about it. This is so interesting , who knew magnesium affected heat tolerance as well ?! amazing xx definitely one for the hive my dear.
Posted using Partiko Android
Take your average Australian 3 day heatwave and turn it into a month. Or maybe 6 weeks. Or 2 months. Every. Single. Day. Humidity yesterday was 3% LOL. Bikram Yoga makes me laugh now, cause that's the climate and temperature yoga comes from.... we give you the heat etc for no extra charge at our place. Yes, it never ceases to amaze me what I LEARN just by following my intuition and those little nudges whispering questions to me.
Listening is SUCH an underrated skill huh!!!! I tell ya what.. Bikram on those cold Vicco days was a blessing!!!! I bet it totally pales into insignificance to the constancy of your heat, for sure!!!
Posted using Partiko Android
You’ve been visited by @porters on behalf of Natural Medicine!
That's really interesting that you can change how the heat effects you with using magnesium and potassium!
I'll have to remember that the next hot day we have! Thanks for sharing!
--- ##### Come join us in the Natural Medicine fortnightly competition for a chance to win Steem rewards. The theme for this challenge is Home Remedies!
It's more like next time there's a really hot (or cold) day and you DON'T feel energized and great and don't adapt, that you have a marker of systemic deficiency - certainly of magnesium and most probably of potassium too. We're conditioned to accept not feeling good in the heat or the cold as being almost like having blonde or brown hair, and yet not everyone has that response. Our nutritional deficiencies are also masked by things like heating or air-conditioning... A Bloody Mary as a remedy? Yes please. :)
I find very useful these informations, @artemislives! I also make at home Magnesium Oil, exactly like yours. I know that if its "pinching" you, you lack in Magnesium so badly. Did you heard of this or maybe its just a myth? I also use it for hair growth applying it to the scalp. Magnesium Transdermal Therapy is not well-known in Romania, but I'm glad I know about it.
I really like all the information within your post. Thank you for sharing.
Yes - the stinging-tingling-biting feeling as a sign of deficiency I HAVE heard of - not entirely sure it's true but probably it is. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Yes, I'm not sure either. Anyways, knowing for sure or not, its healthy benefits are the same. So, Viva Magnesium Oil!! 🎉🎉
Posted using Partiko Android
You've received an upvote from SteemXP Community
SteemXP Curation Guild is dedicated to the growing Southeast Asia steemit communities. To support and promotes new and promising authors, original and good content from Southeast Asian Nations Member Nation. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, Brunei.
Check out our Website, Join our community on Discord and support our mission by following our curation guild.
Vote SteemXP Witness @bitrocker2020 using this link
Hello!
This post has been manually curated, resteemed
and gifted with some virtually delicious cake
from the @helpiecake curation team!
Much love to you from all of us at @helpie!
Keep up the great work!
Manually curated by @vibesforlife.
Oh this is very important information for me. I cannot take heat at all and I used to think this is how I am,mayne my skin is thin. But now I know its megnesium and pottasium.
One quesitons, dipping tomato juice in water, is cold water or hot water?
I know for beating heat it should be cold warer but I have never soaked feet or seen anyone around soaking feet in cold water
Thank you for these tips. I love Epsom salt bath but I don’t know about it’s help with surviving the heat. Summer is coming to Southern California, I guess now my child and I will look into more magnesium )) because we don’t want the heat to keep us away from being active
Very nice! I've found that transdermal magnesium just before bed helps insomniacs with sleep issues, primarily by reducing hypnic jerks. I love the image of sipping the bloody mary while your feet soak. sounds so relaxing.