QUESTION #12 – SALT
Question 5/20 from Meghan:
As the summer approaches, the heat sets in, and sweating becomes a way of life, I was left thinking about one of the most popular and overused minerals: salt. What are your feelings on salt?
Answer from SkillfulDoc:
Although arguably the most common mineral, most of us know very little about salt. Board-certified internist and certified holistic physician, Dr. Michael Finkelstein is very passionate about the misuse and misunderstanding of salt. He believes that in our culture, salt has been much maligned.
In large part this is appropriately due to its significant overuse and, in particular, the overeating of processed, prepared, boxed and canned foods that are so high in sodium chloride that it contributes to overall health risk. Yet in ancient times, salt was so valuable and important that people actually received their wages in the form of salt. Indeed, the word salary, is derived from the Latin “sal”.
Beyond the small amount of iodine we might require, the homogenized version of salt that we find in most shakers is uninteresting compared to the colorful varieties of sea salt and mined salts from around the world. These often add valuable minerals, such as Potassium, Magnesium, Sulfate and Calcium. Their different colors and textures adds distinct mouth-feel and taste to our food and are much more appealing to look at. Your next time out at the market, pick up some Pink Himalayan Crystal Salt, or Grey Salt from the coast of France, or Black Salt from Hawaii….add some color to your life!
Skillful Living 
Cleaves M. Bennett MD said,
August 3, 2010 @ 9:29 pm
Have to be very careful about adding salt to your food if your blood pressure is high or if you have kidney or heart failure. High blood pressure comes about because of years of excess use of salt, especially in processed and fast foods. Gaining too much weight of course makes it worse. + Family history makes it more likely.
Once you have hypertension you have to be careful the rest of your life. Sea salt makes more sense than refined salt, but you still have to be careful if your blood pressure is high. The other contributor to hypertension is stress. Hyper =too much, and tension =stress. Duh.
If your blood pressure is too high you have to do what it takes to get it down. Visit my website nomoremedicines.com to learn more.
I am impressed with your comments. Few know the origin of the word salary. Those were the days when salt was scarce, physical exertion in the hot sun was part of normal living, there were neither deodorants nor air-conditioners and sweating was normal