Sinus Therapy
The practice of nasal irrigation, known as Neti, has been used by practitioners of Yoga and Ayurveda in India for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The nasal passages are lined with a thin layer of mucus and are one of our body's first lines of defense against disease. Let's face it, we deal with a lot more pollution than we used to. Nasal rinsing helps keep this layer of mucus moist, clean and healthy. Most sinus problems fall into three categories: acute, chronic and allergenic (which could be both acute and chronic). Acute sinus problems often come about from seasonal allergies, a cold, or the flu, and are seen as a temporary condition. Chronic sinus problems are often long term, quite possibly from allergies, climate changes, or from a completely unknown source. For long periods of time the sinuses seem to be inflamed and filled with mucous. Allergen sinuses are simply that - from allergies which can be a temporary condition if it's a summer airborne allergy or chronic if it's an undiagnosed allergy. Headaches and sinus pressure can be associated with all three categories. Whichever category describes you best, you will find sinus relief after using a nasal pot. For best results, use the nasal pot every day.
How To Use A Nasal Pot/Neti Pot
Fill the nasal pot just below its lip with warm water. Add ½ teaspoon of Himalayan salt and stir until it is thoroughly dissolved. Bend over the sink and turn your head to one side. Keeping the pot level, place the spout into the top nostril until it has a snug fit. Breathe through your mouth and slowly tip your head downward allowing the warm water to travel up through your sinuses and out the other nostril. Do not sniff! Let gravity do the work. Play around with the angle of your head if you are having problems with the water flowing out the other nostil. Use half the saline solution in the pot and repeat on the other side. If you experience an uncomfortable sensation, adjust the level of salt. Sometimes too little salt can be as uncomfortable as too much salt.
Get your own Neti Pot
http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/netipots.html
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Salt and Your Health
AMA's campaign against salt fails to recognize health benefits of sea salt and trace minerals
Published July 18th, 2006
You may have heard the recent news that the AMA has publicly come out against excessive sodium consumption and salt in particular. Suddenly, the alternative health community is engaged in a whirlwind of debate on the topic. But wait, if salt is a major risk factor in heart and renal diseases, why is anyone upset?
Quite simply, the issue is that not all sources of sodium and salt are the same. As far as the body is concerned, there is no connection between the chemically-cleansed sodium chloride table salt you buy in the supermarket, which is added to virtually every processed food you buy, and the mineral rich organic sea salt available in health food stores. One can kill you; the other heals you. In fact, it's essential for life.
One point everyone can agree on is that the body needs sodium to function. It is the main component of the body's extra-cellular fluids, and it helps carry nutrients into the cells. Sodium also helps regulate other body functions, such as blood pressure and fluid volume, and works on the lining of blood vessels to keep the pressure balance normal.
Everyone can also agree that just like anything else, salt or sodium should not be consumed in excess. (But then again, that's true of water and oxygen as well.) Which brings us back to why the AMA came out with a warning: Americans are consuming ever higher amounts of sodium, up to 6,000 milligrams a day, instead of the recommended 500 to 2,000 milligrams per day. These high amounts, in a form that is unfriendly to the human body and with no ancillary mineral benefits, are what lead to serious health problems.
However, this is not necessarily the heart of the debate. The issue is that the AMA is against all forms of salt, which could threaten to obscure salt's importance and to confuse thoughtful consumers.
To further explain, standard table salt is highly refined, chemically cleansed, and unfriendly to the human body. Unrefined sea salt, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring complex of sodium chloride, which includes major minerals such as calcium and magnesium and a complete complement of essential trace minerals. This is the form of salt the body is designed to utilize – having been the salt of choice since humans first walked the earth. Refined table salt, on the other hand, is a modern invention, artificially designed to look white and pour easily. The human body doesn't like it.
This is very similar to the vitamin dilemma. The best vitamin supplements are full complexes that can be absorbed into the body because they mimic how they are found in nature. Vitamin E, for instance, is usually sold as d-alpha-tocopheol (dl-alpha if you buy synthetic), but vitamin E naturally exists as a complex of at least eight components – 4 tocopherols and 4 tocotrienols, of which d-alpha is at best the sixth most potent (source: VitaminRetailer.com).
Likewise, the vitamin C found in a lemon does not exist as ascorbic acid, but as a complex that includes bioflavonoids and calcium. You will notice that now most vitamin C supplements contain added bioflavonoids and calcium because over time supplement manufacturers have learned that the body doesn't utilize pure ascorbic acid without the rest of the vitamin C complex present.
But nature had it right from the very beginning. Lemons contain the full complex; oranges contain the full complex; and grapefruit contain the full complex. Similar to complex vitamins, unrefined natural sea salt is also a complex, one that contains the full spectrum of trace minerals that are essential for life but lacking in our modern diet.
