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Salt Your Way To Health
Topic Started: Jan 19 2009, 08:11 AM (359 Views)
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Salt Your Way To Health

By: Crusador Interviews Dr. David Brownstein
Source: http://www.healthtruthrevealed.com
January 18, 2009

CRUSADOR Interviews Book Author & Board-Certified Practitioner David Brownstein, M.D. About The Importance Of Salt In Your Diet


Crusador: David, it’s an honor to have the opportunity to interview you again so you can share your pearls of health wisdom with our readers. Our last interview with you on iodine that appeared in our November/December issue generated some terrific response and some interesting first hand accounts of results. In this interview I want to get into the health benefits of salt. We’ve covered the importance of salt in our paper in previous editions to some extent, but I feel that getting the right salt into the body is so important that the subject needs regular coverage. You have an awesome book titled “Salt Your Way To Health”. How did you first learn that adding the right salt to your diet could be the single most important thing you could ever do to stay healthy?

Hi Greg. Thank you for having me back. I have been interested in salt for over 15 years. In medical school, I was taught that salt was bad for everybody. We were indoctrinated with the idea that the use of salt led to the development of hypertension. What I know now is that I was not taught correctly.

When I was practicing conventional medicine, I would routinely tell my patients to avoid using any salt and encourage them to go on a low-salt diet in order to help them lower their blood pressure. How many times did this work? It rarely worked. In fact, lowering the salt intake or eliminating it from the diet generally made my patients’ grumpy since their food lost all the taste to it. And, this salt-free diet did little or nothing to improve their blood pressure.

Research has proven that only a select few salt- sensitive individuals can lower their blood pressure by eliminating or lowering salt in their diet. I would estimate that it is less than 1% of the population. For the vast majority of people, lowering salt has nothing to do with regulating blood pressure. I cover this topic in more detail in my book.

As I began practicing holistic medicine (16 years ago), I found those with hypertension very difficult to treat. It was hard to get them off their blood pressure medications. Furthermore, the vast majority of my patients, including those with hypertension, had low mineral levels and an acidic pH. The mineral levels of our population has been falling for the last 30 years as the mineral quality of our food has declined. What is the consequence of lowered mineral levels? Elevation of the blood pressure, an acidic pH and poor health.

So, I was seeing a whole host of patients with low mineral levels, acidic pH’s, and elevated blood pressures. These were the patients with poor immune systems suffering from a wide range of illnesses including fatigue, fibromyalgia, thyroid disorders, immune system problems, autoimmune disorders, cancer and hypertension. I began to search for the underlying cause(s) of why these illnesses were occurring.


Crusador: What did you find?

What I found was astounding. My research has shown that there was an underlying problem with most of my ill patients. Nearly all of them were salt deficient. How did I reach that conclusion? I routinely check blood work in my patients. This includes their electrolytes—sodium, potassium, chloride and CO2. I was finding that the vast majority of my ill patients had lowered sodium levels—below 140 on the laboratory report. I also do hair testing on patients and found low sodium levels on hair mineral testing. Those patients with a lowered serum or hair sodium level were generally found to be ill. When I had them incorporate unrefined salt in their diet, their health (and sodium levels) improved.

I found that the use of unrefined salt, with its full complement of minerals helps to lower blood pressure, elevate pH (correct acidity) and improve the health of the individual. They did not teach me that in medical school! Furthermore, it makes food taste much better. But, you have to use the right kind of salt—unrefined salt – to get the benefits I described.

I had been using salt for about a year when I ran across a book by Dr. Batmenghelidj titled, “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water.” This doctor wrote about his experience with using water and salt to treat a wide variety of illnesses in his patients. I found this book fascinating and validating what I was seeing in my practice.


Crusador: What is the difference between refined and unrefined salt?

Greg, nobody makes a distinction between unrefined and refined salt. They ‘lump’ all salt together as a bad substance. This is a terrible mistake. There is too much misinformation about salt in the media, so let me set the record straight. It is difficult for the consumer to choose the right form of salt. I will try and make it easy. There are two forms of salt available in the market place; refined and unrefined salt.

