Symptoms such as digestive issues/constipation, low energy/fatigue, too much or dried mucous (congestion), and, over time, osteoporosis and other issues could be connected to a lack of good usable organic sodium. Shocking, isn’t it? Society has been so conditioned to lower salt intake that the message of good salt and how much we need it for good health has been totally lost. In fact, many people are suffering because they lack proper assessment and treatment. Most health care practitioners aren’t trained to look for it, and it’s so easy to reverse! Our body is always striving to maintain its natural balance.

Salt is NOT Bad for Us

There is a real misunderstanding about salt. On one hand, our consumption of salt seems to be killing us. On the other hand, we cannot live without salt. So in order to answer this loaded question we must first explore the differences between table salt and unrefined salt. Table salt has been fired at 1500 degrees so that it is stable in most climates. Once this salt has been chemically cleaned and processed, it becomes inorganic and impossible for our bodies to digest. Unrefined salt is unprocessed and is just like the sodium that occurs naturally in our bodies — it is essential to our daily lives and is most certainly good for us. So to your body, table salt is like poison and unrefined salt is like nectar.

Table salt: the Poison Pill

When table salt is chemically cleaned and processed, the trace minerals and electrolytes that naturally occur in unrefined salt are removed as if they were impurities. Chemically processed table salt is inorganic, which means that the chemical bonds are so strong that it can’t be easily broken down or metabolized by our bodies. When you take in an inorganic mineral, your body will either store them or eliminate them. In this case, when you take in table salt your body sees it as a poison and tries to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, most of us take in way more table salt than our bodies can eliminate. When this happens, your body has to do something with the excess salt.

Have You Ever Wondered Why You Feel So Thirsty and Bloated after Eating That Pepperoni Pizza?

Well, that’s because your body has been put into a tough position. It can’t get rid of the table salt fast enough so it must neutralize it. How does it do that? It is forced to take water from our healthy cells to surround it and as a result, you retain water and kill off healthy cells. Consumption of table salt increases blood pressure, and leads to a number of disorders such as edema (water retention) and excess fluid in the tissues (i.e. cellulite). So of course, your allopathic doctor will tell you to reduce your salt intake. Unfortunately most allopathic doctors have had only one nutrition class in their entire careers. The nutrition class that they take does NOT teach from a healing perspective. In other words, they are not taught about and most of them do not believe in the healing power of food. They are taught to use medication to “cure” an ailment. For this reason, allopathic doctors do not know (and cannot teach their patients) about the healing benefits of unrefined salt.

How Is Unrefined Salt Different?

Think of a diamond. A diamond started as coal, but this coal was subjected to intense pressure over millions of years and as a result the diamond was formed. Salt that has been subjected to this same pressure eventually becomes crystal salt. Our bodies can easily absorb the crystalline structure of salt because our blood has a crystalline structure. As an added benefit, the trace elements trapped within crystal salt are in particles small enough to penetrate human cells for optimal metabolism. So while there are many types of unrefined salts to choose from, crystal salt is my favorite. Many types of sea salts are also beneficial, but due to the pollution of our oceans, and for a variety of other reasons, many sea salt producers are starting to refine their salt. If you purchase sea salt, you have to check the label carefully to make sure that it does not have additives. Chances are, if your sea salt looks too much like table salt you probably want to avoid it.

It’s Not Your Body’s Fault

Contrary to popular belief, our bodies function perfectly. Your body does exactly what it is supposed to do each moment to keep you alive TODAY. When our body throws up a signal, such as acid reflux or intestinal gas, it is telling you that it is reacting perfectly to something we experienced or ate that does not agree with it.

The Bloody Truth

Our blood must always be slightly alkaline. For optimal health you need for 25% of the foods you eat to digest acidic and 75% of the foods that you eat to digest alkaline. Let’s break this down. We are talking about the process that occurs after food leaves your stomach. And you can’t go by taste. A lemon tastes acidic but has an alkalizing effect on your blood. Meat doesn’t taste acidic but has a very acidic effect on your blood. If the food you eat is overly acidic, it cannot leave your body without being neutralized. Unfortunately, the typical American diet is highly acidic. When you eat a meal that is overly acidic, your body must neutralize the acid and regulate the alkalinity of the blood. Your body neutralizes acids with organic sodium from its alkaline reserves.

Acidic Foods vs Alkaline Foods: What’s the Difference?

