When I struggled with adrenal fatigue, I craved salt and decided to satisfy that craving.
I learned that, the more advanced the adrenal fatigue the less salt you retain. The adrenals don’t produce enough aldosterone to maintain the sodium level in the body.
Note 2021: I wrote this article a long time ago.
I AM NOT A DOCTOR. This post is not intended as advice. It is just a part of my story. Read full disclosure and liability disclaimer.
Consult your healthcare provider before starting any treatments.
Salt, Salt, Salt…
My doctor ran some bloodwork, and based on the results, she suggested I bring up my sodium level.
What did I do to bring up the sodium level?
I ate salt. I salted my food to taste.
And drank salted water. Yes, that’s right. I started drinking ½ tsp in 1 cup of water in the mornings. And an additional ½ tsp to 1 tsp in the afternoon.
Some are sensitive to salt, so I checked my blood pressure for a few days to see whether I’d react to it. I didn’t have any problems with it.
When I had more stress than usual, I noticed that I needed to up the salt amount.
The interesting thing is that my body let me know when I had enough. The same amount of salt in the water started tasting too salty.
In those more stressful situations and after them, I barely tasted the salt in the water! Too much of it made me nauseated, but that rarely happened.
I used to carry salted water with me when I had to be away from home for a few hours. (Because being upright and moving put a lot of stress on my body).
I also had a tiny bag of salt in my purse if I needed to quickly put some on my tongue or add to my food.
I Used Sea Salt
I learned that sea salt is rich in minerals. Sea salt can help, among other things, to balance your body’s pH levels, regulate water levels, remove toxins, and improve digestion.
According to Lung Institute, salt is also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
I use Pink Himalayan Salt for the salt water.
For cooking, I use either the Pink Himalayan Salt or French Grey Sea Salt.
I thought about adding some high-sodium vegetables like kelp, beets, celery, and green olives in my diet but besides beets, they don’t sound appealing to me.
My Sodium Level
Before starting the salted water routine, my sodium level was 136 (mmol/L) and potassium 3.9.
It took me for a while to get my sodium up to the level my doctor and other sources, for example, Stop the Thyroid Madness, recommended it should be.
My latest labs showed a sodium level of 141 and potassium 4.1.
Enjoying salt, I was able to ease up the afternoon crashes.
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Consult your healthcare provider before starting any treatments.
References:
- https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values/
- Lung Institute. Salt and COPD.
- Wilson, James L. Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome