Read 100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It Online
Authors: Florence Strang
Tags: #Health; Fitness & Dieting, #Diseases & Physical Ailments, #Internal Medicine, #Oncology, #Cancer, #Medicine & Health Sciences, #Clinical, #Medical Books, #Alternative Medicine, #Medicine
Perk #58
Say Good-Bye
to Bad Hair Days
I
dreaded going out into the heavy rain and wind to run my errands one
winter day, but alas I had hungry mouths to feed. As I sprinted into the
grocery store, I couldn’t help but notice how many hair-dos had gone awry
in the bad weather. There were flat dos, frizzy dos, and sticking-out-at-weird-
angles-dos. I smugly grinned to myself, thinking how supersleek my hair
would still look when I got home, despite the weather. You see, I had the
advantage of being able to leave my hair at home on bad days like that one
and wear a stylish hat instead.
If chemo has robbed you of your hair,
buy yourself a good selection of hats and
caps and say good-bye to bad hair days.
HEALTH TIP #58
Say Hello to Sea Salt
S
alt, in its most basic form, is a combination of two chemicals: sodium
and chloride. The way these two chemicals are put together and the other
minerals that accompany them have a lot to do with how salt is used and
how healthy it is.
Salt is the most widely used food seasoning. Not only do we cover most
everything we eat with it, but it is also in virtually every processed food in
the grocery store. (Look for the word “sodium” on the label.) Table salt and
sea salt are both forms of sodium, but there are two basic differences: where
it comes from and the added ingredients.
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Perk #58: Say Good-Bye to Bad Hair Days
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Table salt comes from underground mines. The salt is removed from the
mine and undergoes extensive processing. The sodium and chloride are sep-
arated, and the other minerals it contains are weeded out. The sodium and
chloride are then reassembled, refined, and ground down into fine
grains. But the processing doesn’t end there. Because any amount
of moisture will cause clumping, a chemical anticaking agent is
added. The agent is usually calcium silicate, but it could be ferric
ammonium citrate, silicon dioxide, sodium ferrocyanide, magne-
sium silicate, magnesium carbonate, propylene glycol, aluminum
calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate, sodium silicoaluminate
(both of these contain aluminum), or calcium phosphate. And
because the anticaking agent is bitter tasting, a form of sugar, either
dextrose or glucose, is added to hide the taste.
Not exactly “salt of the earth” now, is it?
Further in the processing, iodine is also added because in the 1920s the
U.S. government thought they would help rid the world of iodine deficiency.
Iodine is necessary for proper thyroid function. (In their defense, because
other countries adopted the idea of adding iodine to salt, the incidence of
iodine deficiency has dramatically decreased.) Because all the other minerals
are removed, and because it is ground so fine, a teaspoon of table salt con-
tains a bit more “sodium” than a teaspoon of sea salt.
Sea salt, on the other hand, is harvested from the sea (there’s a shocker!)
and contains sodium and chloride in its natural mineral form as well as
many other beneficial minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, and stron-
tium. The salt is usually dried in the sun and then harvested. Natural sea
salt has nothing added to it. It is not processed at all. It is usually ground
into coarse or fine pieces. Sea salt can sometimes lose its flavor when cooked
down, so it’s usually added after the food is cooked. Some major manufac-
turers will take the sea salt, high-heat process it, or whiten it and still call
it “sea salt.” Unprocessed sea salt usually has a grey tint to it from the min-
erals. Look for the words “unprocessed” or call the manufacturer to verify.
Sea salt does not contain a significant source of iodine because iodine
is not an abundant natural mineral in sea salt. However, humans need only
150 micrograms of iodine per day to maintain thyroid health. There are
many other foods that contain iodine, like seafood (sea fish, seaweed,
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100 Perks of Having Cancer
shrimp). Iodine is also found in vegetables and eggs. If you are a vegan (or
even if you’re not), it is a healthy habit to include some form of kelp or
seaweed in your diet, if you can. Both seaweed and kelp are extremely high
in iodine. One-quarter teaspoon of dried kelp contains 3,000 micrograms—
we only need 150 micrograms per day. (On a side note: it is iodine that
protects the thyroid from radiation in the case of a nuclear disaster. During
the aftermath of the nuclear power plant accident in Japan, California stores
and Internet suppliers of kelp pills and seaweed were sold out. For those
“preppers” out there, I strongly suggest putting seaweed on your list entitled,
“Supplies to Buy for the Nuclear Apocalypse.”)
