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Epsom Salt:
Epsom - Bath Salts
Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate) is called for in many recipes for making Epsom Bath Salts,
Salt Scrubs, Aromatherapy Treatments, Detox Baths and Soap Making. TheraSoak high mineral epsom salts
will increase the quality of any bath salt or spa treatment recipe.
13 Wonderful Ways to Use Epsom Salts
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/healing-salt-crystals.html
By Annie B. Bond, author of Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press, 1999).
Oh, epsom salt—who knew that such an uninspiring ingredient could inspire such devotion? Read on for 13
ways to use epsom salts, including a relaxing bath, a face scrub and a hair volumizer. It's also a miracle cure,
helping to get rid of splinters and reduce swelling of sprains and bruises. One ingredient fits all!
SIMPLE SOLUTION: I always knew that soaking in a tub full of hot water with a few cups of Epsom Salts
was good for relaxing muscles and drawing toxins from the body, but I could never figure out why. And it
wasn't until I spent some time at the Epsom Salt Industry Council web site that I learned that epsom salts—
made of the mineral magnesium sulfate—are also a sedative for the nervous system.
When magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin, such as in a bath, it draws toxins from the body,
sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling, relaxes muscles, is a natural emollient, exfoliator, and much
more.
Adapted from the Epsom Salt Industry Council http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/
Note: Check with a doctor before using if you have any health concerns.
Relaxing and sedative bath: Soak in warm water and 2 cups of epsom salt.
Face cleaner: To clean your face at night, mix a half-teaspoon of epsom salt with your regular cleansing
cream. Just massage into skin and rinse with cold water.
Homemade skin mask: Apply the mask to damp skin. For normal to oily skin, mix 1 tablespoon of cognac,
1 egg, 1/4 cup of non-fat dry milk, the juice of 1 lemon, and a half-teaspoon of epsom salt. For normal to dry
skin, mix 1/4 cup of grated carrot, 1 1/2 teaspoons of mayonnaise and a half-teaspoon of epsom salt.
Foot soak: Soothe aches, remove odors and soften rough skin with a foot soak. Add 1/2 cup of epsom salt to
a large pan of warm water. Soak feet for as long as it feels right. Rinse and dry.
Skin exfoliator: Massage handfuls of epsom salt over your wet skin, starting with your feet and continuing
up towards the face. Have a bath to rinse.
Remove excess oil from hair: Epsom salt soaks up excess oil from hair. Add 9 tablespoons of epsom salt to
1/2 cup of oily hair shampoo. Apply one tablespoon of the liquid to your hair when it is dry; rinse with cold
water. Pour lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar through the hair, leave on for 5-10 minutes, and then
rinse.
Remove hairspray: Combine 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup epsom salt. Combine, cover
and let set for 24 hours. The next day, pour the mixture into your dry hair and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then
shampoo as normal.
Hair volumizer: Combine equal parts of deep conditioner and epsom salt. Warm in a pan. Work the warm
mixture through your hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse.
Soak sprains and bruises: Epsom salt will reduce the swelling of sprains and bruises. Add 2 cups epsom
salt to a warm bath, and soak.
Splinter remover: Soak in epsom salt, it will draw out the splinter.
Homemade Detox Baths
By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Green Living Executive Producer
Baths are wonderfully healing, and it is easy to make your own homemade, detox baths.
Hot water draws toxins out of the body to the skin's surface, and while the water cools it pulls toxins from
the skin, according to Naturopath Dr. Hazel Parcells. Epsom salts augment this detoxification by causing you
to sweat. Other salts—all highly alkaline and cleansing—used in baths include sea salt, baking soda, clay,
and Dead Sea salts.
SIMPLE SOLUTION:
Basic Salt Soak Bath Formula
Minerals and salts make the bath water feel silky and leave your skin cleansed and soft.
1 cup sea salts
2 cups baking soda
1 cup Epsom salts
1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin per bath
Add Essential Oils for a fragrant, relaxing experience
Combine the sea salts, baking soda, and Epsom salts in a bowl. Stir to blend. Pour 1/4 cup or so into the bath
while the tub is filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin to keep your skin from drying out (more for dry skin,
less for oily skin) and essential oils of choice.
