1

������������������������ ��������� ������������������������ ������������������������ ������������������������ ���������������

Salt making – northern Niger, AfricaPhotograph by George Steinmetz, Smithsonian magazine, January 2009

Basics• Salt (NaCl) is essential for

life• An array of other minerals

are also essential for life• Some of these minerals are

needed in major amount, some in very tiny amounts

• Water is the carrier for these salts

• Sodium and chloride are the main electrolytes in blood

• According to Dr. Cowan, normal blood pressure (BP) used to be <140/90 or 100 plus age/90. Normals have been lowered (why? - drug promotion?)

• BP naturally rises with age • Blood volume is controlled

by the kidney using salt excretion or reabsorption

• Kidney regulates BP by controlling Na+ excretion (blood volume) and tone of blood vessels.

2

What’s the story on Hypertension?• Eat too much salt – makes you

thirsty so you drink water –prompts kidney to excrete salt & water & lower BP

• Eat too little salt – prompts kidney to conserve salt & water and raise BP

• If blood volume is low, kidney signals increase in BP and retention of NaCl

• Drink too much water and not enough salt – may lead to low salt condition (hyponatremia), serious weakness

• Salt does not cause high blood pressure!

Possible causes of elevated BP:• Stress stimulates sympathetic

nervous system (fight or flight)• Caffeine & other stimulants• Toxins in body – detoxification

may be in order• Potassium deficiency• Copper deficiency – poor

kidney function• Low thyroid (iodine deficiency)• High insulin – damaging to

arteries• Taurine def. � stiff bl. Vessels• Magnesium deficiency• Dehydration

Water and Blood Pressure

“Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into vital cells.

“Reduce your blood pressure naturally [by consuming plenty of water along with sea salt], without any harmful medication -- such as diuretics that further dehydrate the body. When blood pressure is raised, the body is operating a water-rationing program -- it has to raise the pressure to inject filtered water into vital cells.”

F. Batmanghelidj, M.D, author ofYour Body’s Many Cries for Water (watercure.com)

Dr. B. relates many health problems to dehydration!

3

Why is salt such a problem?• Salt gives flavor – so it’s put into

many processed food – so intake can mount rapidly

• These salty foods are often full of refined, nutrient-depleted foods –white flour, sugar, vegetable oils

• Salt takes the blame for very poor quality food

• Some folks do seem to do better on a low sodium diet, but is that actually because of avoiding all these unhealthy foods?

• MSG (monosodium glutamate) is another sodium compound used widely – an unhealthy excitotoxin!

• Ordinary salt is highly refined to make it pretty –with no thought to the value of what was removed.

• Unrefined salts have a wide range of valuable minerals – magnesium, potassium, iodine, to name just a few

• These minerals are essential to good health, but often deficient

• Many trace minerals are needed in very tiny amounts

• The importance of many trace minerals has not been studied

• Unrefined salt can supply these trace minerals

• Can it be that the medical community has been underestimating the life-sustaining, disease preventing power of salt?

“I have found a great many of my patients were suffering from mineral deficiencies and they were greatly helped by introducing unrefined sea salt in their diets.”

From Salt: Your way to Health, by David Brownstein, M.D.

“Many illnesses are caused or exacerbated by trace-mineral deficiencies. These can be avoided by the liberal use of Celtic Sea Salt® in your cooking and the complete avoidance of all other salts, all of which contain only pure sodium chloride.”

- Dr. Thomas S. Cowan, M.D.

4

• Not all “sea salt” is equal!• Unrefined sea salts are often damp and not white• White sea salt is probably refined• Celtic Sea Salt www.celticseasalt.com and also:• Selina Naturally™ Hawaiian Deep Sea Salt from

special deep sea water that contains ionized sodium, ionized chlorine, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and selenium, plus many trace elements such as copper, iron, zinc, manganese and chromium, which are missing from common surface water – is only 76.9% sodium chloride and has an alkalizing pH of 10.22.

• Real Salt® www.realsalt.com from ancient salt deposit near Redman, Utah

• Celtic Sea Salt® Brand - The Original Brand - is authentic, unprocessed, gourmet, whole salt from one of the most pristine coastal regions of France. Since 1976, Celtic Sea Salt® Brand has been harvested by the paludiers(salt farmers) of Brittany using a farming method that preserves the purity and balance of ocean minerals.

