Confront Salt Confusion

April 21, 2009

http://www.naturalnews.com/026080.htmlSalt is currently considered a leading culprit for high blood pressure

and other health problems. This is based on the premise that a high

sodium intake creates high blood pressure, which can lead to heart

attacks, arterial, and kidney problems. Salt is high in sodium. But

sodium is essential for proper absorption of other major nutrients and

functioning of nerves and muscles, as well as being necessary for

balancing water and minerals in the body.Lately there have been studies that strongly question the research on sodium

hazards, as well as the recommended maximum sodium intakes from that

research. There has been a survey in New York, conducted over several

years on hypertension prone locals, which showed that those with high

sodium intakes had proportionately less heart attacks than those who were put on low sodium diets! And now there are even MD`s who claim that the right type of salt, unrefined, has more health benefits than health hazards.

A

major confusion is that only refined commercial and household salt is

known as salt to most of medical science and consumers. It is the most

prevalent, by far. Refined salt, stripped of its natural mineral

structure, is virtually all sodium. As a matter of fact, it is 97% to

99% sodium! That`s why it is called Sodium Chloride. Processed foods

are laced with Sodium Chloride refined salt as well as with other types

of sodium, such as sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, and the notorious

monosodium glutamate (MSG). So if you are concerned about your sodium

levels, then cut out processed foods!Part of the process for refined salt, or commercial table salt, involves the use of aluminum, ferro cyanide and bleach.

These are all toxic materials that your body takes in with refined,

commercial salt. And because of that process, almost all the vital minerals

that real, unrefined salt can offer are removed! One or two servings of

refined salt won`t send you to the grave. But continued almost daily

use will avail you to the perils of aluminum toxicity.

Ferro cyanide is listed by the EPA as a toxic material for human

consumption. You are probably aware of the hazards to human health of

chlorine, which is used to bleach the salt.There's more on aluminum toxicity here: www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/al.htmAccording to Dr. David Brownstein, author of Salt Your Way to Health,

unrefined salt is an excellent detoxification aid, as well as a

provider of mineral nutrients in a naturally bio-available balance.

There are usually around 80 minerals and essential trace elements in

unrefined, organic salt. Soil grown food

is lacking in many of these because the soil has been depleted of trace

elements and minerals. Some of the major minerals included with

unrefined salt are: Magnesium (a very essential metabolic agent),

calcium, potassium,

and sulfate. Obviously, sodium is present also, but it comprises only

50% of the total mineral content rather than the 99% sodium in refined

table salt.Regular consumer table salt, refined, sometimes has iodine added in order to promote thyroid

health. Dr. Brownstien has devoted a good deal of his practice and

research on thyroid and glandular health. He says there is less iodized

salt now than before, and the amount of iodine in iodized salt is

insufficient for optimum thyroid health anyway. Iodine is an important

agent for glandular health, and it is also scarcely present in our food

anymore. Unless you eat a lot of seafood and roll the dice with mercury!Dr.

Brownstein strongly advocates the use of unrefined, organic salt with

iodine supplements, preferably a combination of potassium iodide and

iodine. He maintains that these two dietary items contribute largely

toward optimum endocrine health, which is vital for a strong immune system.Unrefined

salt has a distinctively different look from refined salt. It is

usually too course to be used in salt shaker. You may want to invest in

a salt grinder. And it is usually not very white. Off white is more

common, even pink or gray for unrefined pure salt. The extreme white of

common household or commercial salt is a result of bleaching. But buyer

beware, some so called sea salts offered on line and especially in

health food stores are at least partially processed. Avoid sea salt that is too white and too fine as a rule of thumb.If

you are very concerned about getting the purest available product, and

you don`t have anyone`s advice you can trust, look for " organic

certification " . Since salt is mined or taken from salt water

beds, organic has different implications than produce and animal

product organic requirements. But the standards are there and they are

strict. The two groups that certify salt as organic are BIO-GRO of New Zealand, and Nature & Progresre of France.You may come across an analysis of organic salt minerals, or a commentary on such, that mentions fluoride

as a constituent. But there are two types of fluoride. One, Calcium

Fluoride, is an element that occurs as a natural process over time

within the earth`s soil, rock, and water areas. This is the fluoride

that originally was claimed as a deterrent against tooth decay. Wikipedia notes that while all other fluorides are dangerous for human consumption, calcium fluoride is not. And it`s Calcium Fluoride that would be in any unrefined salt analysis.

The

other fluoride, Sodium Fluoride, is a synthetic, poisonous fluoride. It

has been used as rat poison. It`s a waste by-product of the aluminum

industry, fertilizer industry, and nuclear industry. It`s their way of

picking up a lot of easy bucks by selling it to municipalities for

their water supplies instead of suffering the expense of getting rid of it. That`s the stuff that`s been going into our water supplies, causing health problems,

and assisting in the dumbing down of America. Either the dentists

didn`t distinguish between those two, or perhaps they didn`t even know

there were two types of fluoride.It appears that organically

produced, unrefined salt should be a healthy addition to our diets. It

offers bio-available, balanced minerals that aren`t naturally present

in our food chain. It does not contain the poisons of industry that are

a part of refined salt. Yes, too much of a good thing can be bad. But

again, the sodium of refined salt and other food additives is curbed

best by eliminating processed foods, which contain several toxic sodium

sources as well as unrefined salt, from the diet. Dr. Brownstein`s

advice, using organic, unrefined salt with a little bit of iodine

supplementation, seems like a natural and economical way to boost one`s