Take everything with a grain of salt
Do you remember the scene in Gladiator where Russell Crowe's character, Maximus, awakes from battle to find maggots embedded in his wound? Oh how I loved that scene while absolutely being disgusted by it. I still think about it 21 years later (yes, it's been that long since that movie came out). Just to close out the maggot scene in your head, there is a very legitimate reason for placing maggots in a wound. Despite how awful it is to think about, maggots have a miraculous ability to clean a wound and help it heal faster than most treatments. Modern medicine is very interested in this type of biotechnological opportunity that is often referred to as biosurgery. It has been effective in healing diabetic sores, skin ulcers, burns, gangrene and related chronic conditions that have resisted other more modern medical procedures. The maggots appear to secrete antibiotics, remove dead tissue that bacteria might otherwise breed in, and stimulate the cellular processes of healing. They are able to explore all parts of most wounds, cleaning microscopic areas without harming surrounding healthy tissue, effectively performing microsurgery.
So, take a deep breath and let it all out…I'm not going to mention maggots anymore.
I am always exploring natural ways that we can heal our body. Here's a secret weapon that you probably have in your kitchen cabinet right now. SALT. We all consume salt every day. But did you know that salt also has many healing properties for inside and outside the body? Benefits of salt have been known for thousands of years. Although placing salt directly on a wound is no longer recommended, using salt water is where it's at.
The effect of salt on wounds can be explained by osmosis - the movement of water from a less dense environment to a denser environment. In essence, the salt vacuums the water from the cells with low salt density and causes the bacteria to dehydrate and die. Not all bacteria are salt-sensitive. However, salt water is very helpful in healing mouth sores and throat infections as many of those bacteria, like streptococci, are salt-sensitive. A sore throat may be relieved by gargling with salt water. Canker sores can benefit from a salt water rinse to relieve pain and encourage healing. Dental and gum health can be preserved by eliminating bacteria that can cause gum diseases, inflammation and cavities in teeth.
How do you make this magic potion? It's simple. Just dissolve 1 teaspoon of sea salt in 8 oz./250 ml of warm water. Stir, sip, swirl, spit, repeat...until it's all gone. It's so easy!
One important thing to note. Saline water is different from sea water. So, when you're standing in front of that beautiful ocean, just say no if you plan to try to heal a wound or swirl that water in your mouth. Why, you ask? Saline is hygienic while sea water is not. Rinsing any wound in seawater exposes it to marine bacteria and hundreds of inorganic substances that can damage tissue. Not what you want! Nope.
If you're feeling like you want to explore other benefits that salt has on the body, click on this link.