Major Contents of unrefined Brittany Grey whole mineral Celtic Sea Salt

A few trace element functions:• Boron – helps calcium & magnesium metabolism,

activates vitamin D, improves brain function, food content depends on soil content

• Silicon – used in connective tissue, cancer protective, increases vigor, energy & strength, found in chicken skin and horsetail

• Zinc – essential for protein synthesis, vital part of immune system, necessary for hormone production

• Copper – essential for iron absorption, kidney function, enzyme co-factor, must balance with zinc

• Manganese – gives us strong nerves, improves eyesight

• Lithium – critical for emotional stability, assists immune system

• Cobalt – co-factor for vitamin B12 & many enzymes• Selenium – co-factor for many enzymes, incl.

Glutathione peroxidase (antioxidant) – improves immune system, cancer protection, detoxification, inhibits inflammation, found in grains grown on good soil, organ meats, brazil nuts - too much is toxic

• Yttrium – involved with protein synthesis, supports healthy gut microbes, found in turmeric

Trace minerals deficiencies are involved in many diseases!

Amylase

Green ball –chloride

Yellow ball -calcium

5

Some unrefined sea salts from Saltsofthe7Seas.com (Toledo company)

• CYPRUS ONYX™ Flaked sea salt - hand harvested from the pristine waters off the Isle of Cyprus in the Mediterranean and then expertly blended with pure, food grade activated charcoal that both aids in digestion and removing impurities from the body.

• AGUNI JAPANESE SEA SALT - From the clear ocean waters surrounding AguniIsland - superior balance of minerals

• SEL D’AIL RÔTI™ Roasted Garlic Gourmet Sea Salt - Pure, all natural sea salt is expertly infused with all natural, roasted garlic – product of USA

• SEL DE SAUVIGNON™ - Sauvignon Wine Infused Sea Salt – product of Italy & USA

• BRITTANY GRAY™ - aka Celtic Sea Salt -Hand harvested from the cold waters on the Brittany coast of northern France

• TIBETAN ROSE™ - Himalayan gourmet sea salt - Found in an ancient sea bed high within the pristine Himalayan Mountains, these beautiful pink crystals are high in iron oxide and over 84 minerals.

• PELE RED HAWAIIAN™ - Harvested from the pure coastal waters of Molokai. It is abundant in trace minerals found in sea water. A small amount of iron-oxide rich, red Hawaiian volcanic clay, Alaea, gives this salt its beautiful color

• MURRAY RIVER Flaked gourmet sea salt -produced naturally from the underground brine pools of the Murray Darling River Basin in Australia.

Sodium Chloride

• The composition of our blood plasma, lymphatic fluid, and extra-cellular fluid all mirror the chemical balance of the ocean water from which it is derived.

• Chloride helps keep the body's acid-base balance

• HCl is important stomach acid – often deficient

• Has other important physiological roles.

• Sodium (Na) is essential throughout the body – it permeates the fluid between cells, in the blood, and in the lymph. Potassium (K) is mainly inside the cells.

• The body maintains a balance between Na and K

• Na & K required for proper function of nerves and contraction of muscles

• Salt craving may indicate weak adrenals

6

Magnesium (Mg)• Known to be crucial to >350

metabolic reactions in the body• Necessary for all ATP reactions

(energy production & usage in body)• Crucial for muscle contraction –

counterbalances reactions activated by calcium

• Facilitates insulin sensitivity• Supports relaxation• Helps maintain healthy blood

pressure• Mineral “gem” at center of

chlorophyll, trapping energy from the sun (makes plants green)

• Most people are Magnesium deficient

• Adequate stomach acid (HCl) needed to absorb Mg

• Deficiency associated with cardiac arrhythmias, muscle cramps, migraines, metabolic syndrome (diabetes), increased risk of heart attack, and many other problems

• Sources: spices, nuts, cereals, coffee, cocoa, tea, and vegetables (esp. green leafy) - also most sea salt and mineralized water

• To supplement – try magnesium oil at health-and-wisdom.com dermally

• or Jigsaw Mg/SRT – jigsawhealth.com• More info at Kris’s website

www.MercyViewMeadow.org

Iodine

• Iodine deficiency is epidemic! –results in low thyroid, goiter, mental impairment, infertility, �cancer risk, infant mortality

• Low thyroid � high BP• Iodine scare � removal from

bread, with bromine substituted• Iodized salt is poor source of

iodine – bread was much better • RDA prevents goiter, but leaves

body short• Healthy Japanese consume much

more iodine from seafood – breast disease & goiter rare

• Generous amounts needed for optimal thyroid function, endocrine and immune system functioning

