Sea Salt

· The sodium and chloride levels on a serum test are not a reliable indicator, in my experience, because the body keeps them fairly even no matter what."

Dr. Joseph Mercola: Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

"Too much salt also exhausts the adrenals and causes a loss of potassium, leading to lower blood sugar."

Pathlights: The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia : Section 11, Endocrine: Part 2, Adrenals

Minerals

"The benefit from salt comes from the minerals it supplies, especially trace minerals, this is why sea salt must be used.

I have read that the mineral content of sea salt closely approximates that of human blood."

CureZone.com: Water Cure Forum: Is Sea Salt an integral part of the water cure?

Hypotension, Blood Pressure

"Consuming a diet higher in salt will sometimes help restore a more normal blood pressure. One of the most common - and treatable - problems identified in those with NMH (Neurally Mediated Hypotension) is a low dietary salt (sodium) intake. Salt helps us retain fluid in the blood vessels, and helps maintain a healthy blood pressure."

Diagnose-Me.com: Increased Salt Consumption

Sea Salt vs. Table Salt

· "Sea salt contains about 80 mineral elements that the body needs. Some of these elements are needed in trace amounts. Unrefined sea salt is a better choice of salt than other types of salt on the market.

· Ordinary table salt that is bought in the super markets has been

Stripped of its companion elements and
Contains additive elements [sometimes] such as aluminum silicate [please see note below] to keep it powdery and porous."

ShirleysWellnessCafe.com: Salt Deficiency: the cause of many serious diseases

Note: Table salt sometimes contains additive elements such as aluminum silicate to keep it powdery and porous. Studies have found no relationship between the development of Alzheimer's and exposure to aluminum in cooking, occupational work, or drinking water.

"Metals: in spite of some early concern that aluminum may have some role in Alzheimer's, studies have found no relationship between the development of Alzheimer's and exposure to aluminum in cooking, occupational work, or drinking water.

· Alzheimer's does create a condition that results in aluminum ions replacing iron ions and accumulating in cells, which may contribute to existing dementia.

Some researchers believe that excessive amounts of zinc may promote formation of amyloid plaques. In one experiment, this process was accelerated when zinc was combined with aluminum silicate, a substance found in non-dairy creamers and nonprescription antidiarrheal medications.

Abnormal zinc metabolism has also been found in Alzheimer's patients."

Emerging Worlds: Alzheimer's Disease

Lack of Salt

Loss of Salt, Vitamins, and Minerals

"You will experience loss of salt from the body when you increase your water consumption without increasing salt.

· A few days after having increased your water consumption, you should add some sea salt to your diet.

· Muscle cramps are often an indication [of salt loss]…along with dizziness and feeling faint.

· You will also need to increase your vitamins and minerals [or make very sure you are getting truly sufficient quantities from your diet; without exceeding recommended dosages], to replace what is washed out."

WebMD: Dehydration: Prevention

· Other Suggestions: Electrolytes: Effects: Inner Ear

Blood Pressure

It’s commonly known that eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure.

According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, author of ‘Your Body’s Many Cries for Water’, a lack of salt can also cause high blood pressure and hypertension.

Dosage

“I have developed a rule of thumb for daily salt intake. For every 10 glasses of water (about two quarts) [two quarts is actually equal to 8 8-ounce glasses of water], one should add to the diet about half a teaspoon of salt per day. An average teaspoon can contain six grams of salt. Half a teaspoon is about three grams of salt.

Of course, one should make sure the kidneys are producing urine. Otherwise the body will swell up. If you sense your skin and ankles are beginning to swell, do not panic. Reduce salt intake for a few days, but increase your water intake until the swelling in the legs disappears.

You should also increase your movements—exercise; muscle activity will draw the excess fluid into the blood circulation and some salt is then lost in perspiration and urine. Do not sit or stand in one position for too long. (Pages 161-162)”

Book: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., Your Body's Many Cries for Water, 2nd ed. Global Health Solutions, 1995.