Preparation time: 2 to 3 minutes
Shelf life: Indefinite
Storage: Glass jar with a screw top
Caution: Do not take hot baths and salt baths (including Epsom salt baths) if you have heart trouble, high
blood pressure, or are diabetic.
Salt of the Earth Body Scrub
Adapted from Organic Body Care Recipes, by Stephanie Tourles (Storey Publishing, 2007).
How wonderful to connect with the Earth all over your skin with this sea salt scrub that is also an itch
scratcher par none. Using just the pure gifts of nature, this ultra-invigorating blend is perfect to use in the
morning as a wake-me-up as it enlivens all the senses!
SIMPLE SOLUTION: Recommended for all skin types except for those with acne (use with care on sensitive
and environmentally damaged skin).
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sea salt (preferably finely ground, but regular granular will do)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive base oil or base oil of choice
40-60 drops peppermint, spearmint, grapefruit, geranium, or rosemary (chemotype verbenon) essential oil
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sea salt and the base oil. Using a whisk, stir to blend. Add the essential
oil drop by drop, blending after each addition.
Spoon into a storage container with a tight-fitting lid.
No refrigeration is required, but for maximum freshness and fragrance, please use within six months.
HELPFUL HINTS: Massage approximately ¼ to ½ cup of scrub onto premoistened skin using circular
motions. Rinse.
Use: 1-2 times per week
Follow with moisturizer if necessary
Prep time: Approximately 10 minutes
Blending tools: Medium-sized bowl and whisk
Store in wide-mouthed plastic or glass jar
Yield: Approximately 2 cups
Healing Salt Crystals
Adapted from "The Herbal Home Spa" by Greta Breedlove (Story Books, 1998).
The easy-to-find ingredients for this wonderful bathing mixture help to relieve soreness and aching joints and
muscles. Soothing and relaxing, Healing Salt Crystals draw out impurities from your body and deoderize,
too!
With many of the healing properties of a seaside spa, this formula is perfect for the day after a strenuous
workout, or for any time you need a little healing time-out. If you can't get away to the beach, you can at
least relax in a tub with these lovely crystals.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: INGREDIENTS
1 cup borax
2 cups Epsom salts
½ cup coarse sea salt
¼ cup baking soda
¼ cup white clay
½ cup dried lavender
10 drops lavender essential oil
1. In a large bowl, mix together the borax, salts, baking soda, and clay, then mix in the dried lavender,
stirring with a wire whisk.
2. Scent the mixture with the oil, mixing well with the whisk. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave
overnight to fix the scent.
3. In the morning, thoroughly mix again and package in jars, zip-seal or muslin bags, or envelopes.
To Use:
Add ¼ to ½ cup healing salt crystals to a tubful of warm water.
The Science of Epsom Salts:
Magnesium is the second-most abundant element in human cells and the fourth-most important positively charged ion in the body, so it's
little wonder this low-profile mineral is so vital to good health and well being. Magnesium, a major component of Epsom Salt, also helps to
regulate the activity of more than 325 enzymes and performs a vital role in orchestrating many bodily functions, from muscle control and
electrical impulses to energy production and the elimination of harmful toxins.
The National Academy of Sciences, however, reports that most Americans are magnesium deficient, helping to account for our society's
high rate of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis and joint pain, digestive maladies and stress-related illnesses, chronic fatigue
and a host of other ailments. The Academy estimates the average American male gets just 80% of the magnesium required for good
health, while females get only 70% of their recommended levels. Nutritionists say Americans' magnesium levels have dropped more than
50% in the past century.
Making Bath Salts
Making your own therapeutic bath salt is really very simple. SaltWorks
offers a wide range of high quality sea salts and free bath salt recipes.
Bath salts are a wonderful way to implement aromatherapy benefits.
Create your own unique bath salt recipe with essential oils, dried herbs
and colorants. Making these salts for yourself or for your business takes
little time and is very rewarding! There are also recipes for making
great spa products such as Salt Glows, Bath Bombs, Crystal Potpourri
and Bath Teas!
CAUTION: Essential Oils you should avoid in the
bath include but are not limited to basil, oregano,
thyme, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, black
pepper, and bay (Pimenta and Laurus). Also
avoid any oils that can cause sensitivity to your
skin.
