Interesting Facts About Water and Salt

[Extracted from Jim Clark's Potent Nutritional Supplements]

Salt Intake is Vital

Salt is vital to the extraction of excess acidity from the cells in the body, particularly the brain cells.

Salt is a vital substance for the survival of all living creatures, particularly humans. Water and salt regulate the water content of the body. Water itself regulates the water content of the interior of the cell by working its way into all of the cells it reaches. It has to get there to cleanse and extract the toxic wastes of cell metabolisms. Salt forces some water to stay outside the cells. It balances the amount of water that stays outside the cells. There are two oceans of water in the body; one ocean is held inside the cells of the body, and the other ocean is held outside the cells. Good health depends on a most delicate balance between the volume of these oceans, and this balance is achieved by salt - unrefined salt.

When water is available to get inside the cells freely, it is filtered from the outside salty ocean and injected into the cells that are being overworked despite their water shortage. This is the reason why in severe dehydration we develop an edema and retain water. The design of our bodies is such that the extent of the ocean of water outside the cells is expanded to have the extra water available for filtration and emergency injection into vital cells. The brain commands an increase in salt and water retention by the kidneys. This is how we get an edema when we don't drink enough water.

Initially, the process of water filtration and its delivery into the cells is more efficient at night when the body is horizontal. The collected water, that mostly pools in the legs, does not have to fight the force of gravity to get onto the blood circulation. If reliance of this process of emergency hydration of some cells continues for long, the lungs begin to get waterlogged at night, and breathing becomes difficult. The person needs more pillows to sit upright to sleep. This condition is the consequence of dehydration. However, you might overload the system by drinking too much water at the beginning. Increases in water intake must be slow and spread out until urine production begins to increase at the same rate that you drink water.

When we drink enough water to pass clear urine, we also pass out a lot of the salt that was held back. This is how we can get rid of edema fluid in the body; by drinking more water. Not diuretics, but more water !! In people who have an extensive edema and show signs of their heart beginning to have irregular or very rapid beats with least effort, the increase in water intake should be gradual and spaced out, but not withheld from the body. Naturally, salt intake should be limited for two or three days because the body is still in an overdrive mode to retain it. Once the edema has cleared up, salt should not be withheld from the body.

Salt has many other functions than just regulating the water content of the body. Here are some of the more vital functions of salt in the body :

1. Salt is most effective in stabilizing irregular heartbeats and, contrary to the misconception that it causes high blood pressure, it is actually essential for the regulation of blood pressure - in conjunction with water. Naturally the proportions are critical.

2. Salt is vital to the extraction of excess acidity from the cells in the body, particularly the brain cells.

3. Salt is vital for balancing the sugar levels in the blood; a needed element in diabetics.

4. Salt is vital for the generation of hydroelectric energy in cells in the body. It is used for local power generation at the sites of energy need by the cells.

5. Salt is vital to the nerve cells' communication and information processing all the time that the brain cells work, from the moment of conception to death.

6. Salt is vital for absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract.

7. Salt is vital for the clearance of the lungs of mucus plugs and sticky phlegm, particularly in asthma and cystic fibrosis.

8. Salt is vital for clearing up catarrh and congestion of the sinuses.

9. Salt is a strong natural antihistamine.

10. Salt is essential for the prevention of muscle cramps.

11. Salt is vital to prevent excess saliva production to the point that it flows out of the mouth during sleep. Needing to constantly mop up excess saliva indicates salt shortage.

12. Salt is absolutely vital to making the structure of bones firm. Osteoporosis, in a major way, is a result of salt and water shortage in the body.

13. Salt is vital for sleep regulation. It is a natural hypnotic.

14. Salt is a vitally needed element in the treatment of diabetics.

15. Salt on the tongue will stop persistent dry coughs.

16. Salt is vital for the prevention of gout and gouty arthritis.

17. Salt is vital for maintaining sexuality and libido.

18. Salt is vital for preventing varicose veins and spider veins on the legs and thighs.

19. Salt is vital to the communication and information processing nerve cells the entire time that the brain cells work - from the moment of conception to death.