"The current [US] recommendation is to consume less than 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day. This is about 1 teaspoon of table salt per day. It includes ALL salt and sodium consumed, including sodium used in cooking and at the table."

http://www.annecollins.com/sodium-rda-diet.htm

· "Specific recommendations regarding sodium intake do not exist for infants, children, and adolescents.

· The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) recommends an approximate daily range of 1,100 to 3,300 milligrams of sodium for adults.

· The American Heart Association recommends that for every 1,000 Calories of food consumed, the

Sodium intake should be 1,000 milligrams and
Should not exceedthe 3,000 milligram limit.

· The average intake in the United States is between 4,000 and 5,000 milligrams of sodium per day [I, personally, doubt there are that many Americans eating large quantities of fast food or processed food every single day]."

Baylor College of Medicine: USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center: How do the Daily Values found on food labels compare to the nutritional recommendations for children?

Iodized Salt

"Concentrated primarily in the thyroid gland, iodine is a potent trace mineral that plays an important role in many of the body's biological functions. In fact, iodine is so vital to a person's overall health that in the 1920s U.S. government health officials recommended it be added to table salt.

The ruling was a strategy to ensure that an iodine deficiency didn't develop in the American diet. And it worked. Today, iodine deficiency has been virtually eliminated domestically. Unfortunately, about 1.6 billion people, mainly in underdeveloped countries are still plagued by a variety of disorders caused by a lack of this mineral in their diets."

wholehealthmd.com: supplements: iodine

Things to Consider

Sports Drinks

"Most commercial sports drinks have modest sodium content in order to make them more palatable.

· A person exercising in heat needs as much as 2gm [grams] of sodium per liter for proper recovery - which would make sports drinks taste like seawater

· (there is about 0.5gm of sodium per liter of Gatorade)."

Diagnose-Me.com: Increased Salt Consumption

Drinking Water Alone

"Drinking large amounts of plain water is not ideal in itself [i.e. without also consuming salt] because it shuts off the sense of thirst and produces more urine which results in further fluid loss even though you are dehydrated."

Diagnose-Me.com: Increased Salt Consumption

Sodium Content of Salt

"There is 1gm of sodium [40%] in every 2.5gm of table salt [and sea salt])"

Diagnose-Me.com: Increased Salt Consumption

Hot Weather, Colds, Flu

"Consume extra salt and drink more fluids during hot weather and while sick with a viral illness, such as a cold or the flu."

Diagnose-Me.com: Increased Salt Consumption

Serum Sodium Level, Chloride Level

"Please be aware, though, that not everyone should take salt. The best index I have found to determine if one needs salt is to look at a fasting chemistry profile, which shows the serum sodium level, from a good reference lab. The sodium level should be 139 with an ideal range of 136 to 142. If it is much lower, you probably need salt; if it is higher, you probably want to restrict salt intake."

Dr. Joseph Mercola: Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

"Salt is sodium chloride so you will also want to look at your chloride level. The ideal is 102, with an ideal range of 99 to 105. Just like sodium, lower levels suggest one should add salt and higher levels suggest you should restrict its use."

Dr. Joseph Mercola: Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

Weak Adrenals

"People with weak adrenals lose sodium and need to eat more natural salt. This is easily observed on a hair mineral analysis [please read the excerpt below about the reliability of hair mineral analysis] that is not washed at the laboratory. The sodium and chloride levels on a serum test are not a reliable indicator, in my experience, because the body keeps them fairly even no matter what."

Dr. Joseph Mercola: Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

· Arousal: Hypoglycemia: Causes: Stress and Adrenal Fatigue

Hair Mineral Analysis

"Over the years, we have invested much time and effort into proving or disproving the necessity of hair sample washing [in hair mineral analysis]. Unfortunately, it is a step in sample procedure that is imperative to obtaining accurate testing results. The following chart (Table 1) demonstrates this point. It compares sodium and potassium levels of washed and unwashed hair. Over 40 samples were tested as washed and unwashed samples, and tested over a period of one month.

· The data demonstrates that sample washing is a much needed step in the analysis of hair samples.

