> First, let me say that you and your fellow-webmasters are running a wonderful, selfless site disseminating desperately needed information to a long-suffering, unhealthy population(particularly Americans..)


Livvy,

Thank you. We are trying...


About salt... my opinion .. I am not a doctor ...

When it comes to any food, I believe in Elimination Diet or in
muscle response testing.

EVERY person must be separately evaluated!

I do not believe in science, Science based on statistics.
Statistics is my profession.

Most people who have been tested (muscle response testing) for salt, ... most people test positive on unrefined salt ... and negative on refined salt.
(You test postive on foods that your body needs ...)

Same with Elimination - Rotation Diet .

Each person must find if he/she needs or not unrefined salt (nobody needs refined one).


If eaten in moderation, and if person derinks enough water throughout a day, I believe that unrefined salt is OK for most people.


When analyzed diets of different societies, those who have had access to unrefined Sea Salt (people living closer to the sea) have bee signifiacntly healthier then people living far from the sea.

Most health problems have one thing in common - mineral deficiency is one of the main cofactors. Unrefined Sea Salt contains all natural minerals - inorganic - that is true - but we humans can absorbe if we need it.

If you cook foods with salt, it becomes easier available.


Many people experienced significant health improvement after switching from refined to Unrefined ...


In ancient Celts times, salt was used to treat major physical and mental disturbances, severe burns, and other ailments. Today biologists attest that seawater (also called 'mother liquor') restores hydro-electrolytic imbalances, a disorder that causes loss of immune response, creates allergies, and causes many health problems. Also the therapeutic effect of seawater is recognized and used by the best European medical professionals because of its effectiveness in so many situations.




>>>>>
> Sea Salt , even unrefined Sea Salt, share the same origin and chemistry with table salt . Rock salt(otherwise known as table salt )
> , as I'm sure you know, is just evaporated sea salt left over from ancient oceans. Sea Salt and rock salt are inorganic. Inorganic minerals in "hard" water literally ossify us over time, from the inside out,causing hardening of the arteries and strokes.Salt has been proven to do the same.
<<<<<<<<




I agree with you about this, but I believe that this applies to refined salt and to modern western diet in general, and not to unrefined salt and healthy diet.



I believe that moderation is the answer.

Not too much, not too little.





>>>>><
> Yes, sodium is certainly key in many basic bodily processess.Its the form we ingest it in that seems to be telling. Did you know that the IBOMF - a vanguard of international doctors with enough courage and vision to practice bio oxidative therapies-no longer recommend using Saline solution in Hydrogen Peroxide infusions as it causes constriction of the arteries and stress on the veins? They now use D5W(dextrose solution). Plants are the only life forms that can take inorganic minerals and salt and turn them into the organic minerals and salts we so desperately need. There is debate on this subject. I have read that some scientitst believe that both inorganic and organic minerals are present in our blood . It seems they aren't quite sure how or if the inorganic minerals interact in our bodys' processes.
> We acknowledge that we don't want inorganic metals in our bodies - (that the difference between inorganic iron and organic iron , is the difference between heavy metal toxemia and health). Common sense
> suggests that until the debate is settled about organic and inorganic sodium it would be safer to get your salt and the attendant minerals from Kelp , dulse or other sea plants.
<<<<




I agree that sea plants are superior source of minerals, but most people are not use to eat it, unfortunately.

But, if you can get enough of seaweed, it is the gerat source of minerals and proteins and fibers ...



>>>>
> Besides no one in our culture has a sodium deficiency. Quite the opposite, it is difficult to find prepared foods uncontaminated by salt in some way. It is used in ways we never even suspect, even in health food stores.(The only difference is that there, its "Sea Salt")
> If you live in an area where the water is hard be careful when you bathe because you are absorbing salt used to treat the water through your skin.
>
> Agnes, I'd welcome any additional info. Please, keep fighting the good fight. You guys give a priceless gift everyday. God Bless you.
> Livvy -
> anlamson@hotmail.com




Livvy,

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Understanding Salt and Sodium
By Ann Louise Gittleman , N.D., M.S.

You can read this article whole on Salt Cure page.



SODIUM IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE.