Well, that is another story … for now, to keep it simple let’s just say that all vegetables and most fruits digest alkaline. Most grains, all meats, cheeses, beans and nuts digest acidic. So we need unrefined salt to help our body maintain alkaline blood, right? Not exactly. Your body needs organic sodium to neutralize acid in the blood, but the best source of organic sodium is fruits and vegetables. The average adult needs to eat about 10 pounds or so of fruits and vegetables a week. This is crucially important. Some of us will not eat one piece of fruit in a week! Unrefined sea salt is a wonderful addition to our diets…it requires no effort to digest, gives our food flavor and neutralizes acids. And unrefined salt is so potent, that you only need a very small amount of it. It will not cause edema or make you thirsty when used properly. Let it be your back up to fruits and vegetables.

A Prelude to a … Bone?

Let’s revisit the idea that your body does what it needs to do in this moment, on this day to keep you alive. So today you took in more table salt than your body could eliminate, and it robbed some of your healthy cells of moisture, killing them and diluting the inorganic sodium. In the meantime, you really need organic sodium to neutralize the acid. Your body is now in a dilemma. What can it do today to keep you alive, well and functioning if there are no alkaline reserves (organic sodium) available in your body?

Calcium: The Back-up System You Don’t Want Your Body to Use

Your bones regulate the level of calcium in your blood. If your body does not have enough alkaline reserves to neutralize excess acid, your bones come to your rescue! Your bones have a healthy supply of organic calcium and because your body is not concerned with tomorrow—it has to keep you alive today—it takes calcium from your bones to neutralize the acid. What do you think will happen if your body is forced to rob your bones of calcium for years and years? You got it, you will develop porous bones.

It Doesn’t Run in You Just Because It Runs in Your Family

Think about it. We think that bone related health issues such as osteoporosis is just based on family history or comes with old age. I’m going to argue that it is not. How you age is in your hands—dependent on the lifestyle you choose. At this point I’d also like to say that passing on this information is not about judgment. Don’t feel bad about what you may have done or are doing. This is a learning process and healing comes in layers. Take in this information and begin to make gradual changes to your daily routine.

Have You Made the Connection?

By now I hope you are coming to the conclusion that many of our problems result from the lack of organic sodium in our diets.

It’s All about the Benjamins – Cha Ching!

Given all of the hazards of table salt, why is it on the market? Now that is a loaded question. Think about the almighty dollar. Just about every chemical process requires table salt – from PVC pipes to soda to detergent. Also, table salt is extremely inexpensive and has been a “blessing” to the fast food industry because it cheaply extends the shelf life of food, much to our detriment.

So How Many Different Kinds of Unrefined Salts Are Out There?

There are many types out there, but to keep things simple, let’s stick to the types of salt that you can easily find at your health or ethnic food store.

Himalayan Crystal Salt: the best crystal salt comes from the Himalayan Mountains. It is generally pink-ish in color and you can find it at most health food stores. Try to purchase fair trade crystal salt.

Black Salt is an example of an unrefined salt that is not tasty. It smells like sulfur and is pink in color. You can usually find it at an Asian or Indian supermarket. It is beneficial because it is very cleansing in nature. It tastes terrible in water, but disappears in food, so if you are trying to cleanse your body of toxins, this is a good one to use. There are other salts that are called “black salt” and are black in color as well, but these salts do not have the sulfur smell or flavor. Some examples are “ Black Lava sea salt”, “Black Hawaiian sea salt” or “Hiwa Kai” Some black salts are blended with activated charcoal.

Note: please store your salt in glass not metal as metal changes the chemical composition of salt. It is best to use a ceramic grinder because most unrefined salts are clumpy or in larger chunks.

Sea Salt Healing Remedies

Sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis refers to inflammation of the sinuses that continues for weeks, months, or even years. Allergies are the most common cause of chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis can persist even after antibiotics are given. It’s the most frequently reported chronic disease. Acute sinusitis occurs when bacteria invade the sinus cavities and impair proper drainage of mucus from the sinuses to the nose. Chronic inflammation of the nasal passages also can lead to sinusitis. Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of chronic sinusitis and is a frequent cause of acute sinusitis. The common cold is the most prevalent predisposing factor to sinusitis. Acute sinusitis typically causes symptoms of nasal congestion and a thick yellow or green discharge. Other symptoms include tenderness and pain over the sinuses, frontal head pain, and sometimes chills, fever, and pressure in the area of the sinuses. Entering bacteria gets trapped and filtered out by mucus and minute nasal hairs called cilia. This air-flow system can sometimes slow down when something impedes the cilia, if a cold clogs the sinus openings, or if an allergen swells the sinus linings. Then air gets trapped, pressure builds, the mucus stagnates, and bacteria breed. Infection sets in and you have sinusitis. When you get clogged up, you may end up with a permanent thickening of the sinus membranes and chronic congestion.

