Himalayan Salt

Health Benefits….or not!

Dr. Wald’s expert response as part of his participation at: AE AllExerts.com

Questioner:Jane

Category:Alternative Medicine

Subject: Himalayan Salt

Question:I would like your opinion on the validity of the claims of health benefits of Himalayan Salt. Are you aware of any clinical studies, real scientific research, or authoritative publications on its benefits? Or is it a sham?  Thank you for your time, and opinion.

Answer:

Hello Jane:

Thanks for asking this question about whether or not Himalayan salt has any health benefits.  Here’s my reply…

Rocks in Your Head

Himalayan salt is also called Rock Salt and its origin is from Pakistan. There are several varieties of Himalayan salt and all are similar in chemical composition. Is this stuff good for you? Well, as a longevity doctor I’m interested in anything and everything that might either slow, reverse or somehow improve the aging process. This stuff however will not do any of these things.

No Science Beyond Himalayan Salt

Sure we need salt to live, but this particular salt has not been demonstrated in scientific studies to have a unique health benefit beyond that of common table salt. There are no studies posted on the National Library of Medicine website scientific data base – this research data base contains studies from 1966 to the present and contains over 3 million citations.  Having said this, just because scientific studies have not been performed does not mean that something, like Himalayan sale, is not healthful.

Benefits of Salt

Salt itself is needed to help the body retain water, to help all of our body cells run appropriately and helps support our blood pressure and adrenal gland health.  Oh, and what about that salt thing and blood pressure increasing? Only 10% of the US population is salt sensitive meaning that the majority of us will not experience an increase in blood pressure by consuming salt. I have found that many people are actually deficient in sodium and chloride, the components of salt and suffer from fatigue, weak adrenal glands, reduced tissue healing,reduced physical and psychological stress tolerance, fluid retention, sluggish memory and other health issues.

In summary, we need salt for longevity, too much is no good and too little is no good either. How much is too much? How much is just right? An adrenal profile blood test, dietary food intake review (of total salt content) and review of symptoms may hep figure this out. Also, a simple salt loading test, under supervision of a health professional, may also be useful.

Here are a list of my top pics for adrenal support:

Greens Detox*

Longevity Complete*

Reds Protect*

*Take together these delicious powdered food concentrates contain natural sodium combined with dozens of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. All are available at: www.blooddetective.com.

Hope that this helps.

Dr. Michael Wald, DC, MD, CNS, CCN, DACBN, CDN
Integrated Medicine of Chappaqua
29 King St. 2nd Flr.
Chappaqua, NY 10514
914-552-1442
www.intmedny.com
www.Blood Detective.com