Consult your physician if you have high blood
pressure, are pregnant or have other medical
concerns.
Blending Bath Salts:
Bath Salts: Sea salts and essential oils are a wonderfully synergistic combination. The relaxing properties of hot water compliment
the effects of well chosen salts and essential oils. Aromatic baths can provide relief from stress and anxiety, assist with muscle and
joint pains, and treat the symptoms of more severe skin conditions. Both men and women are enjoying aromatic baths in increasing
numbers. The therapeutic benefits of sea salt baths are well known and often recommended by doctors for treating a wide range of
medical conditions.
Aroma Therapy: Aromatherapy is the practice of controlled use of essential oils to maintain and promote physical, psychological, and
spiritual well being. As a holistic medicine, Aromatherapy is both a preventative approach as well as an active treatment during acute
and chronic stages of illness.
Essential Oils: Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts distilled from a variety of plant material including leaves, flowers,
needles, fruit peels, grasses, wood and roots. These oils, with the exception of Lavender and Tea Tree, should always be diluted in
carrier oil before applying directly to the skin.
Dried Herbs: Many dried herbs possess the same scent and healing properties of their essential oil counterparts. Herbs are popular
additions to bath salts and bath teas and look great in a finished product, one draw back is that it can be messy in the tub. A good
option is to include an organza bag with your salts to use as a tea bag - the salts melt, the herbs seep in the hot bath water and
once the bag dries it is easy to empty out the herbs and re-use the bag.
Carrier Oils: moisturizing vegetable oils are commonly used as a "carrier" for essential oils. Most essential oils are too strong to apply
directly to the skin and should be diluted 12-30 drops to 1oz of carrier oil. Carrier oils are also combined with sea salts to create
defoliant salt scrubs.
Hydrogen Peroxide: Adding hydrogen peroxide to bathwater increases oxygen available to the body. Hydrogen peroxide baths leave
the body feeling alert and revitalized, like just after a rain shower. This gentle bath is antibacterial, antiviral, and cleansing to the
emotional and energetic bodies. Add six ounces of food-grade hydrogen peroxide to a hot bath and soak for 20-30 minutes. Be
careful in handling this concentrated solution of hydrogen peroxide as it can "burn" or irritate the skin. Diluted in the bathwater, it is
fine for skin contact.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar baths restore a natural pH to the skin and hair, as well as rejuvenating and building up the
body’s resistance. It helps restore acid mantle protection to the skin, which is lost from swimming and from routine use of soaps on
the skin. It thus helps combat “unfriendly” bacteria, fungal overgrowth, and as helpful with vaginal and bladder infections. Apple
cider vinegar baths are soothing to the skin, alleviating itchiness, poison ivy, and sunburn discomfort. As with all hot baths, it causes
the pores to open and aids in general systemic detoxification. Make certain to use pure, unprocessed apply cider vinegar. Use 2-4
cups in a hot bath.
Sodium Bicarbonate: A hot bath with equal parts of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and sea salt assists in detoxification from
exposure to heavy metals and radiation. It is also beneficial for cleansing the theauric field, and for soothing itchy skin. In
combination, use 1-2 pounds of each. Sea salts is recommended, as opposed to rock salt or common table salt, which are depleted
of nourishing minerals.
Citric Acid: Citric Acid is a key ingredient, along with Sodium Bicarbonate, for bath fizzies (recipe below). It is also great for making
fizzy bath salts. The combination creates an effervescent blend that helps release the aroma of your essential oils into the air,
creating an uplifting aromatic bath.
Colorants: FD&C dyes dispersed in liquid or glycerin are popular for adding color to bath salts. Herbs can also be used to create
beautiful natural colors for your salts. Powdered Mica can create beautiful pearl essence salt.
SALT GLOW
1/2 C Bokek™ Dead Sea Salt - Fine
1/2 C EuroSpa™ Sea Salt - Fine
4oz Grapeseed Oil (1/2 cup)
2oz Avocado Oil (1/4 cup)
1 T d-alpha Tocopheral Vitamin E
20-30 drops Essentil Oil Blend
BATH TEAS
1/2 C Breton™ Coarse or Breton™ Brut
Sweet Orange Essential Oil
Dried Lavender Buds
Dried Chamomile Flowers
Large 3x5 inch tea bags
(can substitute tea bags with Organza Bags or Muslin Bags)
Mix Salts together, set aside. Mix all oils together. Pour oils
mixture into storage jar. Jar should be glass or PET and
have an airtight seal. Slowly add salt and mix well.
