From Virgin Islands Daily News

In our previous articles we spoke quite a bit about why Virgin Islanders don’t swim.

Now, let’s spend a little time talking about why we should, hence the title of the column, “Swim to Live.”

There are many places people can swim in the Virgin Islands but the easiest place for any of us to swim is in the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

This works to our advantage because as islanders, we are surrounded by water – anywhere you look. You can’t leave our islands without somehow crossing seawater.

Many of us remember when we were small and our parents and grandparents used to tell us to gargle with salt water when we were sick because it was going to make us feel better.

Of course, we didn’t want to get hit with the Tamarind switch, that our grandmother would force us to go pick so that we were involved in our own discipline!

Although some of us did get a good whack on the backside with that switch, most of us with good sense would follow the advice and we would gargle with the salt water. We didn’t know what that actually did for us, so let’s get a little bit into the science of what happens with salt water.

First, remember that when we mix table salt with tap water we are just mixing sodium chloride and H2O to create a form of man-made seawater.

Now, let’s talk about the best seawater, our gift of the Caribbean Sea.

Seawater contains vital elements, vitamins and minerals.

Seawater also has other trace elements such as amino acids and positive living microorganisms that can produce antibiotic and antibacterial effects that can help promote a healthy immune system.

All of these vital elements are absorbed by your body when you are swimming in the sea.

There is a fascinating study by Maureen Jenkins, the director of clinical services of the charity Allergy UK. She has found that people who live by and swim in the sea tend to have a healthier respiratory system.

Further studies have shown that seawater is a cleanser and it mimics the body’s own fluid in the lining of the airways and therefore doesn’t irritate them. Not only does that mean that it can help wash away some of your respiratory issues but it also acts as an antiseptic. Therefore, seawater can help many wounds heal faster.

It’s also a fact that a good sea breeze brings cleaner, pollen-free air.

Additionally, swimming in seawater or a swimming pool may help facilitate better blood circulation in your body. Your circulatory system, heart, capillaries, arteries, and veins all carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body and then returns the blood to your heart again.

Moreover, continuous movement in the water for just short periods of time reduces the inflammation of joints and muscles.

When we say swim to live, we mean that swimming can activate the body’s healing mechanisms to fight conditions like asthma, arthritis, bronchitis and other inflammatory diseases. This is because it reduces inflammation of joints and muscles and helps to calm down and sometimes eliminate many common ailments.

Magnesium-rich seawater can also relax your muscles, reduce stress, help you sleep and increase your libido.

So, if we haven’t given you enough good reasons already to start swimming, here is one more: Swimming in seawater on a regular basis has anti-aging properties – and don’t we all want to look and feel young?

-John Klein is the president of the Virgin Islands Swimming Federation and the vice president of the St. Thomas Swimming Association. He is a long-term resident of the Virgin Islands and has been a long distance swimmer for decades. His email address is [email protected].

For more on this story go to:

http://virginislandsdailynews.com/sports/caribbean-sea-water-beneficial-to-your-health-1.1632056