Guest guest Posted April 6, 2005 Report Share Posted April 6, 2005 Dear Leandro A report from UNICEF last year finds that lack of basic vitamins and minerals in the diet is damaging the health of one-third of the world's people and holding back the economic development of virtually every country in the southern hemisphere. The lack of key vitamins and minerals is responsible for impairing intellectual development, compromising immune systems, provoking birth defects and consigning some 2 billion people to lives below their physical and mental potential. Our present life style, which includes fast foods, aerated drinks, stress and of course dieting especially to loose weight. With all these, are we getting enough minerals that your body needs? The body contains about 24 minerals and all must be provided by the diet. Some of these form part of body structural components and some others act as catalytic agents in many body reactions. Minerals play an important role in maintaining the immune system of our body. Deficiency of minerals reduces the responsiveness of our immune system making us more prone to illness and infections. Author believes that this deficiency is making our nervous system misbehave and cause auto-immune diseases. The requirements for micronutrients also increases during the recovery phase of an illness. Pollution in air water and food put a stress on all of us. Minerals are required to support the enzyme systems, which aid in the discharge of these unwanted toxins. Most of the minerals we need are found in our diet. Plant foods including fruits and vegetables contain liberal amounts of minerals. In this post author discusses the relation between salt and other minerals with the anxiety, depression, swellings and hypertension. By using bhasmas which try to restore minerals and micro-nutrients, one can treat depression. Author has treated several such cases and one such cured case from U.S. is reported in this forum also. In a previous post, author discussed the swellings. Often weight gain of significant amount occurs as a result of fluid retention in tissues and patient is unaware of it totally. Concurrency of the weight gain with reduction in the hormone levels during pre and post menopause and andropause is worth noting. With proportion of obese population increasing every day, some serious thinking on changes in our CNS is needed. The reason for choosing salt is that though average salt input per day is only 3-6 gms per day per person, salt is the only source of some minerals found in sea water, for vegetarians. Notable difference in the proportion of obese population amongst fish eaters and vegetarians was always a puzzle for author. Iodized salt in use for quarter century has caused noticeable changes in our central nervous system due to many essential minerals being removed in the chemical process. The brain keeps searching those in different foods and brings in eating compulsion. The benifits of fatty acids derived from fish oil may also be due to the richness of minerals present in fish oil. Saindhav salt, black salt, sea salt, sambhar lavan, bid-lavan are various salts used in ayurveda. All these untreated salts have been used by ayurveda in different medicines. A popular one is Lavan Bhaskar Churna, an appretiser, aid for digestion, and thus relieving gas, indigestion and stomach pain. If we do not take salt in food, it causes long term deficiencies and if we take excess, it causes short term diseases. Salt causes taste buds to become active again. Tribals chew salt and tulsi leaves together when a loss of taste (aruchi) occurs. Due to increased digestive juice secretion, salt is a digestive aid. Salt strengthens apana vata, causing transportation of digested food through digestive track at increased rate. According to Acharya Charaka, salt has one more important function. Salt keeps the digestive track and strotas causing transportation of rasa dhatu clean. By its tikshna guna (sharpness) removes hurdles and blockages in the digestive track. One can experience this by taking two glasses of warm water with ½ tsp salt early morning and in about two hours, digestive track gets cleaned of stickiness and mucous. This detergent action washes out useful putrifying bacterias also, if excess salt is added to water. Should such a thing happen, bloating and gas formation will show up the same day. On the other hand, due to its sharpness, correct quantity of salt will act as Vat nashaka and mild laxative. Our body is built by minerals and metals found in earth. Sodium is present in body in the form of salt, i.e. Sodium Chloride. If we stay in hot tropical regions of globe, if we work near boilers or hot autoclaves, take sauna or steam baths, excess sweating drives salt out of our body. The anti-pyretics such as Paracetamol also cause perspiration driving out salt through the body. When Sodium and other minerals reduce in the blood, they cause exhaustion, muscle pain, cramps, fatigue, weakening of muscles, loss of hunger, vomiting sensation, stomach pain etc. Excess loose motions or vomits also cause reduction of electrolytes in the body, thus reducing sodium as well as other minerals. A sherbat (drink) made from lime juice, salt, and a little black pepper restores the deficiency rapidly when such an event occurs. Author finds that Jalneti using warm water to which a little salt (1 tsp for each 500 