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THE
TASTE TESTS
for Electrolytes
I
discovered these tests in Dr. Lendon Smith’s book, FEED YOUR BODY RIGHT.
Everyone hears about the problems of high blood pressure, but Dr. Smith is
one of the few to address the problem of low blood pressure. In times of
low BP, not enough nutrients are pumped into your cells, you’ll feel
tired, washed out, and your cognitive abilities may suffer. Chronic low
blood pressure is now considered to be a factor in, or possibly the cause
of, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. MD’s in that school of thought sometimes
give prescription drugs that raise the blood pressure, or simply advise
the patient to eat more salt to naturally raise the pressure.
Dr. Smith
met a guy in animal nutrition who discovered that his horses would
maintain HOMEOSTASIS by using smell and taste to find nutrients
they needed. They concluded if animals could do it, humans could do it.
Take chocolate cravings, a common premenstrual symptom. Chocolate is one
of the richest sources of magnesium, and according to Dr. Smith, chocolate
cravings often indicate low magnesium levels. Another common human
experience is to come in thirsty on a hot day, and after you’ve had enough
water, you look for something salty. When you have enough salt to replace
what was lost in sweat, the salty food suddenly becomes too salty, and you
quit eating it. If you start paying attention to what your body wants or
wants you to avoid, you will find it easier to maintain your energy
level.
These
tests are a wonderful learning tool for demonstrating how tastes change
according to needs. They are a lot of fun done in a group, mixing the
samples and pouring a little in everyone’s glass. One person may
actually spit it out one of the solutions, while another thinks it tastes
terrific. For someone in poor shape, most of the solutions will taste
neutral to very good. If your deficiency is mild, the flavor may change
for the worse when you’ve drunk only half a cupful. Or you can mix them
up by the quart or pint, label them, and sample each one morning and night
to see how your needs change. You can use them to fine tune your
supplements, or you can mix them up daily as part of your drinking water.
Whether you have major health problems or just the usual stresses, you may
find you can get increased energy by using these tests.
SODIUM
(Na) There’s all kinds of propaganda these days about avoiding salt.
Americans seem to have forgotten that historically salt was very valuable,
even used as currency, eg., Roman soldiers were paid in salt. Desert
workers are often issued salt pills to keep them from passing out from
“heat stroke”. Salt requirements vary from individual to individual, and
from day to day. Stress, hard work, and illness can interfere with the
body’s ability to conserve salt. Some people, especially those in ill
health, are found via the taste tests to be capable of using amazing
quantities of salt. Carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene, 4% of the
general population, have much saltier sweat than normal. A sodium
deficiency will lower blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue and
allergies. Suspect sodium deficiency if you crave salty foods, if you
“gray out” sometimes if you stand up too suddenly. I find that if I’m
under stress, like when traveling, that magnesium starts tasting bitter
and I have trouble focusing my attention. When I test for salt, it has no
taste, and my ability to focus returns for an hour or two. All my life I
felt sleepy after my standard lunch of sandwiches, till eventually I
realized I was sensitive to gluten. With exposure to gluten, my
overworked adrenals would crash and let too much salt escape my kidneys.
SODIUM TEST: 1/8 tsp. salt in 8 oz water. Stir and taste. Can you taste
salt? If it tastes salty to you, you probably don’t need sodium, UNLESS it
tastes really good to you. If it tastes like plain water, or even better
than plain water, you need salt.
MAGNESIUM (Mg) and sodium seem the most common deficiencies. The USDA
says 85% of Americans are deficient in Magnesium. Magnesium supplements
are available in pill form, but it makes sense to use the taste test to
determine if you are taking enough or too much. Magnesium deficiency can
contribute to muscle tension, nervousness and anxiety, poor concentration,
confusion, depression, insomnia, heart attacks, angina, hot flashes, PMS,
menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, panic attacks, short term memory
loss, bladder urgency or stress incontinence, kidney stones, hardening of
the arteries, or chronic constipation. In addition, deficiency in Mg
will cause excessive losses of potassium. I personally find that when I
am short of Mg, my mouth seems chronically dry, but ordinary water seems
to go straight to my bladder without ever helping the dry mouth. With a
pinch of Epsom salts added, our local water tastes “wetter” and more
refreshing to me. I suspect that taking Mg to taste would help in
Sjogrens Syndrome, at least in making it easier to live with.
MAGNESIUM TEST: 1/8 tsp. Epsom Salts in 8
oz water. Stir and taste. If you don’t need it, it will taste thin or
bitter. If you do need it, it will taste like plain water or even better
than plain water. It may taste thick or sweet if you are severely
deficient.
POTASSIUM
(K) What we hear about potassium is mostly the mistaken belief (shared
by many MD’s) that leg cramps are mostly caused by Potassium deficiency.
