10 Reasons to Love Salt

Ignore the mainstream medical propaganda on salt, says Paul Fassa.

The accepted dogma on salt is that very little should be consumed or a higher potential for heart attacks and strokes will follow from high blood pressure. But researchers from holistic health circles, including some independent MDs such as Dr. Brownstein, have embraced pure unrefined sea salt as vital for good health. The taboo on salt has been challenged. Despite its tenure in the archives of modern medicine dogma, this taboo is cracking. Read more

The Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt

Salt has been demonized by mainstream medicine, but salt is an essential nutrient, says Michael Ravensthorpe. However, not all salts are equal.

Salt is an essential nutrient that our bodies require for transporting nutrients into and out of our cells, regulating blood pressure, exchanging ions, and much more. However, not all salts are equal. Table salt, which has been stripped of all its minerals except sodium and chloride, for instance, will not have the same positive biological impact upon our bodies as pure, unrefined salt that boasts a robust mineral profile.

One of the most nutritious and “complete” salts we can purchase today is Himalayan salt, a salt that has been formed over millions of years in the Himalayas and which contains so many macrominerals and trace minerals that it is actually pink in color. In this article, you’ll learn more about the health benefits of Himalayan salt and how it can help transform even the blandest of meals into a powerhouse of nutrition. Read more

Still Think Salt Is the Cause of High Blood-Pressure?

Do you (or your doctor) still think that salt is the cause of high blood pressure? The real villain could be high-fructose corn syrup, says Paul Fassa.

High sodium intake as a source of high blood pressure has been an unchallenged dogmatic mantra for decades. But a few renegade MDs, several naturopaths, and chiropractors have challenged the unproven hypothesis of salt being the basis of high blood pressure (HBP). Turns out that the link between high sodium intake and elevated blood pressure is a false one.

Pure, unrefined salt is actually a necessary and helpful dietary component. Perhaps the most well known salt promoter is Dr. David Brownstein, MD, author of Salt Your Way to Health. Refined commercial table salt, used excessively in processed foods, is processed with toxic chemicals and stripped of its inherent nutritional value. It’s mostly poison with very little nutrition, though even using table salt often won’t lead to high blood pressure. Read more

Relax and Salt to Taste

Joseph Mercola reveals the health benefits of unrefined, natural salt.

For many decades now, U.S. policy makers have been attempting to get Americans to eat less salt. But the drive to do this has little basis in science.

In fact, a recent meta-analysis by the Cochrane Review involving a total of 6,250 subjects found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death.1

Another study published last year found that lower salt consumption actually increased your risk of death from heart disease.2

A review of the available research reveals that much of the science behind the supposed link between salt and high blood pressure is dubious at best. Read more

Stop the War on Salt

Mark Sisson sets the record straight on the demonized element and blood pressure.

The salt debate rages on outside these halls, but I've never really opened MDA's doors to the tempest (beyond a short dalliance several years ago). Today, though, I am. We've likely all consumed a fair bit of sodium chloride over the past holiday weekend, and I imagine a few of us are wondering whether that's a problem or not. Ever timely, reader John has written in with his salt story and a simple question: how much salt is suitable for humans?

Here's his question: Read more