Have you ever closely observed a copy of Da Vinci’s famous “Last Supper” painting? If so, did you notice what Judas (the traitor Apostle) is doing? Not only is he holding a bag (presumably, of silver) but he’s also knocking over a shaker of salt. While we in the modern world might miss the symbolism Da Vinci was aiming for here, it would be obvious to people of ancient times. Have you ever wondered why high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic illnesses are more prevalent nowadays? As it turns out, the cryptic message in the famous painting may be connected to the answer.
It was common knowledge in Da Vinci’s day that salt was not only valuable (as currency in trade) but also vital to good health. In his book, “Salt Your Way to Health,” David Brownstein, M.D., tells how Roman soldiers collected their pay in salt. That’s where we get the word “salary.” For thousands of years, salt was reportedly a valuable currency and trading tool. In the Civil War, as well, a priority goal of the North’s was to disrupt the South’s salt supply. This would not only cause economic hardship on the southern troops but would also impede their food supplies and health.
If it’s so good, why were we taught salt is bad?
Before you start downing plain old table salt, there are a few things you should know. The first is that you should never do that because table salt is NOT good for you. There is unrefined and refined salt. The latter is bad, the former is SUPER good. However, the majority of tests done to determine if salt is a healthy food staple were done on refined salt. The bad salt. In short, the medical journals, scientific literature and health food books that encourage a low-salt diet have based their suggestions off of tests that were done on the wrong kind of salt. Ironic, isn’t it, that, after we (as a society) switched to a low-salt diet, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic illnesses increased?
What’s the difference between refined and unrefined?
In “Salt Your Way to Health,” Brownstein explains the purpose of salt refinement. During the refining process, they use chemicals to “treat” salt. This chemical treatment extracts minerals from the salt. They sell the minerals to numerous industries. Here is where the big BUT comes in. They sell the minerals to industries BUT the chemicals remain in the salt, making it a highly unhealthy substance. Such chemicals include preservatives such as sodium ferrocyanide. The chemicals also suck the moisture out of the salt to increase its shelf life. Last but not least, they bleach the salt so it looks whiter and brighter.
Unrefined salt contains all the healthy minerals your body needs. It lacks all the chemicals your body not only doesn’t need but can be greatly harmed by if consumed. Many people who suffer from high blood pressure, liver, kidney problems and certain types of cancer have mineral deficiencies. Unrefined salt contains these minerals.
Practical tip for those who have high blood pressure
Doctor Brownstein writes that eliminating refined salt from your diet but replacing it with unrefined salt is a step in the right direction to improve health. Further, he suggests mixing a quarter teaspoon of unrefined salt per quart of water and drinking it every day. If you read his book, you’ll find a much more detailed explanation of how drinking unrefined salt water helps cells stay hydrated and get rid of waste.
Studies have shown that a low-salt (refined salt) diet does nothing to help lower high blood pressure. However, studies also show more than a 400% increase in heart attacks in people with low-salt intake. Brownstein goes a step further, stating that a low-salt diet causes numerous toxins to accumulate in the body.
Scientists are often wrong
For approximately 2,000 years, spontaneous generation was Scientific Law. Aristotle finalized the theory that numerous scientific experiments had supposedly concluded. They taught it as fact, that is, until Francesco Redi came along and proved it false. How? Redi proved that the experiments themselves had been flawed. Why am I mentioning this in an article about high blood pressure and salt?
The reason is this: Many people automatically believe what they read or hear when it includes the word “scientific.” Science is a worthy tool, but scientists are human beings capable of error. Similar to Redi versus Aristotle, Brownstein claims that all the salt-is-bad-for-you advice stems from faulty experiments. They did the studies that prompted a low-salt diet on refined salt instead of unrefined salt.
What should you do with this information?
I do not have a degree in medicine or science. I highly recommend that you do your own research. If you have high blood pressure, you might want to explore the possibility that eliminating refined salt and adding unrefined salt to your diet might be helpful. Unrefined salt contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and more minerals our bodies need to stay healthy.
About six or seven years ago, I got rid of refined salt in my home and replaced it with unrefined sea salt and pink Himalayan salt. You can find these minerals in nature, so it makes logical sense in my mind that God would provide such things to help us maintain good health. It also makes logical sense in my mind that when people tamper with a natural product in a laboratory or factory, especially when chemicals are added, it can become unhealthy for human consumption. Some people believe staying out of the sun is better for you although there is ample evidence to the contrary. We need sunlight. We also need unrefined salt.