Refined salt has had its minerals removed and has been bleached to give it the white appearance that we are accustomed to seeing with salt. It is the fine, white salt that is available at almost any restaurant or grocery store. Refined salt has been bleached and exposed to many toxic chemicals in order to get it to its final product. It has aluminum, ferrocyanide and bleach in it. I believe this refining process has made it a toxic, devitalized substance that needs to be avoided.

Unrefined salt, on the other hand has not been put through a harsh chemical process. It contains the natural minerals that was originally part of the product. The mineral content of it gives it a distinct color. The colors of unrefined salt can vary depending on where it is taken from. This is due to the changing mineral content of the various brands of salt. It is the minerals in unrefined salt that provides all the benefits of this product.

The minerals supply the body with over 80 trace elements needed to maintain and sustain health. Furthermore, the minerals elevate the pH (correct acidity) and lower blood pressure. Our maker gave us salt to use in our diet—unrefined salt—with its’ full complement of minerals. It should be the salt of choice. It is a vital ingredient that needs to be part of everyone’s diet. My experience has clearly shown that a diet devoid of unrefined salt will make it nearly impossible to achieve your optimal health.


Crusador: What about sea salt? Is that unrefined salt?

Just because a salt is labeled as sea salt does not mean that it is unrefined.

In fact, most salts labeled “sea salt” are refined salts. How do you tell? As previously mentioned, you have to look at the color of the salt. If it has some color to it (other than white), it is probably unrefined. White salt is often bleached and has had its minerals removed. When you purchase salt, the packaging should indicate the salt product is unrefined.


Crusador: I find it very interesting that in the Bible a certain covenant with David was made with salt. There is a long history of salt going back to ancient times. Can you get into that briefly because I think it shows how important salt is?

Salt has been a part of human existence since the beginning of time. Human life would not exist without salt. However, human’s did not survive using refined salt and its toxic additives found in it. Human’s survived using unrefined salt and its full complement of minerals. The bible has numerous references to salt. I can assure you that the references did not refer to refined salt; they referred to unrefined salt. We take salt for granted now since it is easily available. In ancient times, wars were fought over salt. Salt should not be taken for granted. Unrefined salt was provided to us to help us achieve our optimal health.

Crusador: Why is there such a controversy surrounding the use of salt and what are your thoughts on low salt diets?

There is such a controversy because of a misunderstanding about salt. Doctors and the media know little about the difference between unrefined and refined salt. Consequently, they lump all the negative effects of refined salt with unrefined salt. This is simply wrong. People need and desire unrefined salt. It provides nutrients which provide for an optimally functioning immune system.

Low salt diets don’t work. They promote lipid abnormalities (high LDL, low HDL, high cholesterol levels), adrenal dysfunction, thyroid dysfunction, fatigue, blood pressure problems and immune system problems. There are many prescription medications that treat the symptoms of salt deficiency, but they don’t treat the underlying problems. Oftentimes, the underlying problems include a deficiency of unrefined salt. I discuss this topic in more detail in my book, “Salt Your Way to Health” and my DVD on Salt.


Crusador: Is there a relationship between the endocrine glands and salt?

Absolutely there is a relationship. The adrenal glands are very sensitive to salt. I have found it impossible to treat adrenal problems without addressing the issue of salt intake. Unrefined salt is very nourishing for the adrenals. You can almost ensure problems with the adrenal glands by eating refined salt or going on a low-salt diet. Signs of adrenal problems are blood pressure abnormalities (either hi or low), fatigue, brain fog, and muscle aches and pains.

I have also found the thyroid gland very sensitive to salt. Just as with the adrenals, the thyroid will be difficult to balance in a low-salt environment or a diet that provides a lot of refined salt.


Crusador: Can you get too much salt? Should we distinguish between the type of salt being used?

