Bathing And Breathing In Salt....Should We? (Part I)
Salt Therapy.
Also known as Halotherapy.
If you know me and you know my products or their ingredients at all you might have a hunch that I like salt.
Baking soda, sea salt, and epsom are some of my faves, hence the reason those three specifically are in half of my products.
For years I was making my herbal products using only the ushe (yoush?)...herbs, herbs, beeswax, herbs, essential oils, and more herbs.
And they were awesome.
But then I got a little message, in my head of course, to try adding salt to my recipes. And that took things to a whole new level.
Salt.
There are so many different types of salts this place we call Earth has to offer us. Various forms and makeups, as well as various therapeutic modalities, to reap their benefits. And there are SO many benefits.
Salt.
Most people only think of food when they think of salt. We like it on our food.
Some may think of the ocean. They know salt is there. And they like the ocean. But not everyone lives near the ocean, so it's a nice vacation. Salt and the ocean go together. And that is that.
Some may even think of a great spa experience they once had and remember that they were told salt was involved but don't really understand how or why it was actually used. They did walk away feeling better, however. But maybe that's just because there was a massage involved.
Salt.
Sodium Chloride. In its most simplistic and natural form.
The varying versions of salts are different from one another simply by the minerals and 'chemicals' within, which changes from location to location, and even in the way it is processed. Salt near a polluted water source, well, not so good as you might imagine, since not only will that salt have their particular minerals, but also elements of the pollution in and around the area! Which is why we really should pay attention to the salt we eat.
When rock and water come together, salt becomes visible and sometimes even readily available to us humans. Sometimes it requires a bit more work. We may find salt underground, near landlocked mountains, around lakes, and of course, in the ocean.
We humans need salt for our bodies to function properly. Not only do we reap the benefits from the minerals within, but the actual elements we call 'sodium' and 'chloride' combined is required to make our nerve and muscles function properly, as well as to balance out the fluids in our bodies. Salt also plays a role in our body's ability to regulate blood pressure and blood volume.
Our bodies don't make salt.
Nomadic and tribal people of the past - and even present - didn't/don't need to look for salt much at all because it is naturally present in meat, fish, and other animal products that made/make up their diet - but ONLY when barely cooked, or cooked using more traditional methods. The cooking processes we use today in the modern world evaporate the salts right out of the final product, hence the reason why we load even our meat with salt! And for good reason.
Animals don't make salt either, however. But they innately know to seek out salt. Ever hear of a salt lick? Natural sources of salt rock that animals know to 'lick' in order to obtain all their salt needs. In fact, the first human cultivators understood their need for salt and would intently follow the animals, and even birds, to these locations in order to seek out all their own salt needs. And these people still ate meat.
The real question today is, how much salt do we need, and how should we get it into our systems?
That part is kind of up for debate.
Some say we eat 'too much salt'.
And here's where I think it gets interesting.
Are we 'getting too much salt' today because we are eating the overly processed kind? The kind lacking in minerals. The kind not given to us in its whole format? Sodium, chloride, AND minerals, intact?
That's my own personal hunch.
Now remember, I'm no expert, but my own experience with myself and input from others tells me that our bodies still know what we need, when we need it, and in the right quantities. And when we do eat too much, thirst is triggered, and we drink more liquid, hopefully, in the form of water, and hopefully the right form of water.....do you see where I'm going with this? I digress though because I could easily go way off topic here...the 'right' water will most likely be another blog post. Or two, or three...
The point is, we need salt.
And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think we need the right kinds of salt, and not just through our digestive tracts...
Yes, not just through our digestive tracts.
We have skin, and we have lungs....and if we again look to the people of the past we knew that not only were they getting salt more readily available in their foods, but they were also bathing in natural bodies of water, and of course, hanging out in nature, like, all the time.
But I'm going to stop there for today because I'd like for my readers to really let this intro to salt settle in for a bit.
Look out for Part II next week!
STUDIES & RESOURCES:
(The studies below are nowhere near an exhaustive list. Always continue your own research and read the papers within each paper below.)
1) Salt and Cardiovascular Disease: Insufficient Studies to Recommend Lower Sodium Intake
2) Understanding the Two Faces of Low-Salt Intake
3) It's Time To End The War On Salt
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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. I am not a doctor. I am simply sharing my opinions and studies as a clinical herbalist, researcher, and fellow human being on health topics and methods. Always take my opinions, thoughts, and advice with a grain of salt. Try them on for size but always by your own consent. And continue to research on your own. Remember: your health is your own.
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