Sodium is so important, in fact, that humans have a specific sensor on the tongue that can detect salt. Thousands of years ago, when the diet of humans was potassium-rich and sodium-poor, this sensor for salt was a crucial survival tool. Nature, in her infinite wisdom, devised a way to help humans (as well as animals) seek out salty foods so they could be assured of receiving adequate sodium from their diets. This is important because sodium is often found in the form of sodium chloride or salt plays countless roles in the body.

To begin with, sodium is crucial for maintaining the health of every cell in the human system. It permeates the fluid between cells (often called the "extracellular fluid") and potassium exists mainly on the inside of the cells (in the intracellular fluid). These two minerals need to be in constant dynamic balance so nutrient and waste can take place across cell membranes. If either of these minerals is deficient or in excess, cell permeability becomes compromise and the health of all the cells suffers.

Besides being a component of extracellular fluid that bathes every living cell, sodium is important in two other "salty oceans" in the body, our blood and our lymphatic fluid. It is also necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid, the digestive enzyme secreted by the stomach in order to digest protein. Along with potassium, sodium is required for the proper functioning of our nerves and the contraction of our muscles. (The heart, as you may know, is our hardest working muscle.) Finally sodium is necessary to maintain several kinds of equilibrium - fluid balance, electrolyte balance and pH (acid/alkaline) balance which are all of the utmost importance to the body.

With the many crucial roles sodium plays, it's dear that if we had no sodium, we would cease to exist. Obtaining adequate, easily absorbable sodium from foods then is important for maintaining health, but obtaining too much of the wrong kinds of sodium is harmful.

Like fat, sodium is often misunderstood by the public. Sodium and fat are nutrients we need for health, but not all forms of them arc healthy.

Most of us already know that excessive salt consumption contributes to the development of high blood pressure but recent research shows that is also associated with strokes, calcium deficiency and osteoporosis, fluid retention, weight gain, stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. However, reducing sodium too much can be just as harmful as consuming large amounts of it. Too little can cause spasms, poor heart rhythms, sudden death and even increase the risk of heart attack in hypertensive patients. Understanding the role sodium plays in the body and the difference between "good" and "bad" sources of sodium will help you get the salt out of your diet while you still meet your sodium needs.

Just how much salt do we consume? According to The Sodium Counter {Pocket Books, 1993), the average American's salt intake is two to three teaspoons a day. This may not sound like a lot, but it provides 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams of sodium a day-which can be double the Food and Drug Administrations maximum recommended daily quantity of 2,400 milligrams.

No other mammal eats this much salt and no other mammal has the health problems we do. High blood pressure, for example, was never even seen in animals until researchers found they could induce it either by surgery or by introducing large amounts of salt into animals' diets.

We unknowingly absorb excessive salt not only from the food we consume, but also from an unsuspected source, the salt-softened water in which we bathe. Since the American Heart Association now warns that salt-softened water can cause an elevated sodium level, many health-conscious Americans no longer drink salt-softened water. Few of us, however, realize chat we receive a lot of unwanted sodium every time we take a shower or a bath or wash clothes in softened water. Sodium is very efficiently through the skin and topically ingested salt has become a common culprit of excess sodium.
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You can read this article whole on Salt Cure page.




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* The information on salt intake is taken from Dr. Batmanghelidj's book, "Water: Rx for a Healthier Pain-Free Life".


Vital Functions of Salt (unrefined sea salt) in the Body



1. Salt is most effective in stabilizing irregular heartbeats and, Contrary to the misconception that it causes high blood pressure, it is actually essential for the regulation of blood pressure - in conjunction with water. Naturally the proportions are critical.

2. Salt is vital to the extraction of excess acidity from the cells in the body, particularly the brain cells.

3. Salt is vital for balancing the Sugar levels in the blood; a needed element in diabetics.

4. Salt is vital for the generation of hydroelectric energy in cells in the body. It is used for local power generation at the sites of energy need by the cells.

5. Salt is vital to the nerve cells' communication and information processing all the time that the brain cells work, from the moment of conception to death.

6. Salt is vital for absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract.

7. Salt is vital for the clearance of the lungs of mucus plugs and sticky phlegm, particularly in asthma and cystic fibrosis.