A Note About Sodium and Blood Pressure
It is estimated that 25 to 30 percent of all individuals (higher in blacks than
whites) are “sodium sensitive.” This means they retain fluid in such a sig-
nificant amount that it raises blood pressure and puts them at risk for
dozens of diseases like heart disease and organ failure. You wouldn’t know
you are salt-sensitive unless you check your blood pressure regularly.
Humans only need 500 milligrams of sodium a day to live, but most people
eating Western diets get more than 3,000 milligrams! A healthy diet gener-
ally includes a sodium intake of less than 2,300 milligrams per day. Your
tongue becomes less sensitive to salt over time so it takes more salt to
achieve the same flavor in your foods if you’re overusing it. After about four
to six weeks of gradual salt reduction, you’ll be using less, and you won’t
notice it. Check your labels for sodium content and shoot for 2,000 mil-
ligrams per day. It would also help to take the saltshaker off the dinner table
(sea salt or not) and replace it with a flavorful, natural spice replacement
like Mrs. Dash or other salt-free seasonings (c’mon . . . there are thousands
of other spices out there) if salt is the only seasoning you use.
To Review
Table salt is:
●
highly processed (processed equals unhealthy)
●
contains chemical anticaking ingredients
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237
●
contains sugar to mask the anticaking ingredient taste
●
contains iodine which we need, but we can get elsewhere
●
contains a bit more sodium per teaspoon than sea or other unrefined
coarse salts
●
has a very strong, pungent salt flavor when used for cooking
●
is cheap
Sea salt is:
Get rid of unwanted,
unhealthy chemicals and
●
not processed
add some beneficial
●
contains nothing artificial and nothing added
minerals and better
flavor to your life by
●
contains dozens of necessary minerals that your body
ditching the table salt
needs
and switching to a more
●
tastes great in and on food because it’s pure
natural one, like sea salt.
●
does not contain iodine
●
has a slightly lower sodium content but you use less because of the
flavorful mineral content and coarseness of the grain
●
may lose some of the unique flavor when dissolved in cooking, but
is great for added salt after
Other salts you might see are:
Dead Sea Salt:
Because of the extremely high mineral content, you don’t
eat Dead Sea salt. Straight from the Dead Sea in the Mediterranean, bathing
in it has been known to have healing and rejuvenating properties for cen-
turies. Studies have been done using Dead Sea salt on skin conditions like
psoriasis, and it has amazing healing power. It is also used on skin for blem-
ishes, rashes, wrinkles, scars, and swelling.
Himalayan Pink Salt:
This salt comes from the Himalayan Mountains and
contains eighty-four minerals and trace elements, which give it its pink
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100 Perks of Having Cancer
color and increased health benefits. This salt is delicious and is used in
gourmet cooking as well as for cosmetic and healing purposes. Inhaled
steam from Himalayan pink saltwater has been used for all respiratory ail-
ments (asthma, bronchitis, sinus infections, and so on) with great success.
Add several teaspoons to a bowl of steaming water, create a tent with a
towel over your head, and breathe the steam for ten to twenty minutes.
Kosher Salt:
Kosher salt contains no artificial preservatives or additives and
is certified “Kosher” by authorities in such matters. Kosher salt can be mined
or from the sea, and it usually a coarser grain than table salt. It is the coarse
grain that makes it the chosen salt when “Koshering” meats. (Finer grains
would run off the meat, whereas Kosher coarse salt sticks to it to draw out
the blood and make the meat suitable to be prepared in a “Kosher” manner.
That’s where it gets its name.) Cooks like to use it because of the flavor, but
it can’t be used in baking because it does not dissolve quickly.
Fleur De Sel De Camargue French Sea Salt:
Harvested from the south of
France, it is sea salt for the snooty. This pure sea salt is collected in a very
traditional way. A person known as a “raker” harvests the salt only from a
certain place and only in certain weather conditions, places it in containers,
and then seals the container with his signature. This salt is flakey rather than
granular, is very expensive, and is used in gourmet cooking as a finishing
salt that gets sprinkled over the tops of prepared foods (but probably not
popcorn).
If you use a lot of salt in your home and you are using processed table
salt, you may want to try some other options. If you’ve never tasted
unprocessed sea salt, you may not know what you’re missing—including
healthy minerals!
Perk #59
A Five-Week Vacation
C
hemo? Check. Mastectomy? Check. Radiation
. . .
What would you call this: five weeks away from cooking and cleaning;