Cramps during or following exercise may indeed be caused by potassium
deficiency, but cramps at night are more likely to be calcium deficiency.
A potassium deficiency can contribute to high blood pressure and
allergies. Potassium chloride is sold in groceries under the name “No
Salt” as a salt substitute for people with high blood pressure.
POTASSIUM TEST: 1/8 tsp. potassium
chloride in 8 oz water. If you don’t need it, it will taste salty or
bitter. If you do need it, it will taste like water (though perhaps a
little funky), or even better than plain water.
CALCIUM This is the only one of the 4 major cations I don’t know a
straight-forward test for. Suspect a calcium deficiency if you have leg
cramps or backache at night, if you get foot or toe cramps, if you have
chemical allergies, if you are sensitive to electrical fields or have an
adverse affect on electrical equipment, if your teeth take turns hurting
but the dentist can’t find anything wrong, if your joints seem unstable or
loose and stretchy, if you get PMS, if you had stomach surgery, if you get
gas, bloating, heartburn or indigestion. You can be taking a daily
calcium supplement and STILL have calcium deficiency if you are deficient
in magnesium, vitamin D, boron, or vitamin K. Many people don’t absorb
the carbonate form of calcium very well, and get better results with
calcium citrate.
ACIDS
I think of acid as a backwards test for calcium, but Dr. Smith says that
acid lowers blood pressure, so you will dislike acid if your BP is low.
Any acid will help if you need acid, but different ones do have different
secondary uses. Malic, citric, and acetic acids are used in the Krebs
cycle to produce energy in the cells. Suspect an acid deficiency if you
are low in energy, if your joints seem very tight or achy, if you breathe
slowly or shallowly and sigh a lot, or if you are very fond of pickles,
lemons, or sour candy. Women and children generally seem to want more
sour foods than men do. Acids can help absorb and mobilize calcium, so
they can help a calcium deficiency. However, if you are extremely low on
calcium and/or magnesium, you may dislike acids. Magnesium maleate is a
form of malic acid commonly recommended for FMS. Over 10 years ago a
study of FMS patients found that 1/4 tsp. malic acid twice a day reduced
pain and increased energy in all 15 the subjects. I puzzled over that
finding for years till I realized that “malic” refers to malus, apples.
We all have heard of apple cider vinegar’s healthful properties, and the
popular product “Jogging in a Jug” and of course, that “an apple a day
keeps the doctor away”.
ACID TESTS: I/8 tsp. of either citric or
malic acid in 8 oz water. If it tastes unpleasantly sour, you don’t need
it. If it tastes sour but good, you need it. If it tastes sweet, you
really need it. You can also do this test with 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon
juice in water. Again, go by taste, and back off it gets too sour.
If you have calcium deficiency symptoms, and like the acid, you may want
to take calcium citrate supplements. You can help absorption of ordinary
calcium supplements by taking something acidic with them.
The
amazing thing about these tests is that salts can change the way you feel
within minutes. If you have a chronic metabolism imbalance, you may need
to continue them indefinitely. I know a woman who could not stand salt
for 10 years following a neck injury. After reinjuring her neck, and
being shown these tests, she took salt and magnesium 3 times a day for 3
years. Whenever she would feel run down, she would taste the solutions,
and drink whichever one tasted good to her. When she got the flu, she
could not endure the taste of magnesium for weeks afterwards. By
contrast, I required large amounts of Mg for weeks after the same flu.
DURING OR AFTER AN ILLNESS, YOUR METABOLISM MAY CHANGE AND REQUIRE
DIFFERENT SALTS.
INTERACTIONS: If you run your magnesium intake up too high, you may
start getting leg cramps. The magnesium solution should turn quite bitter
before such an imbalance is acheived, which is why I use taste tests
instead buying and popping pills. Blood pH is not not only by what you
eat, but also by physical activity, and even how fast you breathe. If you
get upset and start breathing fast, or just sit down and deliberately
hyperventilate, you’ll raise your blood pH, and in response your kidneys
will start dumping Mg. Blood pH controls your breathing rate, so taking
acid or Ca and Mg can affect your breathing rate.
EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST
INTERACTS WITH SOMETHING ELSE ON IT, AS WELL AS WITH MANY ENZYME SYSTEMS
IN YOUR BODY AND MEDICATIONS YOU MAY BE TAKING. IF YOU TRY THE TESTS AND
SOMETHING CHANGES FOR THE WORSE, CONSIDER THE INTERACTIONS INVOLVED. IF
YOU ARE ON A PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND YOUR TESTS CHANGE OR UNUSUAL SYMPTOMS
ARISE, DO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR.
###
WARNING: This is
given for entertainment and educational purposes only. Donna
Hudson, copyright 2004 For comments or corrections, email me at:
redherring@tnaccess.
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