Add essential oil to salt and mix well. Add dried herbs and
stir to combine. Fill each tea bag with approx 4oz of mixture,
Package individually in plastic to seal in the scent.
Salt Glow should be stored in cool dark place to maximize
shelf life. Adding a drop or two of Rosemary Essential Oil will
help to preserve your scrubs.
To Use: Simply toss one bag into warm bath water. As the
tea bag seeps the salts will melt and the fragrance from the
essential oils and herbs will disperse. When done, throw the
tea bag away!
SALT POTPOURRI
RIO™ Sea Salt Crystals - Jumbo
Colorant
Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils
ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS
3/4 oz Grapefruit & 1/4 oz Eucalyptus
Making Salt Crystal Potpourri is a simple process. The
trickiest part is the coloring of the crystals. You have 3
choices for colorings: Liquid Based, Glycerin Based or Mica
Powders. The liquid based colorings will dry the best,
glycerin will be a nice translucent coloring and Mica gives
you opalescent options. You can also simply rinse the
crystals for a "glass like" look (see Rio Salt Page).
1/4 oz Lemon grass / 3/4 oz Lime
Soothing &
Relaxing
Uplifting
1/4 oz Rosemary & 3/4 oz Spearmint
Energizing
3/4 oz Sweet Orange & 1/4 oz
Chamomile
1/4 oz Eucalyptus, 3/4 oz Lavender & 6
dps Tea Tree
1/2 oz Geranium & 1/2 oz Grapefruit
Calm & Happy
1/2 oz Lavender & 1/2 oz Bergamot
Cleansing
Cold Relief
Muscle Relief
Add Fragrance and Color. Crystals out on Parchment to dry.
If you’re using liquid or glycerin colorants, an easy way to
color the crystals is by wearing rubber gloves and rubbing
the color on the crystals. Mica’s you will have to sprinkle
than mist with your fragrance.
Tired
*Always use caution when working with EO's, See basic
guidelines under "Blends".
BATH FIZZIES
1C Ceara™ Sea Salt - Extra Small
1 1/4 C Citric Acid
2 1/2 C Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)
Witch Hazel
Essential Oil Blend
Dried Herbs (optional)
Mix all dry ingredients. Prepare molds by sprinkling dried
herbs on the bottom. Moisten mixture with witch hazel and
essential oils using a spray bottle. As soon as mixture holds
its shape, pack into the molds. Use caution DO NOT over
mist! Allow to dry overnight, then remove from molds.
Package in airtight plastic bags.
Try varying the formulas above to create your own signature products!
Scenting Sea Salts: All of the sea salts that SaltWorks™ offers are very easy to
scent. The amount of Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils you will need to use will depend
on the quality of oil and the variety of oil used. For example, you would need more
grapefruit in your salts than peppermint as the mint family is much stronger than the
citrus. The oils will travel easily through the salts. Always store your scented salts in
airtight glass or PET (type of plastic) containers.
Coloring Sea Salts: Be sure to use FD&C approved, or herbal, colorants for bath
salts. It is recommended scenting the salts first and then coloring. Once you mix in
the color, let sit in a sealed container overnight. The color will disperse for a more
even coverage.
Sea Salt Cell: Some therapies call for a Sea Salt Cell or Dead Sea Salt Cell. This is
simply a single bath portion of Sea Salts mixed with Therapeutic grade Essential Oils.
A deep therapy cell will call for 2 lbs of salt mixed with approx. 40 drops of your
chosen EO Blend.
Check out our online store for many types of therapeutic bath salts.
Salt and Good Health
Salt is essential not only to life, but to good health. Human blood contains 0.9% salt (sodium chloride) -- the same
concentration as found in United States Pharmacopeia (USP) sodium chloride irrigant commonly used to cleanse wounds.
Salt maintains the electrolyte balance inside and outside of cells. Most of our salt comes from foods, some from water.
