For decades, doctors have told patients with high blood pressure to cut their salt intake.
That’s because of a study done back in the 1970s by Lewis Dahl from the Brookhaven National Laboratory. He claimed that he had “unequivocal” evidence that salt increases blood pressure.
His evidence? He caused high blood pressure in rats by feeding them the human equivalent of 500 grams of sodium a day. (The average American consumes about 8.5 grams of salt a day.)
While that’s hardly “unequivocal” evidence, the medical community jumped on the study and started telling everyone to reduce their salt intake.
And, in 1977, the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs got involved. It released a report recommending that Americans cut their salt intake by 50-85%.
All of a sudden, salt was now enemy #1. Doctors urged almost everyone over the age of 50 – and anyone with high blood pressure – to cut their salt intake.
Since then, there have been a number of studies debunking Dahl’s work. These include:
• In 1988, a large human study found no relationship between sodium intake and hypertension. In fact, those who ate the most salt (about 14 grams a day) had a lower median blood pressure than those who ate the least (about 7.2 grams a day).
• In 2004, another study published a review of 11 salt-reduction trials. The conclusion: Avoiding salt decreases blood pressure by only one point.
• Another review of 57 shorter-term trials in 2003 had a similar conclusion. The authors wrote: “There is little evidence for long-term benefit from reducing salt intake.”
As you can see, there’s reason to doubt the significant long-term benefits of reducing salt.
Moreover, avoiding salt can cause significant negative consequences to your health. Here’s why:
Most of the salt we use in this country contains iodine. For a long time, salt was the main source of iodine for most of the country. When everyone started cutting their salt intake, their iodine levels fell.
As a result, about 90% of Americans now have an iodine deficiency. That’s right, 90%!
An iodine deficiency is a big problem, as it can cause a number of health problems. It can cause breast disease, obesity, sleep apnea, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes, and fibromyalgia.
And it can cause high blood pressure!
That’s what Dr. Guy Abraham, MD, a research gynecologist and endocrinologist, found. He studied iodine for decades and is still considered the world’s foremost expert on the mineral.
In one of his studies, Dr. Abraham found that fixing an iodine deficiency would normalize high blood pressure without medications. In fact, it would often work when medications didn’t.
What Can You Do?
So how should you correct an iodine deficiency?
There’s some debate as to whether taking an iodine supplement will lower your blood pressure. I’ve seen it work in some cases. But not every case responds. I asked Dr. Abraham why. He said it could be one of three reasons.
One, they’re not taking enough iodine. He has found that 50 mg of iodine is necessary to correct iodine levels enough to lower many cases of high blood pressure. Most people take only 12.5 mg daily.
Two, they’re taking the wrong form of iodine. They need to take an iodine supplement that also contains iodide.
Iodide is needed to normalize iodine levels and it’s the form of iodine that the thyroid gland uses. You can find this combination in the brand Iodoral, which is available online and in most health food stores.
Third, he said it’s possible their high blood pressure isn’t caused by iodine deficiency. It could be caused by genetics, diet (especially too much sugar), or medication.
Note that it can take up to three months to see a real change in your symptoms when taking an iodine supplement. So don’t give up if you don’t see changes immediately.
What if This Doesn’t Lower Your Blood Pressure?
Another option that has proven to work remarkably well is to take an iodine bath. One health spa in Austria found that its iodine baths can lower blood pressure by up to 42.9/18.6 mm Hg within 10 minutes of getting into the bath.
But you don’t have to go to Austria to take an iodine bath. Here’s all you have to do to enjoy one in your own home:
• Fill your bathtub about halfway full with warm water – warm enough that you can stay in it for 10 minutes.
• Then add about 1 cup of Morton’s Canning and Pickling Salt and about one-quarter cup of iodine (4 tablespoons). You don’t have to include the exact amount. These are rough measurements.
• I prefer to use Providone iodine, which is available online and at most pharmacies. It’s effective and inexpensive.
Soak in the tub for 10-15 minutes and see how it affects your blood pressure. One bath won’t permanently reduce your blood pressure. But taking one bath daily can have a longer-term impact. If you try an iodine bath, let me know how it works for you.