Here we get to the heart of the debate: trace minerals.
The issue of getting enough trace minerals in our diet should not be taken lightly. Traditionally, eating fresh grains, fruits, and vegetables grown in nutrient-rich soil, drinking mineral rich water, and including naturally occurring forms of raw salt in the diet have provided the full spectrum of ionically-charged trace minerals necessary for life.
Unfortunately, naturally occurring, nutrient-rich soil is almost non-existent on commercial farms and bottled water is mostly devoid of trace minerals. Key trace minerals now missing from the modern diet include copper, tin, silver, gold, and lithium. The entire burden has shifted to naturally occurring salt and/or trace mineral supplements. Recently, trace minerals in the news include selenium for preventing cancer, boron for preventing osteoporosis, and chromium for regulating blood sugar levels. Of course, finding the right source of trace minerals is tricky, but that is another topic.
In the end, as the scientific community debates on whether sodium chloride causes high blood pressure or if sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is a better alternative, others will remind consumers that going back to nature is the key. Although we can't rely on our fruits and vegetables any more for minerals, we still have a natural alternative: unrefined sea salt. Of course, at least everyone can all agree on one thing: a healthy diet is a diet in moderation.
In a world of specialists, Jon Barron is the true Health Renaissance Man. He has wrapped his mind around virtually every natural therapy known to man and brought it together in a whole body package -- delivering a whole body "system" program, a line of nutraceutical products, and cutting-edge functional foods and drinks for consumers to enjoy. Combining his knowledge and research with modern science, he continues to pioneer solutions in the alternative health industry for the overall benefit of mankind.
This information courtesy of NewsTarget.com
Published July 18th, 2006
You may have heard the recent news that the AMA has publicly come out against excessive sodium consumption and salt in particular. Suddenly, the alternative health community is engaged in a whirlwind of debate on the topic. But wait, if salt is a major risk factor in heart and renal diseases, why is anyone upset?
Quite simply, the issue is that not all sources of sodium and salt are the same. As far as the body is concerned, there is no connection between the chemically-cleansed sodium chloride table salt you buy in the supermarket, which is added to virtually every processed food you buy, and the mineral rich organic sea salt available in health food stores. One can kill you; the other heals you. In fact, it's essential for life.
One point everyone can agree on is that the body needs sodium to function. It is the main component of the body's extra-cellular fluids, and it helps carry nutrients into the cells. Sodium also helps regulate other body functions, such as blood pressure and fluid volume, and works on the lining of blood vessels to keep the pressure balance normal.
Everyone can also agree that just like anything else, salt or sodium should not be consumed in excess. (But then again, that's true of water and oxygen as well.) Which brings us back to why the AMA came out with a warning: Americans are consuming ever higher amounts of sodium, up to 6,000 milligrams a day, instead of the recommended 500 to 2,000 milligrams per day. These high amounts, in a form that is unfriendly to the human body and with no ancillary mineral benefits, are what lead to serious health problems.
However, this is not necessarily the heart of the debate. The issue is that the AMA is against all forms of salt, which could threaten to obscure salt's importance and to confuse thoughtful consumers.
To further explain, standard table salt is highly refined, chemically cleansed, and unfriendly to the human body. Unrefined sea salt, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring complex of sodium chloride, which includes major minerals such as calcium and magnesium and a complete complement of essential trace minerals. This is the form of salt the body is designed to utilize – having been the salt of choice since humans first walked the earth. Refined table salt, on the other hand, is a modern invention, artificially designed to look white and pour easily. The human body doesn't like it.
This is very similar to the vitamin dilemma. The best vitamin supplements are full complexes that can be absorbed into the body because they mimic how they are found in nature. Vitamin E, for instance, is usually sold as d-alpha-tocopheol (dl-alpha if you buy synthetic), but vitamin E naturally exists as a complex of at least eight components – 4 tocopherols and 4 tocotrienols, of which d-alpha is at best the sixth most potent (source: VitaminRetailer.com).
Likewise, the vitamin C found in a lemon does not exist as ascorbic acid, but as a complex that includes bioflavonoids and calcium. You will notice that now most vitamin C supplements contain added bioflavonoids and calcium because over time supplement manufacturers have learned that the body doesn't utilize pure ascorbic acid without the rest of the vitamin C complex present.
But nature had it right from the very beginning. Lemons contain the full complex; oranges contain the full complex; and grapefruit contain the full complex. Similar to complex vitamins, unrefined natural sea salt is also a complex, one that contains the full spectrum of trace minerals that are essential for life but lacking in our modern diet.
Here we get to the heart of the debate: trace minerals.
