SALT - Foundational Elixir

by Justin Schmidt

In this article we will be reviewing some of the most important reasons why our bodies depend on salt for proper and optimal functioning. The human body requires adequate salt intake for a myriad of reasons, but I will focus on just a few of the most important in an effort to overcome the bad rap that salt has been given and grant understanding to just how important it is that we consume adequate amounts of salt in our diet.

Salt For Energy
Every action we perform, consciously or unconsciously, is essentially a transfer of energy. All energy, e.g., electricity, requires a conductive matrix if it is to transfer. For this reason, we use copper wires to run electricity to the lights of our houses, refrigerators, blenders, etc. We require a similar internal conductive matrix for the transfer of energy within our own bodies. Our bloodstream and body cells are primarily saline, or salted, solutions. In the words of Helen Ross, M.D. of The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, we are "salty, watery creatures." If we were composed primarily of pure water, as opposed to salt water, we could not perform any bodily function because water, in its pure form of H2O, is not conductive of energy.

A demonstration can be made using a light bulb, a generator, a beaker of distilled water, and a power cord segmented into two pieces with conductive probes. If one were to place the two probes in the beaker of distilled water and try to run an electric current from the generator, through the water to the light bulb, one would find that the light bulb would not turn on because the distilled water, being completely devoid of minerals, is not a conductive matrix through which the electricity can transfer. However, if one were to add trace minerals, such as a pinch of natural salt or sole to the water, energy would transfer and the light bulb would become bright. From this demonstration, we can see that without salt, we have no ability to perform any energy transfer, i.e. no ability to perform any action -- this is essentially why humans, along with every other mammal, dies if deprived of salt for a sufficient span of time. A diet insufficient in salt will impair all bodily functions by slowing the myriad of electro-chemical reactions that must take place. When we don't get enough sodium chloride from natural sources, like unrefined sea or rock salt, we experience muscle cramps, dizziness, exhaustion, and in extreme cases, convulsions and, as mentioned, death. Salt is essential to our well-being and can be considered a foundational nutrient.

On a low or no salt diet, our bodies' abilities to act can be impaired all the way down to the cellular level, which is evident when one analyzes human blood samples. As a nutritional microscopist, I see the effects of internal mineral depletion all the time. At the cellular level, our blood becomes sticky and our circulation is impaired. The negative and positive polarities within the blood¬stream become due to a diet insufficient in alkaline minerals and fluids, such as salt and alkaline water. These polarities can actually even become inverted due to a diet too high in strong acids, like those from animal proteins or alcohol. When a healthy polarity is present, blood cells sit nicely in their own space, as seen below on the left. They can circulate easily throughout the body carrying oxygen, nutrients, etc. When the polarity is altered, the blood cells can become sticky.

Salt For Assimilation / Digestion
The digestive system, in Dr. Robert O. Young's findings, is better understood if referred to as the alkaline buffering system. We use salt to create sodium bi-carbonate in our salivary glands and other internal organs. When we eat or drink, our bodies release sodium bicarbonate to alkalize the foods and beverages we consume so that the pH of those foods and fluids can be raised sufficiently to match the pH of our blood, for that foods destiny is to be assimilated into red and white blood cells in the small intestine. This interpretation differs from former medical assumptions concerning the site of blood cell production, which is a story in itself. Suffice it to say, without salt or naturally salted foods, our blood becomes deformed and our bodies dis-eased. For without natural salt or water, we cannot create the alkaline buffers necessary to properly assimilate the foods we consume.

We've been told by the mainstream media that we should have low salt diets, but anyone who has embraced that dietary prescription is probably familiar with the lethargy, blood pressure problems, and acid reflux that result hence the popularity of antacid tablets. The lack of salt leads to an acid imbalance, which is well known by the most eminent and respected holistic health practitioners, including Dr. Gabriel Cousins, Dr. Robert Young, and David Wolfe, to be one of the largest contributing factors of disease.

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