20. Salt is vital for reducing a double chin. When the body is short of salt, it means the body really is short of water. The salivary glands sense the salt shortage and are obliged to produce more saliva to lubricate the act of chewing and swallowing and also to supply the stomach with water that it needs for breaking down foods. Circulation to the salivary glands increases and the blood vessels become "leaky" in order to supply the glands with water to manufacture saliva. The "leakiness" spills beyond the area of the glands themselves, causing increased bulk under the skin of the chin, the cheeks and into the neck.

21. Sea salt contains about 80 mineral elements that the body needs. Some of these elements are needed in trace amounts. Unrefined sea salt is a better choice of salt than other types of salt on the market. Ordinary table salt that is bought in the super markets has been stripped of its companion elements and contains additive elements such as aluminum silicate to keep it powdery and porous. Aluminum is a very toxic element in our nervous system. It is implicated as one of the primary causes of Alzheimer's disease.

22. Twenty-seven percent of the body's salt is in the bones. Osteoporosis results when the body needs more salt and takes it from the body. Bones are twenty-two percent water. Is it not obvious what happens to the bones when we're deficient in salt or water or both.

Some Interesting and Funny Health Facts for You!

1. When you are looking at someone you love, your pupils dilate, and they do the same when you are looking at someone you hate.

2. The human head is one-quarter of our total length at birth but only one-eighth of our total length by the time we reach adulthood.

3. Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil.

4. Blondes have more hair. The average human head has 100,000 hair follicles, each of which is capable of producing 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles. People with black hair tend to have about 110,000 follicles, those with brown hair have 100,000 follicles. Redheads have the least dense hair, averaging about 86,000 follicles.

5. At the moment of conception, you spent about half an hour as a single cell.

6. In a lifetime, the average person produces about 25,000 quarts of saliva, enough to fill two swimming pools.

7. There are about 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.

8. Heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood through those vessels every day.

9. Men without hair on their chests are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.

10. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

11. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades.

12. Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents.

13. The average woman is 5 inches shorter than the average man.

14. One uses 200 muscles to take one step.

15. The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm.

16. One gets a new stomach lining every three to four days. If you didn’t, the strong acids your stomach uses to digest food would also digest your stomach.

17. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. The more you dream.

18. Forty-one percent of women apply body and hand moisturizer at least three times a day.

19. The width of your armspan stretched out is the length of your whole body.

20. There are as many hairs per square inch on your body as a chimpanzee. You don’t see all of them because most are too fine and light to be noticed.

21. Women hearts beat faster than men.

22. Three years after a person quits smoking, there chance of having a heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked before.

23. Scientists have discovered that the longer the ring finger is in boys the less chance they have of having a heart attack.

24. The right lung of a human is larger than the left one. This is because of the space and placement of the heart.

25. In a lifetime, the heart pumps about one million barrels of blood.

26. People that suffer from gum disease are twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack.

27. At one time it was thought that the heart controlled a person’s emotions.

28. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men in the United States.

29. From all the oxygen that a human breathes, twenty percent goes to the brain.

30. People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of having a blood clot in the brain.

31. Once a human reaches the age of 35, he/she will start losing approximately 7,000 brain cells a day. The cells will never be replaced.

32. It is not possible to tickle yourself. The cerebellum, a part of the brain, warns the rest of the brain that you are about to tickle yourself. Since your brain knows this, it ignores the   resulting sensation.

33. In America, the most common mental illness is Anxiety Disorders.

34. Your brain is 80% water.

35. Your brain is move active and thinks more at night than during the day.

36. The chances of getting a cavity is higher if candy is eaten slowly throughout the day compared to eating it all at once and then brushing your teeth.

37. If an identical twin grows up without having a certain tooth, the other twin will most likely also grow up with that tooth missing.

