The baths that work like meds!
A warm soak is a blissful way to erase worries. Even better: Experts say these clever add-ins can transform your relaxing bath into a powerful health booster!
Slim faster with Epsom salts
Losing weight was our numberone New Year’s resolution, yet dark days and more time indoors slow our metabolism. A simple fix: Add 1 cup of magnesium-rich Epsom salts to your daily bath. British researchers say warm soaks are as effective as exercise at prompting muscles to burn sugar for fuel, and magnesium boosts fat-burn, helping you effortlessly shed a pound a week all winter long!
Halt headaches with rosemary
Slipping into a rosemaryscented bath could cut headache pain by 75% in 20 minutes, faster than OTC pain relievers, plus halve your risk
of future headaches if you soak four times weekly, Canadian researchers say. Physiologist Alex Bukovska, PH.D., explains that hot water relaxes neck and scalp muscles, and rosemary calms pain nerves. To do: Place
1⁄ cup of dried rosemary in a jar
2
with boiling water. Steep and strain, then add to bathwater.
Nix knee pain with sesame oil
Massaging achy joints with two drops of sesame oil while bathing can cut stiffness by 35% in 20 minutes and by 59% in one week if done daily, suggests research in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. Says study co-author Mort Nasiri, PH.D., warm water boosts blood flow to sore joints, and sesame oil tamps down the production of pain-triggering compounds.
Lower BP with lavender drops
Adding 10 drops of lavender oil to a daily soak could lower your blood pressure by 18 points, cutting your heart attack risk in half, studies suggest. A rise in core temperature prompts the release of artery-relaxing chemicals, while lavender tamps stress hormones. —Brenda Kearns