ml water) is added makes brain absorb several minerals present in sea salt through sinuses. The membranes which separate brain from sinus passages are very thin and allow this absorption. This is the principle of Nasya medicines acting directly on brain. Jalneti cleans the sinus passages, which allows brain to breathe in oxygen also through these membranes. The effectiveness of breathing exercises carried out after Jalneti increases several fold. The tranquility of mind throughout the day is the result. Though tooth paste is quite common all over the world for brushing teeth in the morning, use of babool or neem twig as a tooth brush is common in India. In Mumbai, people use it in Gujarati dominated areas. Some use salt to clean teeth, in villages as well as cities. In fact, after the end of meal, the left over salt in the plate is used to wash hands and clean mouth. Indian lifestyle of olden days had taken care of tooth decay due to infection in cavities. Salt has the anti-biotic and preservative properties (as used in pickles). Tooth/molar pain, swelling of gums can be treated by brushing teeth by a mixture of salt, sesame oil and camphor. Keep brushing by finger till pain subsides. The mixture of salt and camphor, along with eucalyptus oil is used in tooth powder made from the ash of cow dung cakes, in all villages even today. However, beware of excess use of salt, which makes teeth weak, according to Acharya Charaka. Salt comes under Tamas food according to ayurveda. Hence many religious fasts prohibit taking salts. ( A procedure recommended in Jain scriptures to alleviate the effects of Kal-sarpa yoga in natal chart precludes use of salt on Wednesdays). The purpose of this is to reduce excess salt accumulated in body, thereby reducing the problems also. Headaches caused by high B. P. etc for instance. Those suffering from skin diseases like Leucoderma, eczema, ring worm, allergic itching should bring down the salt content in the food as much as possible. Pickles, Aplam, Farsan, etc. The itching will subside to a large extent. Those suffering from allergic rashes should reduce salt to nil for a few days and then start in a small quantity. This salt starving of the body rapidly controls allergic reactions. Kidney and salt Excess salt loads the kidney making it inefficient. High B. P., swellings is the result. The root of Med-Vahak strotas is `Vrikka' meaning kidney. Hence, when efficacy of Kidney reduces, obesity starts building up. This obesity is general swelling. Layers of tissues start building up first in pelvic area. Use salt with caution, if suffering from this problem. On the other hand, diuretics cause some loss of weight, by reducing water part in the body to some extent. Punarnava, Gokshura, shilajit are the main herbs to be used in such cases. Faster ageing with salt We speed towards old age by using more salt in food. Graying of hair in young age, hair loss, baldness, wrinkles on skin, partial loss of vision, shortness of eye-sight are accelerated by salt. Hence reduce salt in the food. Hypertension Reduction of salt in food to 25% of average intake causes significant relief in B.P., as per several studies in west. It almost acts as a medicine. However, diets low in calcium may also contribute to hypertension. These studies were carried out sometimes in 1986-1992 time span and almost everyone knows the connection between hypertension and salt. What is not widely known is that several modern medicines which act as diuretics cause loss of other minerals also, giving muscle pains and joint pains. Calcium deficiency leads to Oesteomalacia in adults, characterised by aching bones, muscle spasms and increased or abnormal curvature of the spine.. On the other hand, these pains significantly reduce for a day, if iodized salt is totally avoided for a day, according to experience of several patients. Some diuretics throw away Calcium, potassium and phosphorous, causing problems for cardiac muscle and constipation, joint pains. When calf muscles or legs start paining, a home remedy known for centuries is to add a handful of salt to half a bucket of hot water and dip legs in the same for 15-20 minutes. The skin of legs and feet immediately absorbs minerals needed and thus pain relief occurs. Similarly, when one reaches hospital in weak condition, first thing doctor does is to give him saline intravenously to restore fluid and electrolyte balance. We have discussed the subject of water in this forum extensively. A good inexpensive mineral water can be produced by adding pinch of sea salt, black salt in a litre of earthen pot water and sipping this water throughout the day. In conclusion, one should not run after tasty items containing excess salt. Salt, if used in correct quantity and manner, is elixir; but its excess can invite slow degradation of health. And it would be too late when the reason is known, since CNS is already deficient in functions. Dr Bhate ayurveda, Leandro Fossá <lfossa@g...> wrote: > > Please, how can I became from eating compulsion? This compulsion has > been making a big mess in my love, I talk like this because it's out > of control... > Thanks a lot, > Leandro Fossá > PS: I've tried once Valerian and Kava Kava, because I thought it was > because of my anxiety, but it didn't work.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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