• Deficiency linked to breast, prostate, ovarian, endometrial cancers

• Correcting hypothyroid � increased Metabolism � increased iodine needs throughout body

• Prevents oxidation damage to fats• Needed in two forms – iodine (needed

by breast) and iodide (by thyroid)• Bromide, fluoride, chloride and

perchlorate compete with iodine• Sources – high brix foods, kelp

(concentrates iodine) – not sea salt• Supplements – Lugols, Iodoral

7

Selenium• Regulates thyroid function –

needed for conversion of T4 to T3 (active form of thyroid hormone)

• Regulates iodine metabolism• Essential for cancer prevention• Mops up toxic heavy metals, esp.

mercury• Regulates action of glutathione

peroxidase (GP) - key antioxidant• � toxins increase need for GP to

detoxify• All toxins deplete electrons,

causing disease – require antioxidants to restore electrons and neutralize toxins

Dr. Tom Levy, MD tomlevymd.com

Deficiency linked to :• Certain cancers• Arthritis• Heart disease & cardiomyopathy• Progression of HIV• Cataracts • May be factor in iodine sensitivity• Too much selenium is toxic• Sources – depends on selenium

content of soil – brazil nuts, meat, fish, grains, nutritional yeast, butter from grass-fed cows

Copper & Zinc• BP responds to DHEA and

other hormones – synergistic effect of hormonal harmony

• Too much testosterone or cortisone will raise BP

• Hormonal harmony depends on copper/zinc balance

• Adrenals need plenty of zinc –depleted in stress

• Copper overload will affect thyroid, adrenals, liver

• Copper deficiency affects kidney – Dr. Cowen uses copper-containing herbs for HTN

• Carb metabolism requires zinc• Best zinc sources – meat, poultry,

eggs• Shellfish, calves liver higher in

copper• Vegetarian diets are deficient in

zinc, high in copper• Copper overload � poor protein

digestion• Weak adrenals � reduced

metabolism and poor excretion of excess copper

8

How do we use unrefined sea salt?

• Season any food to taste• Homemade broths and

soups• Homemade sauerkraut,

kimchi and other fermented vegetables

• Dr. Batman... recommends using ¼ tsp sea salt for every quart of water consumed

���������� ���

Water

• Pure water is best for hydration – RO water with remineralization

• Also fermented beverages, such as beet kvass, kombucha or kefir.

• Coffee, tea & alcohol act as diuretics – increase water excretion

• Avoid soda pop – too much sugar in regular pop and excitotoxins(aspartame) in diet pop – adverse effect on hydration (& brain)

• Flavor water with some lemon juice or some fruit juice, but most juices are high in sugar and should be limited

9

Where else do we find minerals?

• High brix fruits and vegetables from well-mineralized soils

• Meat and dairy from animals on well-mineralized pasture

• Whole grains that are properly prepared, with soaking or sprouting

• Fat soluble vitamins (A, D & K) in animal fats are essential for utilizing minerals

• Bone broths - esp calcium• Green leafy veggies –

Magnesium

General Diet Guidelines

• Eat whole natural clean foods (organic or know your farmer)

• Invest in pasture-raised meat and dairy, including some raw

• Limit carbs, esp. sugar – too much raises insulin to damaging levels

• Eat plenty of healthy natural fats to satisfy appetite – butter and other animal fats (from pasture raised animals), olive oil, coconut or palm oil, avocado

• Use good sea salt to taste in your food

• Cholesterol is a non-issue –elevated cholesterol may indicate problem, but is not the cause of problem.

• Avoid processed foods• Use clean water• Use natural minerals rich salts• Make bone broths• Use soaked or sprouted grains• Avoid most vegetable oils – too

high in omega-6 fats• Details on handout

10

References• The Fourfold Path to Healing, by Thomas S. Cowan, MD• Salt Your Way to Health, by David Brownstein, MD• Iodine, why you need it, and why you can’t live without, by David

Brownstein, MD• Why am I Always So Tired? – Discover how correcting your body’s

copper imbalance can…. By Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD• Nourishing Traditions - The Cookbook that Challenges Politically

Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig

• The Cholesterol Myths - Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease, by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, Ph.D.

• Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

"Back-bending labor produces salt at Teguidda-n-Tessoumt in Niger. Briny well water is mixed with salty earth in large depressions. The mud is then placed in smaller ponds for evaporation. Colors differ depending on the origin of the mud, the presence of algae, and the degree of salinity."

—From "Journey to the Heart of the Sahara," March 1999, National Geographic magazine. Photograph by George Steinmetz