Healthy Homes Asia

Did you know that the table salt we usually buy and keep in our kitchens is not real salt as it should be? Dr Mercola explains:

Your table salt is actually 97.5 per cent sodium chloride and 2.5 per cent chemicals such as moisture absorbents and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt causing the potential for a myriad of health problems in your bod.

We are all familiar with the warnings about the dangers of table salt, which are that it: destabilises blood pressure; can cause cellulite, kidney stones and rheumatis; upsets your fluid balance; contains the endocrine disrupters, fluoride and iodine; contains fillers such as calcium carbonate and aluminium hydroxide, the latter aluminium implicated in Alzheimer's Disease; acts as a diuretic (expels water from cells)
 and is thereby a cell-toxin.

But did you know that salt in its original form is essential for our body’s systems? Farmers know if they don’t put out the salt blocks for their cattle, they die.

What does real salt do?
Real salt, saltpan salt, sea salt, Celtic salt, and the pink Himalayan crystallized salt is as necessary as water is to our bodies. Real salt:

• regulates the water content throughout your body
• balances excess acidity from your cells, particularly your brain cells
• balances your blood sugar levels and helps reduce your aging rate
• assists in the generation of hydroelectric energy in cells in your body and absorption of food particles through your intestinal tract
• helps clear mucus plugs and phlegm from your lungs – particularly useful in asthma and cystic fibrosis
• acts as a strong natural antihistamine to help clear up congestion in your sinuses

• prevents muscle cramps
• makes the structure of your bones firm – osteoporosis can occur when your body needs more salt and takes it from your bones
• regulates your sleep – it is a natural hypnotic
• maintains your libido
• prevents varicose veins and spider veins on your legs and thighs
• stabilizes irregular heartbeats – in conjunction with water, salt is actually essential for the regulation of your blood pressure.

Read world renowned salt and water guru, Dr Fereydoon Batmanghelidj and Philip Day's The Essential Guide to Water and Salt (co-authored by Phillp Day), for details of decades of research.

Real salt also has other healing properties. Topical applications and baths in whole salt solutions have been found to help with psoriasis, eczema, toenail fungus, insect bites, rheumatism and arthritis, acne, ear infections, nasal congestion and sore throats.

This solution used is known as sole, (pronounced so-lay). Take a container of water and start mixing Himalayan salt crystals into it, stirring well, until the salt no longer dissolves. The solution is now 26 per cent saturated and sterile, so can be re-used.

Sole in a hot water bowl can be inhaled as a decongestant for blocked sinuses since it is antiseptic and ideal for bacterial/fungal/yeast conditions.

Read this great article listing 37 smart uses of salt for non-toxic cleaning purposes. Who would have thought?

If you have a serious, chronic or just annoying health condition, we recommend grabbing this book to get you started on the road to exuberant health.

by F Batmanghelidg and Phillip Day - Are you sick or just thirsty? Water is a readily available natural medicine for some prevalent and very serious conditions that are known to kill many thousands of people each year. Lean more about how essential water and salt are to good health.

When you buy salt, look for pink Himalayan crystallized salt or at least a whole salt.

Whole sea salt, commonly found in Asia, can be excellent. Be aware however, that sometimes it has been polluted by contaminated sea water and/or storage facilities (for example, asbestos was found in 2009 in an Asian sea salt factory).

Table salt is just that - sodium chloride plus moisture absorbents and iodine.

Himalayan salt is sodium chloride plus 82 other minerals in its natural, crystalline form, ready to feed metabolic processes.

If you want to make sure you get enough iodine, make sure you eat some asparagus, garlic, kelp/seaweed, mushrooms, sesame seeds, soybeans, or spinach.