The issue of getting enough trace minerals in our diet should not be taken lightly. Traditionally, eating fresh grains, fruits, and vegetables grown in nutrient-rich soil, drinking mineral rich water, and including naturally occurring forms of raw salt in the diet have provided the full spectrum of ionically-charged trace minerals necessary for life.
Unfortunately, naturally occurring, nutrient-rich soil is almost non-existent on commercial farms and bottled water is mostly devoid of trace minerals. Key trace minerals now missing from the modern diet include copper, tin, silver, gold, and lithium. The entire burden has shifted to naturally occurring salt and/or trace mineral supplements. Recently, trace minerals in the news include selenium for preventing cancer, boron for preventing osteoporosis, and chromium for regulating blood sugar levels. Of course, finding the right source of trace minerals is tricky, but that is another topic.
In the end, as the scientific community debates on whether sodium chloride causes high blood pressure or if sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is a better alternative, others will remind consumers that going back to nature is the key. Although we can't rely on our fruits and vegetables any more for minerals, we still have a natural alternative: unrefined sea salt. Of course, at least everyone can all agree on one thing: a healthy diet is a diet in moderation.
In a world of specialists, Jon Barron is the true Health Renaissance Man. He has wrapped his mind around virtually every natural therapy known to man and brought it together in a whole body package -- delivering a whole body "system" program, a line of nutraceutical products, and cutting-edge functional foods and drinks for consumers to enjoy. Combining his knowledge and research with modern science, he continues to pioneer solutions in the alternative health industry for the overall benefit of mankind.
This information courtesy of NewsTarget.com
Sodium and Health, the controversy continues
Blaming dietary sodium for high blood pressure is too simplistic; the real problem may be mineral deficiencies
by Dani Veracity
In popular thought, disputing sodium's link to high blood pressure is equivalent to questioning whether the earth is round. However, some experts now believe that salt will not raise blood pressure in everyone, just in people who are "salt sensitive." Only 10 percent of the population is salt sensitive, according to BioMarkers by Professor William Evans and Dr. Irwin H. Rosenberg.
Of course, far more than 10 percent of us suffer from hypertension, meaning that if these experts are correct, salt intake cannot be the only factor contributing to America's high blood pressure epidemic. In fact, according to Gayle Reichler's book, Active Wellness, only half the people with hypertension have high blood pressure because of their salt intake, making cutting down on the amount of salt you eat a good step toward lower blood pressure, but not a cure-all.
Scientists are still unsure why some people's bodies respond to salt more drastically than others; however, most theories focus on sodium's in vivo interaction with potassium, magnesium and calcium. In fact, some experts believe that these nutrients play more of a role in these individuals' salt sensitivity than sodium itself. Deficiencies in these complementary minerals may actually be the larger culprit in hypertension.
"The problem is just as likely to be too little potassium, calcium and magnesium," emphasizes Alice Feinstein in Healing with Vitamins. Most experts agree that you would do well to consume sodium in balance with potassium in order to maintain healthy blood pressure, but they are still unsure about how this potassium mechanism works. Some experts believe that potassium lowers blood pressure by relaxing small blood vessels, while others think that it works by helping the body expel excess sodium and water.
Another interesting theory asserts that these people actually have hypertension because of calcium deficiency, rather than an excess of sodium. However, as Jean Carper explains in Food: Your Miracle Medicine, proponents of this theory have multiple theories about how it might operate: "One theory is that such individuals retain water when they eat too much sodium, and that calcium acts like a natural diuretic to help kidneys release sodium and water, thus reducing blood pressure. Another, more complex explanation is that calcium works by preventing release of the parathyroid hormone that can raise blood pressure."
As is often the case with uncharted health territory, when it comes to the salt sensitivity explanation for hypertension, theories often pile upon theories. This isn't a bad thing; rather, it makes the intellectual environment ripe for new discoveries. On the other hand, it's important to remember that not all experts agree with the salt-sensitivity theory. "There's no question about it: A great number of comparative studies of people who use no salt and those who use great quantities have proved that high salt equals high blood pressure," writes Gary Null in his Complete Guide to Health and Nutrition.
Dr. William Castelli, director of the famous Framingham Heart Study, also cites demographic studies as support for the mainstream medical viewpoint that consuming excess sodium leads to hypertension, a perspective that some naturopaths also share. Furthermore, in Food Politics, Marion Nestle questions the ethical roots of some of the salt-sensitivity theory's proponents, pointing out some objectionable financial backing: "'There is reason to be concerned that lowering NaCl [salt] intake may have long-term metabolic risks that have not been fully identified . . . we do not have solid evidence that lower NaCl intake prospectively will prevent or control high blood pressure."
However, the review in which this appears was funded in part by The Salt Institute, a trade association for the salt industry. This isn't to say that all experts who believe in salt sensitivity are funded by the salt industry. Like any theory, the salt sensitivity explanation for why some people have high blood pressure and others don't has both its proponents and opponents.