· The data clearly and simply states that sodium (Na) and potassium (K) values of unwashed hair are misleading and meaningless."

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Feb, 2001: Letters to the Editor (cached by Google)

· Dr. Joseph Mercola: Hair Mineral Analysis

Too Much Salt

Swelling

"If your ankles start to swell, reduce salt intake but continue the water, and increase your movement (get up out of that chair!)."

BabySnark: Supplements & Tips (pregnancy advice)

Salt Tablets

"Do not take salt tablets. Most people get plenty of salt in their diets. Use a sports drink if you are worried about replacing minerals lost through sweating."

WebMD: Dehydration: Prevention

High or High-Normal Blood Pressure

"Salt has received bad press in the last couple of decades because a high salt diet in some individuals with high or high-normal blood pressure can contribute to further elevations, and thereby to heart disease and stroke. This has led to general health recommendations to cut down on salt. As we are finding, this general recommendation isn’t right for all people."

Diagnose-Me.com: Increased Salt Consumption

"At present, there is no accurate test to determine who may be sensitive to the effects of sodium. It is for this reason that the United States population, as a whole, is advised to limit sodium use."

Rutgers University Health Services: Factsheets: Sodium

"There are certain characteristics which help identify individuals who may develop high blood pressure. These risk factors include:

· A family history of high blood pressure

· Elevated blood pressure readings (normal is somewhere around 120/80 mm/Hg)

· A high resting heart rate (given the level of physical fitness).

· A body mass index greater than 26."

Rutgers University Health Services: Factsheets: Sodium

· "High blood pressure is a 'silent' disease;

· It often has no symptoms.

· Be sure you and your health care provider monitor your blood pressure regularly."

Rutgers University Health Services: Factsheets: Sodium

"Current research suggests a diet high in potassium and calcium may help lower blood pressure."

Rutgers University Health Services: Factsheets: Sodium

Salty Foods

· Nutrition: Processed Food and Junk Food

Products

'Real Salt'

"However, you don't want to use your current table salt. Instead, obtain 'real salt.'

· The difference between conventional and 'real salt' is that conventional salt is dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. This amount of heat changes the chemical structure of the salt.

· Also, conventional processing adds harmful additives and chemicals [sometimes]."

Dr. Joseph Mercola: Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

"However, there are alternatives to commercial table salt. Unrefined sea salt and RealSalt® are good salts the body can use for many of the roles sodium plays.

RealSalt is

A pollutant-free salt extracted from an ancient seabed in Utah.
It is not altered with coloring, additives or bleaching and it is not kiln dried.
It also has a full complement of trace minerals, including iodine.

For all these reasons, RealSalt is the brand of salt I recommend most often. The maker of RealSalt also sells an ultra-small, convenient salt shaker [I could use one of those] that is perfect for all our dining-out and traveling needs."

Total Health Magazine: Understanding Salt and Sodium

Note: If you order directly from the RealSalt web site, there is a shipping charge of $8 on orders within the continental U.S.. RealSalt can also be purchased from other web sites, or you can use their store locator to find a store near you that sells RealSalt.

"Compared to RealSalt, many sea salts appear stark white because they have undergone a harsh refining process. Unlike RealSalt, these salts are filled with silicates, dextrose, and other additives.

By contrast, RealSalt is an all-natural, kosher-certified sea salt extracted from deep within the earth, crushed, screened, and packaged. RealSalt's unique flecks of color are the result of more than 50 natural trace minerals essential to human health (including natural iodine!). Experience the goodness of RealSalt!"

RealSalt Web Site

Things to Avoid

Carrying Salt

If you carry salt with you, and you enter a secure area such as an airport, your salt make be mistaken for drugs, and you may be searched and detained. :(

If you are not planning to enter a secure area, I would recommend storing the salt in a small salt-shaker (RealSalt sells some of these). Other containers such as salt boxes may be seen as suspicious by law enforcerment.

· Transportation Security Administration: Travelers & Consumers: Prohibited Items (applies to flights originating in the USA)

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