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If you've ever felt achy after a long run or had a stubborn, ingrown toenail,
如果你体验过过长跑之后或顽固嵌趾甲的疼痛，
you might have read online about the wonders of epsom salt.
你可能在网上看过关于泻盐的奇事。
Sprinkle some into a bath, take a long soak, and voila! You're on your way to feeling better.
往浴盆里撒些泻盐，泡个热水澡，完美！这样你会感觉好些的。
Besides softening your skin and relieving pain, some people even claim that epsom salt can somehow "raise your mineral levels" or "draw toxins from your body". Whatever that means.
除了软化皮肤、释放疼痛，一些人甚至宣称泻盐能够“增加你身体内的矿物水平”或是“吸收你身体的毒素”之类的。
But like most things on the internet, it's probably too good to be true.
但就像网上大多数东西一样，这似乎也有点玄幻了。
Epsom salt is a form of magnesium sulfate, a compound made of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen.
泻盐是硫酸镁的一种，硫酸镁是镁、硫磺和氧气的混合物。
It was named "epsom" after a small town in Surrey, England, which is just southwest of London.
“Epsom”是以英格兰萨里的一个小镇而命名的，小镇位于伦敦西南部。
In the 1600s, it became a popular spa town because some of its natural springs were full of magnesium sulfate.
1600年代这里变成了一个热门温泉小镇，因为这里的天然泉水含有满满的硫酸镁。
Most of the claims about epsom salt solving your life's problems have to do with the magnesium in it.
大部分所谓的泻盐能够解决生活中问题的说法和其中所含的镁有关。
Your body uses magnesium to carry out all kinds of chemical reactions, and it also helps keep your bones strong,
你的身体利用镁进行所有的化学反应，还要帮助你保持骨骼强韧、
your nerves firing properly, and your heart beating consistently.
神经适当收紧以及心脏跳动。
Which are all probably things you want.
这些都是你所想要的一切身体运行。
There's just one problem: There's no evidence that any of the magnesium in your epsom salt bath actually gets inside you.
但只有一个问题：并没有证据表明泻盐浴中的镁真的能够被身体吸收。
One report did show magnesium and sulfate levels going up in people's blood after they soaked for a few minutes in an epsom salt bath.
一份报告确实表明人们泡了几分钟泻盐浴后，他们体内的镁和硫酸盐水平提高了。
But this study didn't have a control group for comparison, and it was never published in a peer-reviewed journal.
但这份研究并没有用到控制组来作比较而且也从未发表至同行评审期刊。
So they aren't the most reliable results in the world.
所以这些并不是世界上最可靠的结果。
You might even say that you should take them with a giant grain of salt
你或许还会说你应该使用大颗粒盐
The truth is, your skin is a great barrier, and it doesn't just absorb anything that's touching it.
事实是你的皮肤是一个很好的壁垒，并不是任何接触到的东西都会被它吸收。
So most experts don't think much, if any, mineral gets into your body during a soak.
所以大部分专家并不认为在泡澡过程中，矿物会进入你的身体内。
But even if some did, that magnesium would only help people who have a deficiency.
但即使有些矿物确实进入体内，镁也只会帮助那些缺镁的人。
If you already have enough magnesium, more isn't going to help you.
如果你的体内已有足够镁，更多的镁是不会对你有所帮助的。
And if you do have a deficiency, there are much better ways to get extra magnesium, like through certain nuts and leafy veggies.
如果你真的缺镁，那么还有很多更好的方法能够帮助你获取额外的镁，比如通过某种坚果和叶类蔬菜。
Now, that doesn't mean magnesium sulfate isn't a useful drug.
但这并不意味着硫酸镁不是一剂有效药。
When you drink it, it's actually a well-known laxative.
当你喝下它时，它也是知名泻药。
And injected, it can help prevent pregnant women with high blood pressure from having seizures.
如果注射的话，还能够帮助高血压孕妇远离癫痫。
It's pretty amazing. But that relief your sore muscles get from a bath?
这真的很棒。但能够从泡澡中缓解疼痛？
It's possible the salt is doing something, but it's more likely that it's a placebo: you think it should help, so you feel like it does.
这可能是盐在起作用，但更有可能是一种安慰剂：你觉得这样能够帮助你，所以你感觉确实有用。
The benefits could also just be from the warm water and the relaxing feeling of the bath itself, with no salt necessary.
有可能就是热水在起作用，没有盐泡澡本身也能放松。
Until a good study tests it out, we won't know for sure, but there's a good chance epsom salt baths aren't any better than a plain old tub of water.
除非有好的研究对其进行测试，否则我们不信，但泻盐或许比普通老式浴缸好不到哪去。
That said, epsom salts aren't harmful.
也就是说泻盐无害而已。
So even if they aren't doing anything for you, if you like taking your epsom salt baths, you can keep doing that.
所以即使它们对你没啥帮助，如果你喜欢泻盐浴，也可以继续。
Just don't say there's any scientific proof they work.
只是不要说有科学证据证实它们有效。
Thanks to Patreon patron Elizabeth Herrity for asking this question!
感谢Patreon赞助人Elizabeth Herrity的提问！
And thanks to all of our patrons who keep the answers coming.
感谢所有赞助人的支持。
If you'd like to help support the show and submit your questions, you can go to patreon.com/scishow.
如果你想支持科学秀并提交你的提问，请登录patreon.com/scishow。
And for more episodes like this, you can go to youtube.com/scishow and subscribe.
观看更多视频，请登录youtube.com/scishow进行订阅。