It is really important to refer to salt as unrefined or refined. Remember, refined salt is a toxic product that is devitalized and needs to be avoided. Unrefined salt should be the salt of choice.

Can you get too much salt? You can get too much of anything, salt included. However, if you are adequately hydrated, it is hard to consume too much unrefined salt. Generally, an adult who is drinking adequate amounts of water should consume approximately 1-1.5 tsp/day of unrefined salt. How much water should you consume? Take your weight in pounds, divide by two and the resulting number is the average amount of pure water you should consume during the day. Athletes or those that are very active may need more.


Crusador: What types of salt do you recommend to your patients in your practice and why?

I recommend my patients rid their household and their diet of refined salt. Throw it out. Get unrefined salt for you and your family. It tastes better and is a healthy item to ingest. For the last 15 years, I have recommended that my patients use Selina Naturally brand of Celtic Sea Salt. It is an inexpensive product that has proven its worth to me over the last 15 years. There are other brands of unrefined salt in the market place such as Redmond’s salt and Himalayan Sea Salt that are also good choices. My patients improve their health when they use the right kind of salt.

Crusador: There is a ton of information coming out about pH balancing. All sorts of supplements and machines are making their way to market to supposedly raise pH levels. Isn’t salt in the right form and the right quantity one of the quickest and best ways to address pH issues in the body?

Greg, the best way I have found to properly balance the pH is to eliminate refined foods including refined sugar, flour, oil, and salt. Eat a diet full of natural, unrefined whole food that includes unrefined salt. I do not feel that anyone needs to purchase expensive machines or supplements to raise their pH levels. You just need to get the basics; eat right and eliminate refined foods.

Crusador: You have a chapter in your book about salt and detoxification.
Detoxification is a huge issue and is something that we can never do enough of in our toxic world. What do you get into about salt and detoxification in your book and how effective is it?

Salt is one of the best detoxifiers for the body. Man has used salt as a detoxifying agent for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I routinely have my patients use salt baths (1-2 cups of dead sea salts or Epsom salts in the tub) to help the body detoxify. Any toxic situation can be lessened with the use of salt.

Acute toxicities can sometimes be managed by ingesting 1/4tsp of unrefined salt in a glass of water. There are many uses for salt to aid in the detoxification process. I cover many of these in my book.


Crusador: What type of health conditions have you seen reversed or helped in your practice with your patients by using salt?

I have seen blood pressures, both too high and low, normalize with the use of unrefined salt. Adrenal problems are much easier treated with correcting a salt deficiency. The thyroid gland requires and utilizes salt. Nearly every system in the body needs adequate amounts of unrefined salt. A low salt diet is a recipe for problems in the vast majority of individuals.

Crusador: Are there any risks or warnings with using salt in the diet even if it comes from a pure, unrefined source and if so, what would they be?

People with kidney problems need to be careful about adding in extra salt in their diet. Those with normal kidney function usually do fine with unrefined salt. There are a few salt-sensitive individuals out there who need to use caution with any form of salt. However, they are few in number. The best results can be achieved by working with a health care provider knowledgeable about natural items and salt.

Crusador: The media and most doctors say we get too much salt in our diet. You say we need more salt? Can you explain the difference?

[i/When you don't distinguish between unrefined and refined salt, it gets confusing. They are right, we get too much refined salt in our diet. Refined salt is a toxic item to the body. I believe any amount of refined salt is too much salt. However, unless you are ingesting unrefined salt as part of your diet, by my definition, you are salt deficient. So, do we need more salt? We need the right kind of salt--unrefined salt which contains a full complement of minerals.[/i]

Crusador: Do you have any final thoughts?

I would like to leave the reader with a few pieces of advice. Avoid refined salt. It is a toxic, devitalized substance. Its use leads to a toxic, devitalized body. Unrefined salt should be the salt of choice. Our bodies were designed and made to use unrefined salt. Unrefined salt should be part of any holistic regimen.
Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all human understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
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