A simple test to determine if you are low in the enzyme renin will show you whether you are salt sensitive, according to Reichler. Of course, an even simpler way is to cut down on your sodium intake for a few months – under the care of a doctor, or preferably a naturopath – and see if your blood pressure goes down. If your numbers go down, then you are salt sensitive; if not, you and your naturopath must then take extra steps to learn the cause of your hypertension.
The point is, as Dr. Bernard Lamport emphasizes in Food: Your Miracle Medicine, "Everyone cannot count on sodium restriction to be a panacea for high blood pressure." In other words, as we all know, obtaining good health requires taking a holistic approach to your body, not just making one change and hoping that it will be a cure-all.
This information courtesy of NewsTarget.com
by Dani Veracity
In popular thought, disputing sodium's link to high blood pressure is equivalent to questioning whether the earth is round. However, some experts now believe that salt will not raise blood pressure in everyone, just in people who are "salt sensitive." Only 10 percent of the population is salt sensitive, according to BioMarkers by Professor William Evans and Dr. Irwin H. Rosenberg.
Of course, far more than 10 percent of us suffer from hypertension, meaning that if these experts are correct, salt intake cannot be the only factor contributing to America's high blood pressure epidemic. In fact, according to Gayle Reichler's book, Active Wellness, only half the people with hypertension have high blood pressure because of their salt intake, making cutting down on the amount of salt you eat a good step toward lower blood pressure, but not a cure-all.
Scientists are still unsure why some people's bodies respond to salt more drastically than others; however, most theories focus on sodium's in vivo interaction with potassium, magnesium and calcium. In fact, some experts believe that these nutrients play more of a role in these individuals' salt sensitivity than sodium itself. Deficiencies in these complementary minerals may actually be the larger culprit in hypertension.
"The problem is just as likely to be too little potassium, calcium and magnesium," emphasizes Alice Feinstein in Healing with Vitamins. Most experts agree that you would do well to consume sodium in balance with potassium in order to maintain healthy blood pressure, but they are still unsure about how this potassium mechanism works. Some experts believe that potassium lowers blood pressure by relaxing small blood vessels, while others think that it works by helping the body expel excess sodium and water.
Another interesting theory asserts that these people actually have hypertension because of calcium deficiency, rather than an excess of sodium. However, as Jean Carper explains in Food: Your Miracle Medicine, proponents of this theory have multiple theories about how it might operate: "One theory is that such individuals retain water when they eat too much sodium, and that calcium acts like a natural diuretic to help kidneys release sodium and water, thus reducing blood pressure. Another, more complex explanation is that calcium works by preventing release of the parathyroid hormone that can raise blood pressure."
As is often the case with uncharted health territory, when it comes to the salt sensitivity explanation for hypertension, theories often pile upon theories. This isn't a bad thing; rather, it makes the intellectual environment ripe for new discoveries. On the other hand, it's important to remember that not all experts agree with the salt-sensitivity theory. "There's no question about it: A great number of comparative studies of people who use no salt and those who use great quantities have proved that high salt equals high blood pressure," writes Gary Null in his Complete Guide to Health and Nutrition.
Dr. William Castelli, director of the famous Framingham Heart Study, also cites demographic studies as support for the mainstream medical viewpoint that consuming excess sodium leads to hypertension, a perspective that some naturopaths also share. Furthermore, in Food Politics, Marion Nestle questions the ethical roots of some of the salt-sensitivity theory's proponents, pointing out some objectionable financial backing: "'There is reason to be concerned that lowering NaCl [salt] intake may have long-term metabolic risks that have not been fully identified . . . we do not have solid evidence that lower NaCl intake prospectively will prevent or control high blood pressure."
However, the review in which this appears was funded in part by The Salt Institute, a trade association for the salt industry. This isn't to say that all experts who believe in salt sensitivity are funded by the salt industry. Like any theory, the salt sensitivity explanation for why some people have high blood pressure and others don't has both its proponents and opponents.
A simple test to determine if you are low in the enzyme renin will show you whether you are salt sensitive, according to Reichler. Of course, an even simpler way is to cut down on your sodium intake for a few months – under the care of a doctor, or preferably a naturopath – and see if your blood pressure goes down. If your numbers go down, then you are salt sensitive; if not, you and your naturopath must then take extra steps to learn the cause of your hypertension.
The point is, as Dr. Bernard Lamport emphasizes in Food: Your Miracle Medicine, "Everyone cannot count on sodium restriction to be a panacea for high blood pressure." In other words, as we all know, obtaining good health requires taking a holistic approach to your body, not just making one change and hoping that it will be a cure-all.
This information courtesy of NewsTarget.com
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