Friday, December 12, 2008

Natural Remedies: Salt

Salt is one of my favorite natural remedies, that whole "don't put salt in a open wound" is a metaphor gone wrong! Cause that is exactly what I do with salt...
Here's some things that salt works it's magical ways with:


1. Cuts/Scratches - There is always a chance of infection when you cut yourself or get scratched by an animal, but what you can do to prevent infection is mix some sea or kosher salt in a little water and put the paste on your cut. Yes, it burns like hell but if you actually do have an infection you can watch it be sucked out right before your eyes. And it looks pretty cool. Afterwards the wound closes up clean and heals.

2. Bites - I used to have 8 cats and some of them had biting issues. Achafalaya (my little man) bit right through my hand once (or twice really) leaving a puncture wound with swelling/burning. I soaked my hand in a cup of heavily salted water and the swelling went down and the holes closed up.

3. Accidents/Wounds - My X used to injure himself while doing renovation jobs all the time, you know those gnarly wounds where a nail goes through a finger or a saw slices into part of your hand!?! One of two things would take place - he'd refuse the salt and then get a really gross infection which then I'd make the salt cup for and it would pull the infection out OR he'd give into my salt cure from the beginning and the wound would heal up quickly never to get infected. Watching the nasty infections be pulled out was neat in that 'this is really sick but awesome to watch' kind of way...I LOVE salt!

4. Balancing Electrolytes - Our body naturally maintains levels of sodium, magnesium and potassium all in a delicate balance to keep us feeling healthy. A great way to relax while giving your body a balanced boost is to lay in a warm bath of kosher salt & epsom salt for approx. 45 minutes. It's the best remedy for when you are feeling tired, achy and dehydrated.The salt bath not only rejuvenates the body but also aids in gentle detoxification.

5. Facial Scrub/Face Mask - Why on earth buy expensive facial scrubs that contain plastic beads that poison our water when they go down the sink drain? Salt is the beauty queen's bad economy & environmental choice for scrubbing your face into a smooth glow! You know how when you go to the beach and your skin gets really clear and healthy from the salt water, you can make your own little ocean in front the bathroom sink with sea or kosher salt and scrub away. (BTW- you can also use salt to scrub all your skin while in the shower, people in China used salt exclusively for bathing before industrialization!)

*Do you know any other medicinal uses for salt?*

(Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent disease or other conditions. It is not intended to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. )

4 comments:

  1. For the entire summer after I was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (and I was in bad shape), I went to the beach every day and swam in the ocean. It was the healing salt waters that helped me get balanced again-- not a cure for the MCS, I still struggle when exposed to toxic chems-- but I know that had I not gone through that natural detox in the salt water for the whole summer, I would have just totally crashed and maybe never been productive again.

    My experience of that summer was the story I tell on my very first post on The Canary Report. It was a gateway into the rest of my life with MCS.

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  2. I've been brushing my teeth with salt water for almost 2 years, since I couldn't find a safe toothpaste or even a safe baking soda.

    (B.S. can come from different sources and some don't agree with me.)

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  3. Susie -
    Salt water is so healing, it's something I miss since we don't have a nearby beach here in the mountains.

    Linda -
    Brushing teeth with salt is a really good idea, i was thinking about mixing baking soda and salt together for a toothpaste. Right now i use eco dent, but there are good DIY recipes for toothpaste online.

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