Doctors often recommend replacing water and salt lost in exercise and when working outside. Wilderness hikers know the
importance of salt tablets to combat hyperthermia. Oral rehydration involves replacing both water and salt. Expectant
mothers are advised to get enough salt. Increased salt intakes have been used successfully to combat Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome. Dramatic deficiencies (e.g. "salt starvation" in India) or "excessive" sodium intakes have been associated with
other conditions and diseases, such as hypertension and stomach cancer. Testing the salinity of perspiration is a good test
for cystic fibrosis; scientists suspect that cystic fibrosis is caused by a deformed protein that prevents chloride outside
cells from attracting needed moisture.
The National Academy of Sciences recommends that Americans consume a minimum of 500 mg/day of sodium to
maintain good health. Individual needs, however, vary enormously based on their genetic make-up and the way they live
their lives. While individual requirements range widely, most Americans have no trouble reaching their minimum
requirements. Most consume "excess" sodium above and beyond that required for proper bodily function. The kidneys
efficiently process this "excess" sodium in healthy people. Experimental studies show that most humans tolerate a wide
range of sodium intakes, from about 250 mg/day to over 30,000 mg/day. The actual range is much narrower. Americans
consume about 3,500 mg/day of sodium; men more, women less. The very large percentage of the population consumes
1,150- 5,750 mg/day which is termed the "hygienic safety range" of sodium intake by renowned Swedish hypertension
expert Dr. Björn Folkow. Chloride is also essential to good health. Every substance, including water, can be toxic in
certain concentrations and amounts; this is not a significant concern for dietary salt.
Salt and Cardiovascular Health
For 4,000 years, we have known that salt intakes can affect blood pressure through signals to the muscles of blood
vessels trying to maintain blood pressure within a proper range. We know that a minority of the population can lower
blood pressure by restricting dietary salt. And we know that elevated blood pressure, “hypertension,” is a welldocumented marker or “risk factor” for cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes, a “silent killer.”
Cardiovascular events are a major cause of “premature” death and cost Americans more than $300 billion every year in
increased medical costs and lost productivity. Reducing blood pressure can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke –
depending on how it’s done.
Some have suggested that since salt intakes are related to blood pressure, and since cardiovascular risks are also related
to blood pressure, that, surely, salt intake levels are related to cardiovascular risk. This is the “salt hypothesis” or
“sodium hypothesis.” Data are needed to confirm or reject hypotheses.
Blood pressure is a sign. When it goes up (or down) it indicates an underlying health concern. Changes result from many
variables, often still poorly-understood. High blood pressure is treated with pharmaceuticals and with lifestyle
interventions such as diet and exercise. The anti-hypertensive drugs are all approved by regulatory authorities such as
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To be approved, these drugs must prove they work to lower blood pressure.
Whether they also work to lower the incidence of heart attacks and strokes has not been the test to gain approval (it
would take too long to develop new drugs), but the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has invested heavily in such
“health outcomes” studies.
Health Outcomes
The ALLHAT study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to compare the health outcomes
of four classes of anti-hypertensive drugs, all of which had demonstrated their ability to reduce blood pressure in relative
safety. The idea is that blood pressure is only a "surrogate outcome," and we should be more concerned with clinically
meaningful endpoints. Dr. Jeffrey R. Cutler of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has supervised the
study and explains its importance: "Trials are based on the notion that different antihypertensive regimes, despite similar
efficacy in lowering blood pressure, have other beneficial or harmful effects that modify their net effect on cardiovascular
or all-cause morbidity and mortality."
Lifestyle interventions are "antihypertensive regimes" too. For years, the same situation prompting the ALLHAT trial
applied to lifestyle interventions designed to improve blood pressure -- they were untested regarding health outcomes.
Certain dietary and lifestyle interventions reduced blood pressure, at least in sensitive sub-populations. Whether they also
reduced the incidence of heart attacks and strokes had never been tested. Thus, until the 1990s, scientists had never
tested the “salt hypothesis” by documenting whether reducing dietary salt actually reduces a person’s chances of having a
heart attack or a stroke. As in the drug “health outcomes” trials, this is now changing. The results have vast public health
policy implications. We should not be recommending that everyone change their diets without evidence of some overall
health benefit.
