Lisa Kauai

If I could turn back time, and I had to go through the acute stage of fluoroquinolone toxicity again, I would forego 90% of the doctors’ appointments and I would head straight for the beach. Really–I’m not joking at all. The times that I’ve spent at the beach, and, specifically, in the ocean, have been incredibly healing for me. The sea has given me significant symptom-relief, and I have felt great progress in my healing every time I have visited the ocean post-flox.

The sea is like a giant mineral bath. It is full of magnesium, sodium, and trace minerals (including iodine). Our bodies absorb these minerals through our skin. As most who are reading this know, fluoroquinolones deplete the body of magnesium, iron and other minerals. Soaking in ocean water can help to replace those minerals. Additionally, fluoroquinolones damage the thyroid, and the iodine in the sea may help to repair the thyroid.

I am guessing that most of the benefits I feel while at and in the ocean have to do with the absorption of minerals from the sea into my body through my skin, but there are other benefits to being at the beach too. The times that I’ve gone to the beach post-flox have all been times when I’ve been on vacation, and I have been relaxed while I’ve been there. De-stressing is good for everyone, especially floxies whose GABA neurotransmitters are downgraded, causing them to have difficulty relaxing (though the difficulty relaxing tends to be paired with fatigue – a horrible combination, for sure). I also got tons of vitamin D3 from the sun while at the beach, and vitamin D3, as well as other beneficial things from the sun, are anti-inflammatory and good for the body.

This is a bit woo-woo, but I’ve always felt like being in the water was good for me energetically. It feels as if my nervous system is both energized and relaxed when I’m in the water. In my recent interview with Dave Asprey on Bulletproof Radio we chatted about this. The healing effects of submersion in water for people dealing with multi-symptom, mysterious illnesses, are documented–though I’m not sure of the mechanism through which water heals.

Post-flox, I’ve always felt better in the water. Swimming, even in chlorinated pools, has been healing for me. But I never feel as good in a pool as I do in the ocean. The pool is healing, but the ocean is magical for me. It helps–immensely.

I was never a beach person before I got floxed. I was born and raised in Colorado and I am a mountain girl through and through. I never understood the appeal of beaches–they’re sandy, the sea-water makes my skin sticky, and I both overheat and get sunburned easily. After I got floxed though, I started to appreciate the water because it was healing and energizing for me. About 10 months post-flox I went on vacation to Hawaii and felt the healing power of the sea. Being in the ocean felt AMAZING! Ever since then, I have gotten in the ocean whenever I have the opportunity, and each time it has been invigorating and healing. I guess that I’m a beach/ocean person now–there are worse changes in the world. :p

I hope that fellow floxie friends find the ocean to be as invigorating and healing as I do. The sea is one of my favorite kinds of medicine.

 

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