8. Salt is vital for clearing up catarrh and congestion of the sinuses.

9. Salt is a strong natural antihistamine.

10. Salt is essential for the prevention of muscle cramps.

11. Salt is vital to prevent excess saliva production to the point that it flows out of the mouth during sleep. Needing to constantly mop up excess saliva indicates salt shortage.

12. Salt is absolutely vital to making the structure of bones firm. Osteoporosis, in a major way, is a result of salt and water shortage in the body.

13. Salt is vital for sleep regulation. It is a natural hypnotic.

14. Salt is a vitally needed element in the treatment of diabetics.

15. Salt on the tongue will stop persistent dry coughs.

16. Salt is vital for the prevention of gout and gouty arthritis.

17. Salt is vital for maintaining sexuality and libido.

18. Salt is vital for preventing varicose veins and spider veins on the legs and thighs.

19. Salt is vital to the communication and information processing nerve cells the entire time that the brain cells work - from the moment of conception to death.

20. Salt is vital for reducing a double chin. When the body is short of salt, it means the body really is short of water. The salivary glands sense the salt shortage and are obliged to produce more saliva to lubricate the act of chewing and swallowing and also to supply the stomach with water that it needs for breaking down foods. Circulation to the salivary glands increases and the blood vessels become "leaky" in order to supply the glands with water to manufacture saliva. The "leakiness" spills beyond the area of the glands themselves, causing increased bulk under the skin of the chin, the cheeks and into the neck.

21. 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 such as aluminum silicate to keep it powdery and porous. Aluminum is a very toxic element in our nervous system. It is implicated as one of the primary causes of Alzheimer's disease.

22. Twenty-seven percent of the body's salt is in the bones. Osteoporosis results when the body needs more salt and takes it from the body. Bones are twenty-two percent water. Is it not obvious what happens to the bones when we're deficient in salt or water or both.

* The information on salt intake is taken from Dr. Batmanghelidj's book, "Water: Rx for a Healthier Pain-Free Life".





"Water: Rx for a Healthier Pain-Free Life".

Salt Intake is Vital


Salt is a vital substance for the survival of all living creatures, particularly humans. Water and salt regulate the water content of the body. Water itself regulates the water content of the interior of the cell by working its way into all of the cells it reaches. It has to get there to cleanse and extract the toxic wastes of cell metabolisms. Salt forces some water to stay outside the cells. It balances the amount of water that stays outside the cells. There are two oceans of water in the body; one ocean is held inside the cells of the body, and the other ocean is held outside the cells. Good health depends on a most delicate balance between the volume of these oceans, and this balance is achieved by salt - unrefined salt.

When water is available to get inside the cells freely, it is filtered from the outside salty ocean and injected into the cells that are being overworked despite their water shortage. This is the reason why in severe dehydration we develop an edema and retain water. The design of our bodies is such that the extent of the ocean of water outside the cells is expanded to have the extra water available for filtration and emergency injection into vital cells. The brain commands an increase in salt and water retention by the kidneys. This is how we get an edema when we don't drink enough water.

Initially, the process of water filtration and its delivery into the cells is more efficient at night when the body is horizontal. The collected water, that mostly pools in the legs, does not have to fight the force of gravity to get onto the blood circulation. If reliance of this process of emergency hydration of some cells continues for long, the lungs begin to get waterlogged at night, and breathing becomes difficult. The person needs more pillows to sit upright to sleep. This condition is the consequence of dehydration. However, you might overload the system by drinking too much water at the beginning. Increases in water intake must be slow and spread out until urine production begins to increase at the same rate that you drink water.

When we drink enough water to pass clear urine, we also pass out a lot of the salt that was held back. This is how we can get rid of edema fluid in the body; by drinking more water. Not diuretics, but more water!! In people who have an extensive edema and show signs of their heart beginning to have irregular or very rapid beats with least effort, the increase in water intake should be gradual and spaced out, but not withheld from the body. Naturally, salt intake should be limited for two or three days because the body is still in an overdrive mode to retain it. Once the edema has cleared up, salt should not be withheld from the body.

Salt has many other functions than just regulating the water content of the body.

Hi -

I hope I'm not being redundant, but here goes. I am trying to find information regarding the cosmetic use of Sea Salt for the skin and bath. What kind should I look for an use, and where might I find it? I live in Michigan, and spend most of the summer in the Myrtle Beach area.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Dianne