Even documenting an association of, for example, low-sodium diets with reduced incidence of heart attacks would only be
the first step. Association is not the same as causation. Nevertheless, unless an association is established, we have no
reason to think that a causal link is possible. Of the first nine “health outcomes” studies of sodium reduction, not a single
study has found an association in the general population between low-sodium diets and reduced incidence of
cardiovascular events like stroke or heart attack.
Here’s what scientists have found:
1. An eight-year study of a New York City hypertensive population stratified for sodium intake levels found those on lowsalt diets had more than four times as many heart attacks as those on normal-sodium diets – the exact opposite of what
the “salt hypothesis” would have predicted. (1995)
2. An analysis by NHLBI’s Dr. Cutler of the first six years’ data from the MRFIT database documented no health outcomes
benefits of lower-sodium diets. (1997)
3. A ten-year follow-up study to the huge Scottish Heart Health Study found no improved health outcomes for those on
low-salt diets. (1997)
4. An analysis of the health outcomes over twenty years from those in the massive US National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES I) documented a 20% greater incidence of heart attacks among those on low-salt diets
compared to normal-salt diets (1998)
5. A health outcomes study in Finland, reported to the American Heart Association that no health benefits could be
identified and concluded “…our results do not support the recommendations for entire populations to reduce dietary
sodium intake to prevent coronary heart disease.” (1998)
6. A further analysis of the MRFIT database, this time using fourteen years’ data, confirmed no improved health benefit
from low-sodium diets. Its author conceded that there is "no relationship observed between dietary sodium and
mortality." (1999)
7. A study of Americans found that less sodium-dense diets did reduce the cardiovascular mortality of one population subset, overweight men – the article reporting the findings did not explain why this obese group actually consumed less
sodium than normal-weight individuals in the study. (1999)
8. A Finnish study reported an increase in cardiovascular events for obese men (but not women or normal-weight
individuals of either gender) – the article, however, failed to adjust for potassium intake levels which many researchers
consider a key associated variable. (2001)
9. In September, 2002, the latest and highest-quality meta-analysis of clinical trials was published in the British Medical
Journal confirming earlier meta-analyses' conclusions that significant salt reduction would lead to very small blood
pressure changes in sensitive populations and no health benefits. (2002)
Controversy Continues
For many years, the intense public controversy that has characterized the public policy debate over public health nutrition
recommendations on salt intake has focused on the wrong question. Medical experts, public health policy-makers – and
the public, trying to sort out the issues reading the consumer press – have all focused on the relationship of sodium
intake to blood pressure instead of the relevant question of whether changing intake levels of dietary sodium results in
improved health outcomes. See, for example, recent Salt Institute comments to the (British) Scientific Advisory
Committee on Nutrition.
There is no evidence that reducing dietary sodium improves the risk for heart attacks or strokes for the general
population. In 1999, the Canadian Hypertension Society, the Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and
Control, the Health Canada Laboratory Centre for Disease Control and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada issued
a joint statement opposing general recommendations for sodium reduction.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has also reviewed the evidence and concluded:
"There is insufficient evidence that, for the general population, reducing dietary sodium intake or increasing dietary intake
of iron, beta-carotene, or other antioxidants results in improved health outcomes."
The debate has confused the public. Medical journalists from ABC-TV’s 20/20 to America’s pre-eminent scientific journal,
Science, published by the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science, have investigated the source
of this confusion. The report in Science won author Gary Taubes a top prize from the National Association of Science
Writers and has also been translated into French.
Taubes concluded:
“After interviews with some 80 researchers, clinicians, and administrators around the world, it is safe to say that if ever
there were a controversy over the interpretation of scientific data, this is it….After decades of intensive research, the
apparent benefits of avoiding salt have only diminished. This suggests either that the true benefit has now been revealed
and is indeed small or that it is non-existent and researchers believing they have detected such benefits have been
deluded by the confounding of other variables.”
The Salt Institute is confident that the higher standards of evidence-based medicine will reduce the ongoing controversy,
better inform public policy and reduce consumer confusion. For more information about the importance of evidence-based
health, you may wish to visit the Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford University (UK) Centre for Evidence-based Medicine, the
Health Information Research Unit (McMaster University) or the Canadian Centres for Health Evidence. Using the latest
science, we can create better public health nutrition policy.