Epsom Salts for Autism

Epsom salts are very useful for autistic children because of the issues they have removing toxins from their bodies and absorbing nutrients. Sitting in this bath removes chemicals and infuses their blood with extra magnesium that they may have trouble absorbing through their gut. The extra magnesium can help with hearing sensitivities. This bath won't be as effective as a clay bath for removing chemicals, but is great for maintaining a chemical-free body after detox.

To start, use 1 cup of Epsom salt for a bath that is waist deep for the child. If the child doesn't have any issues, you can move up to 2 cups per bath. You can safely give the child a bath with salts every single day, but I have found that every child is different. My son only takes 2 of these baths per week (I can tell it's time when he starts covering his ears).

To Give the Bath:

1. Wash your child in shallow water and drain the soapy water.
2. Use a cup to rinse the tub and the child, make sure as much soap as possible is gone.
3. Start the water again--if you have to, get the child out of the tub and into another room while doing this.
4. In the cup, add the salt and then warm water and mix until dissolved. Add it to the water and mix with your hand.
5. Depending on the child's sensitivity to the salt, you can have them in the bath from 5 to 30 minutes--even more if there are no adverse reactions.

Adverse reactions:
Obviously if you notice something is wrong, stop the bath immediately and rinse the child off. Next time, don't use as much salt and only keep them in the bath for a few minutes. Adverse reactions can be detox or allergic reactions including lethargy, vomiting, and skin issues. These are awfully rare, but it's good to look out for them anyway. If the child drinks the bathwater, they'll probably have some loose stools--this is because magnesium sulfate is also a laxative when taken internally, not because there's been a reaction.

After the bath, it's ok to let the salt stay on the body. Use raw unfiltered virgin coconut oil to massage the child. If they don't like being touched, you may want to rinse the salt off instead. The white powder that may be left behind after they dry is totally harmless, but some kids may not like the powder on their skin--a thorough rinsing before leaving the tub will prevent the powder from forming.

You can also apply epsom salt by spraying epsom salt water on the child, dissolving the salt into a lotion for the child's skin, or doing a foot bath instead of a whole body bath.