Sinus Wash

Flush out nasal secretions. Mix 1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt or sea salt with 2 cups of warm water and a pinch of baking soda. Pour it into a shot glass, tilt your head back, close one nostril with your thumb, and sniff the solution with the open nostril. Then blow your nose gently. Repeat on the other side. An Ayurvedic solution, similar to this is done in the same manner with a Netti Pot. It looks similar to a tea pot, but with a longer, narrower spout for the nostrils. These can be found in most health food stores to make sea salt healing of your sinuses a bit easier. A cup or handful of water in your hand or neti pot is a wonderful cleansing therapy. Slowly inhale the salt water into your nose to cleanse your sinus and open up the air passages. Over the counter nasal washes (not nasal sprays) are available. The simplest form is a non iodized salt water spray.

Mouth Care

The tissues in the mouth can benefit greatly from sea salt healing. For bleeding gums - make a paste of 1 tsp. baking soda to 1⁄2 tsp. sea salt - brush with this mixture 3 times per day instead of the toothpaste. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil. Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a painful throat, mouth sores or cankers.

Skin

The trace minerals in sea salt help to soothe and heal skin that is inflamed, broken out in a rash, itching or even oozing, according to herbalist and nutritionist Stephanie Tourles. Add sea salt to bathwater to reduce discomfort and speed the healing of skin lesions caused by acne, eczema, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac and psoriasis. Because salt baths have a drying effect on the skin, Tourles suggests they be limited to two or three a week, after which skin should be patted dry and coated with a moisturizing skin cream. Sea salt also can be used as a natural exfoliant. Make a paste by adding small amounts of glycerin to a cup of sea salt; add only enough glycerin to get the salt crystals to stick together. To exfoliate dry outer layers of skin, take a shower and then apply the sea-salt paste to affected skin areas while your skin is still wet. Leave the paste on your body only briefly before rinsing it away under the shower. This treatment should leave your skin feeling supple and soft.

How to make and use sole

You’ll need:

A glass jar

About 1 cup of Himalayan Crystal Salt

To use sole, you’ll need a glass and a wooden or ceramic spoon (metal changes the chemical composition of salt).

Quick and easy sole recipe

Pour about 1 cup of Himalayan Crystal Salt into your glass jar (so that there is about an inch or two of salt at the bottom of your glass jar). You may use any form of the salt including large chunks.

Fill your glass jar with artesian or distilled water

Let the water sit for a day or overnight

The next day, check your jar to see that there is still salt in the jar. If all of the salt has been absorbed by the water, you need to add more salt. If there is still some salt in your jar, your sole is ready.

Take one teaspoon of the sole solution and add it to a glass of water. Drink the solution first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Special Note: This recipe is a guide. Every person is different. Your tongue will tell you exactly how much sole to add to your water. When you add the teaspoon of sole to your glass of water, taste it. If it tastes the way you believe salt water tastes, then it is perfect. If it tastes too salty, then dilute the solution with water until it tastes correct (pour out some from your glass, then add plain artesian or distilled water to dilute). If it doesn’t taste salty enough, you may need to add more than a tsp. of sole until the balance is correct for you. Your sense of taste will let you know what your kidneys need and you may find that each day your needs are different.

Short list of benefits of using sole

Stimulates metabolism and digestion

Flushes out heavy metal toxins

Reduces addictive cravings

Balances acid-alkaline imbalance in your body

Normalizes blood pressure

Cleans your intestines (may temporarily give you slightly loose stools until the plaque has been cleaned out)

Helps heal skin diseases

How to use the neti pot

A neti pot is a special kind of ceramic container that you use to cleanse and rejuvenate your nasal passages. The entire process only takes about 2–3 minutes. You can cleanse your nasal passages anywhere, but we recommend standing over your bathroom sink. Here’s what you will need:

A neti pot (you can purchase them at any health food stores)

1 tsp. sole solution or about a tsp. of high quality unrefined sea salt

About 1 ¼ cups of warm water (preferably distilled or artesian). Water that is about 100 degrees is comfortable for most people.