38. Gardening is said to be one of the best exercises for maintaining healthy bones.

39. Although the outsides of a bone are hard, they are generally light and soft inside. They are about 75% water.

40. Your thigh bone is stronger than concrete.

41. By donating just one pint of blood, four lives can be saved.

42. Blood is such a good stain that Native Americans used it for paint.

43. A woman has approximately 4.5 liters of blood in her body, while men have 5.6 liters.

44. Women blink twice as often as men.

45. The shark cornea has been used in eye surgery, since its cornea is similar to a human cornea.

46. The number one cause of blindness in adults in the United States is diabetes.

47. The eye of a human can distinguish 500 shades of the gray.

48. People generally read 25% slower from a computer screen compared to paper.

49. Men are able to read fine print better than women can.

50. All babies are colour blind when they are born.

51. The reason why your nose gets runny when you are crying is because the tears from the eyes drain into the nose.

52. The most common injury caused by cosmetics is to the eye by a mascara wand.

53. The highest recorded speed of a sneeze is 165 km per hour.

54. It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

55. While sleeping, one man in eight snores, and one in ten grinds his teeth.

56. 85% of the population can curl their tongue into a tube.

57. On average, a man spends about five months of his life shaving.

58. Hair will fall out faster on a person that is on a crash diet.

59. Hair is made from the same substance as fingernails.

60. People that use mobile phones are 2.5 times more likely to develop cancer in areas of the brain that are adjacent to the ear they use to talk on the mobile phone.

61. Over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by stress.

62. Chances of a women getting breast cancer are increased by excessive use of alcohol.

63. A person that is struck by lightning has a greater chance of developing motor neurons disease.

64. A headache and inflammatory pain can be reduced by eating 20 tart cherries.

65. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity.

66. A study indicates that smokers are likely to die on average six and a half years earlier than non-smokers. A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day will on average lose two teeth every ten years.

67. Studies indicate that listening to music is good for digestion.

68. Lack of sleep can affect your immune system and reduce your ability to fight infections.

69. Over 40 million Americans have chronic bad breath.

70. Carbon monoxide can kill a person in less than 15 minutes. (It is present in smoke caused by fires)

71. Every day the human stomach produces about 2 liters of hydrochloric acid.

72. The risk of cardiovascular disease is twice as high in women that snore regularly compared to women who do not snore.

73. It has been medically been proven that laughter is an effective pain killer.

74. The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

75. A pregnant woman’s dental health can affect her unborn child.

76. When a women is pregnant, her senses are all heightened.

77. Studies show that couples that smoke during the time of conception have a higher chance of having a girl compared to couples that do not smoke.

78. Kissing can aid in reducing tooth decay. This is because the extra saliva helps in keeping the mouth clean.

79. Studies have shown that the scent of Rosemary can help in better mental performance and make individuals feel more alert.

80. Scientists say that babies that are breastfed are more likely to be slimmer as adults than those that are not breastfed.

81. People have the tendency to chew the food on the side that they most often use their hand.

82. One out of 20 people have an extra rib.

83. People with darker skin will not wrinkle as fast as people with lighter skin.

84. People with allergies can lower allergy reactions by laughing.

85. People that smoke have 10 times as many wrinkles as a person that does not smoke.

86. Girls have more tastebud than boys.

87. Eighty percent of 10 year old girls in the USA go on a diet.

88. Children who are breast fed tend to have an IQ seven points higher than children who are not.

89. Eating chocolate three times a month helps people live longer as opposed to people who overeat chocolate or do not eat chocolate at all.

