By Carlin Saldanha N.D., M.P.H.

John F. Kennedy once said,

“All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea…we are going back from whence we came.”

As you know, all life evolved from the ocean and just like the ocean, your blood and every cell in your body contain salt and water. In fact, millions of years ago the ocean’s salt water, untouched by humankind and pollution, had almost an identical content and ratio of minerals that exist in your body today. The ocean’s salt water, as it was in the beginning and your body contains 84 minerals in what is considered the ideal ratio for your body’s optimal function.

Each mineral in your body performs a variety of important roles, with the synergistic combination of all 84 minerals forming the foundation for true health and wellbeing. However, depleted mineral reserves in soils, non-sustainable farming practices and pesticides that inhibit the uptake of certain minerals mean that vegetables, fruit and animal produce are no longer the complete source of minerals that they once were.

Historically, people would add mineral-rich salts to their diet, but the salt that you add to your food today is very different from those traditional salts, which contained a plethora of minerals. Instead common table salt contains just two minerals - sodium and chloride. Not only does common table salt lack the full mineral profile that your body needs, but the structure and the various chemicals that are mixed with sodium chloride are actually detrimental to your health. Table salt is refined at extremely high temperatures, which alter its chemical structure and bio-availability. Furthermore, it is chemically cleaned, bleached and treated with anti-caking agents. These anti-caking agents prevent salt from mixing with water and clumping in the jar. However, they have the very same effect in your body, hence won’t dissolve easily, which frequently results in a buildup of salt deposits in your organs and tissues. But there’s more - the two most common anti-caking agents are sodium alumino-silicate and calcium aluminosilicate, both sources of aluminium, which is a heavy metal associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other health issues.

Instead of the mineral-rich salt that supports life, common table salt, a refined and impoverished version of the original, is actually harmful to your health. Its use has been linked to conditions including high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, kidney stones, and stomach ulcers. The body must use a lot of its water reserves to metabolize refined table salt, leading to chronic dehydration on a deep cellular level. What’s more, the body recognizes refined salt as poison and tries to excrete it as quickly as possible, causing a further burden on your body’s detoxification organs, especially the liver and kidneys.

Knowing the vast array of health problems caused by common table salt, millions of people now avoid salt completely or look for healthier alternatives. However, avoiding salt is not the answer. Lack of salt and all the key minerals the body requires can also affect your health adversely. Linus Pauling, PhD, winner of two Nobel prizes said,

“All diseases of humanity can be attributed to the lack of minerals in our bodies…. You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment, to a mineral deficiency.”

Essentially, every cell in the human body is dependent on the presence of sodium and potassium. These two minerals need to be in constant, dynamic balance so the cells can exchange energy. Your body is constantly monitoring these minerals and working to maintain its delicate balance. Minerals are also a vital part of your cells, blood and lymphatic fluids. They are critical for all body functions, including muscular contraction, electrolyte balance, blood sugar regulation and pH balance – but you need all minerals, and in a form which your body can readily use.

Many people have started to use other types of salt, such as sea salt or Celtic salt. However, while many sea salts may have more minerals than just sodium and chloride, rarely do they contain the full complement that your body needs. Nor are the structures and mineral ratios of sea salts ideal, with clinical research demonstrating that many sea salts, like table salt, increase acidity and blood pressure. More importantly, sea salt harvested from today’s polluted oceans has the potential to contain petro-chemicals and unacceptable levels of heavy metals. Furthermore, many sea salts are refined in a similar process to table salt.

But there’s good news! Recently re-discovered is one of nature’s purest and most complete mineral salt sources on Earth. In the remote reaches of the Himalayan Mountains are the mineral salt crystals which were created 250 million years ago. A legacy of ancient oceans, trapped after tectonic plate movement and subsequent evaporation, Original Himalayan Crystal Salt contains 84 minerals vital for human health. These minerals include sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, iron, zinc, manganese and many more. Additionally, these minerals exist in ionic form, which means they can be easily absorbed. In order for your body to benefit from the minerals you take in, they must be extremely small. Their size is measured in angstroms. As a reference point, a sheet of paper is 1,000,000 angstroms thick. Even though minerals with larger molecular size will eventually be absorbed into your blood, the angstrom-sized minerals can be readily absorbed into individual cells and that’s where they are most effective.

The best way for you to absorb these minerals is in a liquid form of Himalayan Crystal Salt called Sole. Sole (so-lay) is a super-saturated solution of Original Himalayan Crystal Salt in purified water - providing the ultimate infusion of ionized minerals in a highly bio-available liquid form. The minerals are now small enough to pass into the cells, being immediately available as electrical potentials, or ENERGY. In German, the word Sole, which is derived from the Latin word “sol”, means sun. Sole means fluid sunlight or fluid light energy. More scientifically, this can be explained as better overall availability of electrolytes or charged ions, which conduct energy between cells and improve cellular function. Use of Original Himalayan Crystal Salt as a condiment or as Sole can lead to electrolyte-balance, balanced blood pressure, improved gastrointestinal function, balanced pH levels and increased energy.

It is important to point out that many salts claim to be the same as Original Himalayan Crystal Salt; however, they are simply pink salts from other parts of the world or rather are Himalayan Salts sourced from a different region in Pakistan, mined using dynamite, exhibiting a different mineral profile and structure, with no clinical research on the potential health benefits. It is not that one source is good and another is bad; it is rather a case of good, better, best and getting what you pay for. Original Himalayan Crystal Salt is exclusively sourced from one specific location, using hand mining and to date is the only source that has been able to prove that it has all the minerals, perfect structure, and clinical research to confirm its health benefits. In fact, Original Himalayan Crystal Salt has been the subject of several clinical trials and the book Water & Salt the Essence of Life. The easiest way to feel secure, knowing you have the true Original Himalayan Crystal Salt is to ask your supplier the following five questions: Do you have...

✓ A certificate of origin confirming this comes from Pakistan and the Himalayas

✓ A certificate of analysis proving the full spectrum of all 84 minerals in the ideal ratios for health?

✓ Structure analysis demonstrating the ideal bio-availability?

✓ Clinical research on your specific salt proving its health benefits?

✓ The Royal Seal verifying its source is the same mine researched in the book Water & Salt the Essence of Life?

About the Author: Dr. Carlin Saldanha N.D., M.P.H. is a naturopathic doctor, nutritionist, herbalist, wholefoods chef, and yoga teacher practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Carlin also holds her Master’s in Public Health and has dedicated herself to the fields of well-being, health education, prenatal healthcare, natural medicine, fertility, and women’s health for over 10 years.