Tissues or a towel to blow and dry your nose

1. Mix the high quality unrefined sea salt into the warm water with a wooden or ceramic spoon. Or if you have sole, simply add a one teaspoon of sole to the water 2. Add the salt water solution to the neti pot 3. Blow your nose to clear your nostrils of excess mucus. If one nostril is more clogged than the other, begin with the clearest nostril first. 4. Lean forward over your sink and tilt your head to one side. Try to keep your forehead about the same height as your chin. 5. Pick up the neti pot by its handle and gently place the spout in your nostril. 6. Allow the salt water to flow out the other nostril. You may have to adjust your head slightly to assist with the flow. 7. When you have used about ½ of the solution, lower the neti pot and blow and dry your nose. 8. Repeat the process with your other nostril until the liquid is depleted. 9. You have successfully cleansed your nasal passages! 10. Note: if you attempt to use the neti pot, but your nasal passages are blocked or you feel pressure, this means that you have dried mucus trapped in your nasal passages. Be patient. Keep using the neti pot until the blockage is removed. If you have asthma or another COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Dis-ease) We recommend using the neti pot at least 3 times a week.

Short list of benefits of using the neti pot

Supports and rejuvenates the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems Removes excess mucus

Stimulates the mind and senses (especially useful for helping you wake up and get going in the morning)

Is used for to relieve sinus dryness and congestion, headaches, colds, allergies, flu, many forms of COPD and many forms of psychological stress

Improves overall energy and circulation

Helps with weight loss and detoxifies the body

We recommend that EVERYONE learns to use the neti pot regularly. For general health and rejuvenation, begin by using the neti pot once a week until symptoms improve. Then for maintenance, cleanse your nasal passages at least once during the change of each season.

How to make your own salt scrubs (aka salt glow)

If you’ve ever been to the spa and have had a “salt glow” then you have had a salt scrub. The problem with most spas is that they use refined oils and impure essential oils in their formulas. Remember that your skin is such an important organ of elimination that it is called “the third kidney.” If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin. Here’s a quick and easy recipe:

About 4 cups of unrefined Sea Salt (you can find this in the bulk section of your local health food store). For extra detoxification add 1 cup of baking soda and/or one cup of Epsom salt (Epsom salt may be too “rough” for some people)

About 1 cup of unrefined oil of your choice

Optional: about 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. We recommend Amrita or Wyndmere organic essential oils.

Combine all ingredients into a glass bowl. Mix to a paste with a large wooden spoon. You can add more or less oil to mix the paste to the consistency of your choice.

How to give yourself a Radiant Salt Scrub

NOTE: PLEASE BE CAREFUL! THE OIL WILL MAKE YOUR TUB OR SHOWER VERY SLIPPERY. BE SURE TO HOLD ON TO A HANDRAIL AND USE EXTRA PRECAUTION WHEN LEAVING THE TUB OR SHOWER.

In the shower:

Step into your shower with your bowl of salt scrub

Beginning at your feet, take small handfuls of the mixture and rub it vigorously in an upward circular motion until your skin turns a little pink. This means that you have increased blood flow to the area.

Continue to work your way up your body. Be thorough, but avoid the face, genitals and nipples (do work all around your breast).

Pay special attention to the creases in your groin, your sides, under your breast (especially women) and under your arms as these are important areas where lymph nodes tend to be overlooked and where toxins collect undetected.

When you have reached up to your neck, remove the bowl and turn on the shower.

Rinse thoroughly.

Be careful as you step out of the shower because the area will be oily.

Pat dry or air dry for extra moisturization of the skin.

In the tub:

Turn on the water in your tub.

Spread out a towel on the floor and place your bowl of salt scrub on the towel.

Step onto the towel and beginning at your feet, take small handfuls of the mixture and rub it vigorously in an upward circular motion until your skin turns a little pink. This means that you have increased blood flow to the area.

Continue to work your way up your body. Be thorough, but avoid the face, genitals and nipples (do work all around your breast).

Pay special attention to the creases in your groin, your sides, under your breast (especially women) and under your arms as these are important areas where lymph nodes tend to be ignored and where toxins collect undetected.

When you have reached up to your neck, your tub will most likely be full. Turn off the water and very carefully step into the tub.

Soak for at least 30 minutes.

Pat dry or air dry for extra moisturization of the skin.

Note: You do not need to shower with soap when you use the salt scrub. The salt, baking soda and Epsom salts are very gentle but powerful cleansers of the body and are more effective than using soap.