I come from the sea... from the place between sky and deep... The sea is a living music... It is all music... I am a part of the long song.

From "The Music of Dolphins" by Karen Hesse

Q. How much water should I drink? How much salt should I eat?
A. The answers are quite simple. Drink water according to your thirst and eat salt according to your taste.

Q. What does it mean if I do not have a taste for salt and(or) water?
A. If you do not want salt, or if you have an aversion to salt, you are deficient in salt. The same is true for water. Lack of thirst is a certain sign that you are dehydrated. The further the chemistry is out of balance, the less the tastes can be trusted. For example, individuals with a Sodium Score of minus 50, on the Health Equations Blood Test Evaluation invariably have an aversion to salt.

Q. What do water and salt have to do with the body chemistry?
A. The body is mostly made of water. The body chemistry IS "the living flow of body fluids." The body fluids are water in which all the dissolved elements and molecules continually interact with each other. Active water, moving water, is alive. ãWhere water is deprived of rhythm and can no longer flow freely ...it begins gradually to grow weary and die...ä according to Theodore Schwenk in Sensitive Chaos. Salt is the primary activator, mover, of water. Salt is dissolved in the fluids outside of the cells in the same concentration found in the ocean.

Q. What if I don't want salt or what if I don't like salt?
A. Start by eating a little more salt than you currently use. Then keep increasing the amount you use a little at a time. Never use so much salt that it ruins the taste of the food or the pleasure of the meal. Keep increasing your salt intake until you desire salt. Once you have a taste for salt, FOLLOW YOUR TASTE! If you are indeed salt deficient, you may use a lot of salt for a while. Once your body is replenished you might find your salt use decreasing. When you follow your taste your salt use will vary, from day to day and season to season. It will also depend on the foods that you are eating and your water intake.

Q. What if salt makes me retain water?
A. You are probably eating too many carbohydrates or not enough protein. Or your calcium is low and(or) not working. The Health Equations Blood Test Evaluation is recommended if you retain water from salt use.

Q. What if my Sodium Score is near zero, or high ... do you still recommend salt to taste?
A. Yes. The Sodium Score is governed by many factors, not just your salt intake.

Q. What if I am not thirsty for water? Or what if water makes me feel bloated?
A. Start by eating salt. Increase your salt use as described above --until your desire/taste for salt kicks in. Now start drinking water. You might have to drink water habitually at first. In other words, you might have to choose to drink water because you are not yet thirsty or desiring water. You will eventually develop thirst. For some it may take months, or years. Sometimes hunger, or the, feeling you want something to eat but youâre not quite sure what, is actually a signal you need water.

Q. Should I drink enough water until my urine is always dilute, i.e., very pale yellow?
A. No. In a healthy chemistry the concentration (color) of the urine varies throughout each day from a pale yellow to a deeper yellow. If your Catabolic Index is low or your Anabolic Index is high, you might not have the normal variations in urine concentration and the amount of water you drink may not affect the urine color. Use water and salt habitually until your thirst and taste kick in. Then follow your tastes. Also, drink Lyte Solution and follow the Recommendations from your Health Equations Blood Test Evaluation.

Q. Do other beverages count toward water intake?
A. No, any beverage other than just plain water will have effects that water alone will not have. In particular, caffeinated beverages and alcohol cause loss of water. Dark sodas, with or without caffeine, contain phosphorus that will disturb the calcium to phosphorus ratio and hence decrease calcium function. Any beverage that contains sugar will cause a shift in fluids from the circulation to the tissues. This may result in edema or fluid retention.

Q. Can water or salt ever be dangerous?
A. Yes. There are medical conditions such as kidney and endocrine diseases in which restriction of water and(or) salt is absolutely essential. Also, a small percent of individuals with high blood pressure (HBP) can have a sudden increase in their blood pressure due to salt. However, most individuals with HBP who monitor their chemistry with the Health Equations Blood Test Evaluation and follow the Recommendations usually benefit from salt use.

From Health Equations Newsletter Vol. 4 by Lynne August

© Health Equations 2002

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