Excerpt from Chapter Three of The Med Free Method Book Series: Book One: Med Free Bipolar
by Aspen L. Morrow
Get a Salt Lick
“Violent prisoners given unrefined sea salt in their diets showed improved behaviors within a few short weeks” (Dr. Jaques Langre, “Seasalt’s Hidden Powers”, Happiness Press, 1994).
Those who know me know that I could write an entire book just about salt. I am constantly amazed at how many people think salt is bad for you, including doctors. What is the first thing doctors do to you when you go into the hospital? (A normal hospital I should say, cause a warm shot in the ass is not what I am talking about here). They hook you up to a saline solution drip, which is water and salt! Why? because that is what we are mostly made of. Well not all salt is the same, not even supposedly healthy Sea Salt!
Three kinds of salt:
- Most kinds of salt are bad for us, even highly toxic, especially the pure white refined stuff that graces super market shelves and is placed en mass in salt shakers in restaurants. Refined salt has been stripped of its minerals (many of it ends up in our children’s cereals: “Fortified with 20 vitamins and minerals!”), and contains added aluminum silicate, which is a neurotoxin and has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.
- The wolf in sheep’s clothing: so-called “sea salt”. Not much better than normal table salt, I think it is worse because it is pretending to be a health food. Unless your salt is colored (pink, speckled, black, grey), I recommend not trusting it, as it is difficult to tell if it had been refined. Real the label carefully.
- “Unrefined Sea Salt” and other terms to look for are: “Macrobiotic”, “Hand-harvested, sun-dried sea salt”. This salt is not only good for you, it is essential that you get adequate intakes of it.
Call out box: There are many types of Good Salt
- Himalayan Pink Salt (High Mineral Content)
- Celtic (grey) Sea Salt
- Redmond’s Real Salt
- Cyprus Flake, Mediterranean Sea Salt
- Alaea, Hawaiian Sea Salt
- Pure OceanTM Atlantic Sea Salt
- Sel Gris, French Sea Salt
- Salish, Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt (cold-smoked for 48 hours!)
- Fleur de Sel, French Sea Salt (One of the best for culinary finishing salt)
Good salt helps maintain electrolyte balance in the body and also contains a good source of trace minerals.
“Salt is the most essential ingredient in the body”– F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, salt prevents acidic build-up in cells, and can help prevent cancer formation.
Historically salt has been prized and revered for its healing properties, disinfecting abilities, and high-mineral content when unprocessed. The Bible mentions salt forty times in the King James Version, and cultures all around the world have prized and even worshiped salt.
“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50, NIV).
I find it amazing that the Bible, long before mental illness was rampant like it is today, said that if you have salt in you, you will be at peace with others. Salt can help calm moods, prevent and reverse headaches, and even reduce fighting in marriages, according to John Gray, Ph.D., author of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”.
Ironically, lithium is a salt compound, which actually comes in many forms, both healthy and healthy, just like table salt. Salt can be toxic, and healthy; lithium can be toxic and healthy as well, depending on the version. Most people with bipolar are highly deficient in salt, so as long as you are eating the right kinds, listed below, have all you want. I even put salt crystals under my tongue to ward off an early headache, and it works far better than an aspirin for most cases. I will discuss the various forms of lithium next, as it is also considered a salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt
Himalayan pink salt is harvested from ancient sea salt deposits deep in the Himalayan Mountains. It is recognized most for its beautiful color, but we are interested in its high mineral content. It is the one I most recommend.
I carry a salt grinder in my purse that my Hubby bought me from Williams Sonoma a few years ago as a stocking stuffer. When he bought it the lady at the counter looked at him inquisitively when he set it on the counter, and said: “Just the one? Don’t you want the pepper shaker to go with it?” My Hubby said, “No, just the one, my wife doesn’t like pepper.” She gave him the dirtiest look! I guess he must have really messed up their inventory!
I have started a little trend of people who have also bought shakers and are carrying them in their purses, but the men seem to feel left out since they have no purse; I was at a large networking lunch a few months ago for my ID Theft consulting firm, and lunch is usually provided in a warehouse-type setting. Word has gotten around that I always have salt with me, and on this particular day the smoked potatoes were wonderful, but in dire need of salt. I took mine out, used it, passed it around the table to all the jealous eyes, and by the time it got back to me a line four men deep had formed behind me. Our bodies crave salt more than we know, so why not make it fun and good for you? And it tastes amazing! You will become a salt snob too after a while.
Here’s a wise ancient Turkish saying: No matter how far you’ve gone down on a wrong road, turn back and get on the right road!
Brain Boss 