Jamaica's Most Radioactive Waters

Jamaica is probably more famous for being the home of Bob Marley than it is for having the most radioactive waters in the world. The Milk River Bath and Mineral Spa are located at the foot of Carpententer’s Mountains. Its waters are nine times more radioactive than the waters of the Bath, England and three times more active than the waters at Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic. My question is: Why would anyone want to go in radioactive waters?

A little knowledge eased my mind when I found, there is nowhere on earth that you can not find natural radioactivity. The components of hot mineral springs are saline, radium and radonium. The radioenergized minerals are diluted in the springs by nature. The therapeutic effects are delivered by inhalation while bathing (90%), while the remaining is absorbed through the skin. The lungs will expired about 80% of the elements within one hour and the remaining within a day. There are higher concentrations of radium and radonium but not sufficient amounts to pose any risk. The waters in these springs fell thousands of years ago and over time were covered by the Earth’s surface. The water is heated by the high temperatures of the rocks and rises up through the limestone in the form of natural springs.

Water that has been heated can hold more dissolved solids and minerals like calcium, lithium and radium. When these mineral are in water they are in their ionic form that is absorbed through the skin. It has been proven that soaking in salt water that contains radiation, pulls the toxins away from your body and neutralizes contaminants.

People in the 19^th and 20^th centuries believed in the healing powers of the waters. The sights became a vacation spots for the rich and others looking to improve their health. The soaking in the water would relieve symptoms from rheumatic and muscular disorders, as well as respiratory problems. The minerals of salts and sulfur that dissolved in the waters were used to treat skin inflammations, fungal infections, reduce stiffness and inflammation of arthritis and aid to patients recovering from surgery.

The Milk River property was owned by Jonathan Ludford in the 18^th century. He badly beat one of his slaves. The slave escaped from the dungeon and ran off into the hills. There he discovered a spring with salty tasting waters. He soaked his injured body in the waters for a few days and returned to the slave quarters with his wounds complete healed. Ludford thought a miracle had happened. He promised the slave that he would never punish him again if he showed him where is got healed. The area was fenced off and the slave was given the job to guard the waters. Ludford willed the two thousand acres to the Government of Jamaica for the people of the land. The mineral baths opened in 1794. Today there are several baths, a hotel, a cocktail bar and a restaurant.

People who have used the waters of the Milk River have found relieve from: stress, fatigue, back pain, muscle strain, headaches, migraine, arthritis, circulatory problems, neck pain, and whiplash. I think it might be worth a trip.