My Experience at Stewart Mineral Springs
By Debra Dughman
I DISCOVERED STEWART MINERAL SPRINGS by accident and was drawn in by the huge fortress-like gates. The "relax you're here" sign soothed me immediately. Of course I bypassed the bridge to the right (you will see what I mean) the first time and parked by a teepee. The first thing I noticed was how wonderfully quiet it was. The river, birds, and wind were truly all I heard. My dog, Grizzly, and I walked around for about ten minutes, down the path by the restaurant and headed towards the covered bridge. The columbines and other wildflowers were blooming; the flowing creek and beautiful forest surrounded me but I was right in the middle of the retreat. There was complete tranquility. I saw a man who appeared be an employee, so I approached him and started asking questions. He explained to me the history of the Springs, and most importantly, he told me about the mineral baths. He explained how they were thought to heal so many illnesses, how the minerals pull toxins from your body and, combined with the hot wood sauna, it was an excellent way to help heal everything.
We live in a toxic world, from the water to the air to the food, and we all have are own unique way our bodies try to fight these toxins. For some people, it's the liver or the colon that ail them; some get arthritis and the joints fill with debris. But all I heard was KIDNEY. I'd been diagnosed with medullary sponge disease a few months earlier, in 2006, and it seemed I had been sick for awhile. My left kidney was failing and my right kidney, although it was sick as well, was picking up the slack. It seems the kidney stones I had suffered from all my life, had left my kidneys susceptible to toxins. I was told by a doctor, I needed to be on pharmaceutical meds for the rest of my life, which might only be five years if I was lucky. I would immediately need to travel for dialysis to stabilize my left kidney.
Well, it really was too much to take in. I've never liked medications or doctors for that matter. Although it was a doctor who diagnosed me, I do try to avoid them and use natural remedies. I got on the computer that evening and found out about my kidney disease and looked up everything pertaining to my illness. I then began a homeopathic war against the disease using enzymes and fruit shakes with a great multi-mineral powder added in. I also began drinking a certain brand of juice that was all natural and had electrolytes and vitamins. I tried a few other things that fell to the wayside after my first bath experience.
My First Bath
Well, it started out for me, as I'm sure it did for the droves of people before me on their first time, in the bathhouse. I entered the bathhouse and noticed the wonderful sounds and was greeted by very friendly people at the front desk. I paid and entered the bath area. I'd brought a friend and we followed the first-time-bather instructions they gave us. The bathhouse attendant gave us towels and was very accommodating about were we wanted to bath. It was so stress free and very powerful positive energy was all around us. The scenery was beautiful, the river so fresh and clean, and the love of mother earth was defiantly present. The attendant started our baths and we went into the hot, wood sauna. It was clean and smelled like camping. After twenty minutes or so, we went into our private, individual baths and began our soak. After about fifteen minutes or so, we went out to the river were the female source of the minerals flows all-natural from the earth. We submerged ourselves and our skin loved it. As we walked back towards the bathhouse, my friend noticed two spots on my back, one on each of my kidneys. I said yeah, I think it might be from rubbing on the bottom of the tub. The minerals pumped in the bathhouse are a male source and contains silica so rubbing yourself could cause redness (but I didn't remember rubbing my back on the tub). Well, we sweated and went back to our private baths when I began to notice the spots getting prickly and told my friend. I was going to sit on the deck and read for a bit.
I found lots of info on the baths and, while reading, learned that if you experience a mild, prickly rash, that it was possibly toxins being pulled out of your body. I was completely wowed. Both spots were on my kidneys and were actually the size of an apple. In the days following, I felt like a new person. I felt good! It's hard to explain but I was sick and had been for months, possibly as long as a year. I went back every Thursday (half price Thursday) and Sunday, every week for months. To make a long story a bit shorter, by 2008 my urologist said to me, after doing a full work up and CT scan, that if he didn't have the pictures to prove it he would never believe it. Both of my kidneys were completely functioning normally and seemed to have healed. The disease makes the kidneys like sea sponges and as liquid flows through, it fills little tunnels that soon close up and trap the liquid, which then evaporates leaving a mineral deposit (kidney stone) trapped. Then the stone painfully, tears through, creating a new tunnel and so on. I never took a pill and never went to dialysis. I improved my diet, exercised, drank nutritious fluids and went to Stewart Mineral Springs twice a week.
It is now 2010. I moved away from the Springs in 2008 and went only three or four times. Well, my kidneys are sore again although I still eat and drink the same nutritiously way. The only difference is that I moved to a more toxic city and hadn't had a magical bath. My kidneys were sore so I returned to the Springs in March 2010 and it was like my first, memorable visit. I had red spots, no more pain, and I feel great. I'm defiantly going to make a point of returning at least once a month.