90. The average person has at least seven dreams a night.

91. The average person walks the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime.

92. The average person laughs about 15 times a day.

93. The vocabulary of the average person consists of 5,000 to 6,000 words.

94. About 10% of the world’s population is left-handed.

95. One human hair can support 3 kgs of weight

96. Bile produced by the liver is responsible for making your feces a brownish, green colour.

97. From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink in size.

98. The average person falls asleep in about 12 to 14 minutes.

99. People over the age of fifty will start to lose their dislike for foods that taste bitter.

100. It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile.

Source: http://www.listlovers.com/2009/02/13/101-interesting-human-body-and-health-facts/

Avastin Lucentis Update 23 An Interesting Overview of the Controversy

Someone recently linked to this Journal from a website I hadn’t looked at in over a year, HealthDot@ScribeMedia, and its writeup entitled: Genetech’s Two Headed Monster: Lucentis and Avastin, (which I reproduced, with permission, on March 3, 2007, as Avastin/Lucentis update 13). In re-reading some of the comments at the end of the article, I found Dr. Gregory Rosenthal’s comments to be quite interesting and seemed to sum up what many, including me, felt about the situation at the time, and partly why I’ve put so many updates on this subject on this blog.

Dr. Rosenthal is a staff member of Vision Associates of Toledo, Ohio and one of the co-authors of the White Paper, Avastin versus Lucentis: Why It Matters. (This can also be found on my website as Avastin/Lucentis Update 11.)

Here is Dr. Rosenthal’s commentary as published at the end of Genentech’s Two Headed Monster: Lucentis and Avastin (which included an audio interview with Dr. William Rich of the AAO on the Avastin vs. Lucentis controversy).



I was very interested to hear Dr. Rich’s interview. Bill is a real voice of integrity in our field. As I listened, I couldn’t help thinking about what seems like a break in logic.

Here are the premises:

1. Genentech’s folks are brilliant and they have made a fantastic drug in Avastin and recreated it in Lucentis. They say that they tested an Avastin precursor before developing Lucentis and it didn’t penetrate monkey retina so they just figured Avastin would never work in the eye. (How convenient.)

2. They are very (appropriately) proud of their ability to know EVERYTHING about their drugs and engineer them for optimum patient benefit.

3. Phil Rosenfeld is also a brilliant guy. Unlike these proud and brilliant Genentech guys, he figured out in just a patient or two that Avastin not only works in the eye; it is quite miraculous. This and the safety of Avastin have been corroborated over and over by other brilliant people in peer reviewed reports since then.

Here are the obvious facts:

1. Genentech knew that, in Avastin, they had a true wonder drug for cancer.

2. They knew that it would be priced appropriately for 500 to 1500 mg doses every two weeks, guaranteeing them billions in revenue.

3. They knew or could figure out (hey, it’s simple arithmetic) that IF Avastin would work in the eye, we’d only need 1 mg or so, meaning that, at the pricing they would be stuck with from the cancer indication, they wouldn’t make any money.

4. They knew Novartis was making billions with the pricing precedent they set with Visudyne, and it doesn’t even work that well.

So, here’s the questions:

1. Is it possible that the oncology pricing could have been seen as a problem for ophthalmology marketing?

2. As a for-profit company, what would have been the motivation to even see if Avastin worked for AMD? Might there have been greater motivation to NOT look at Avastin and just extrapolate a conclusion from perfunctory testing of a precursor in order to make some plausible claim that Avastin was worthless for the eye?

3. Would that have cleared the way to take a drug with an active site that they KNEW was good, alter it, give it a new name, and bring it out as “something else”, with, of course, a new price, once again guaranteeing billions more in profit from essentially the same molecular active site?

These are NOT accusations, just musings on the seeming illogic of the brilliant folks at Genentech missing something so obvious, and the odd coincidence that missing this could result in up to $10 billion per year in additional revenue. Boy, I’d give a nickel to see the e-mails at Genentech about ten years ago, just to see what they knew and when.

Wait, $10 Billion with a “B”? Sure. They are projecting $1 billion for ‘07 when 79% of docs use Avastin half as often as Lucentis – $1 billion X 5 X 2 = $10 BILLION per year, or about twice the CMS budget for ALL of eye care. Even at only $1 billion per year, it will break the bank for many seniors and I would guess more than a few payers.

Thanks for putting up a great website.

Posted by Greg Rosenthal, MD | March 6, 2007, 3:07 pm