Overstressed
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Strange, since two years, I'm getting dizziness and extreme fatigue whenever I eat salty food, like ham, or bacon. So, I try to avoid as much as possible.
OS.
OS.
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I have used salt tabs, but not that brand, I used medical-grade tabs, by CMC. In fact for a time I tried the salt+Vit C protocol for Lyme. That actually helped at lower doses but eventually my kidneys hurt and I stopped salt/c.
Right now I just use RealSalt on everything and that seems to work.
Salt craving logically seems like to indicate a problem with aldosterone production, an adrenal gland issue. Maybe we have some salt wasting.
Thanks, Kurt.
I feel somewhat better adding salt to my diet but have been cautious about trying salt tablets. I'm pretty sure adrenals are major issue here. I take dulse and sea salt, but I've seen RealSalt in the health food stores, so maybe I'll get that next time. I wouldn't want to do anything to my kidneys so maybe I'll hold off on the salt tablets.
I feel somewhat better adding salt to my diet but have been cautious about trying salt tablets. I'm pretty sure adrenals are major issue here. I take dulse and sea salt, but I've seen RealSalt in the health food stores, so maybe I'll get that next time. I wouldn't want to do anything to my kidneys so maybe I'll hold off on the salt tablets.
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I can always tell my OI is a little better when everything tastes too salty. Otherwise, nothing ever tastes salty to me at all. And I really, really hate people I call "salt Nazis," who constantly harp on me about my salt intake (especially during pregnancy). (Especially my mother in law, with whom I sadly have to spend the weekend- she is constantly on me, and I've told my husband that the first time she starts, I'm telling her, "I have explained I have a medical condition that requires me to consume a lot of salt. It is no reflection on your cooking, you are an excellent cook [she is], but I've explained this to you at least 5 times and I refuse to discuss salt with you any more, and I don't appreciate your comments about my salt intake." I've told my husband he better stand by me this time, instead of just zoning out and letter her yell at me- yes, she's yelled at me.)
ixchelkali
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It's funny, before I got ME/CFS (and the orthostatic hypotension that came with it) I always ate a low-salt diet. Not that I had to, but I lived with people who were on sodium restricted diets, and I got out of the habit of using salt. But once I got sick I started craving salt. When I was diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension, my doctor (who knows nearly nothing about ME/CFS) told me to eat lots of salt. So now I add salt to my food. For a while I was drinking a glass of salt water every day, and I should probably go back to that. My favorite thing to eat when I get a salt craving is brine-cured Kalamata olives. If my IBS is behaving itself I eat salted nuts.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for healthy salty foods? Preferably yummy ones? I try to avoid eating a lot of processed foods or saturated fats.
I was on Florinef for a couple of years. I didn't notice any side effects, but I didn't notice any improvement in my OI, either. I finally asked to go off of it, because I couldn't take any NSAIDS for pain while I was on it. The doctor agreed to try stopping it and see if I got worse. I stopped and there seemed to be no effect one way or the other.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for healthy salty foods? Preferably yummy ones? I try to avoid eating a lot of processed foods or saturated fats.
I was on Florinef for a couple of years. I didn't notice any side effects, but I didn't notice any improvement in my OI, either. I finally asked to go off of it, because I couldn't take any NSAIDS for pain while I was on it. The doctor agreed to try stopping it and see if I got worse. I stopped and there seemed to be no effect one way or the other.
Alphahusky,
I love the Salt Nazis term! I meet a lot of people like that too, they are terribly irritating. And ignorant. My dietician told me that only 20 percent of people with high blood pressure have sodium related hypertension and respond to a low sodium diet - for the rest of them it makes no difference whatsoever.
My mother saved me once. A friend of hers was going on about salt and my mother said "I think you're confused. She's not a slug, you know. Salt kills molluscs, not people."
Ixchelkali, if you're OK with dairy you could try fetta cheese in a Greek style salad, it's salty and very nice. You can also mix salted capers into all kinds of salads.
I love the Salt Nazis term! I meet a lot of people like that too, they are terribly irritating. And ignorant. My dietician told me that only 20 percent of people with high blood pressure have sodium related hypertension and respond to a low sodium diet - for the rest of them it makes no difference whatsoever.
My mother saved me once. A friend of hers was going on about salt and my mother said "I think you're confused. She's not a slug, you know. Salt kills molluscs, not people."
Ixchelkali, if you're OK with dairy you could try fetta cheese in a Greek style salad, it's salty and very nice. You can also mix salted capers into all kinds of salads.
Not voting because my option is not there.
- In general I have never consumed particularly high amounts of salt. I always believed it was not particularly good for me.
- I did go through phases of craving salt, but not now.
- Now, I deliberately ADD salt to my diet, because I do not have high risk for cardiac complications and salt is known to help adrenal function - something that for me needs all the help it can get. However this is not a craving. It is something I have to remind myself to do.
- In general I have never consumed particularly high amounts of salt. I always believed it was not particularly good for me.
- I did go through phases of craving salt, but not now.
- Now, I deliberately ADD salt to my diet, because I do not have high risk for cardiac complications and salt is known to help adrenal function - something that for me needs all the help it can get. However this is not a craving. It is something I have to remind myself to do.
Salt, Florinef, Cortisol
Florinef: I take it at a high dose and have for 3 years. I don't have any side effects. Without it, my breathing becomes extremely labored like a heart patient on their death bed. It is scary.
Interestingly though, I crave salt, but I don't have low cortisol levels. In fact the last time it was checked they were high! So I am not convinced that low cortisol means salt cravings. It must be some other hormone that is lacking or too great.
I have tried the salt tabs with little success but only because the salt irritates my bladder. Sea salt is alkaline and therefore is much gentler on the body then table salt or salt tabs. I also didn't want to take the high volume that they suggested for cost reasons. You need to drink a lot of water in order for them to work properly and it just isn't practical for me since I have IC.
As long as you don't have high blood pressure they are worth a shot.
Florinef: I take it at a high dose and have for 3 years. I don't have any side effects. Without it, my breathing becomes extremely labored like a heart patient on their death bed. It is scary.
Interestingly though, I crave salt, but I don't have low cortisol levels. In fact the last time it was checked they were high! So I am not convinced that low cortisol means salt cravings. It must be some other hormone that is lacking or too great.
I have tried the salt tabs with little success but only because the salt irritates my bladder. Sea salt is alkaline and therefore is much gentler on the body then table salt or salt tabs. I also didn't want to take the high volume that they suggested for cost reasons. You need to drink a lot of water in order for them to work properly and it just isn't practical for me since I have IC.
As long as you don't have high blood pressure they are worth a shot.
ixchelkali
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Athene, I think I'd like to meet your mother. :Retro smile:
I love feta cheese and capers both, and use them frequently. I didn't think of them in terms of salty foods, but you're right. BTW, a friend of mine introduced me to the idea of filling the cavity of an avocado with capers, and now I eat them that way.
leaves
Senior Member
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Funny as a small kid (also cfs) I used to crave it big time. Several times I ate it straight from the salt can. Had to throw up beceause I had too much.
I still like it, but not that much
I still like it, but not that much
Sunday
Senior Member
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I crave salt, but I don't put it on everything; i like to taste stuff without it. I agree that people who think all salt is evil are ignorant. I think the kind of salt you eat might be really important, and good salts (Himalayan, Pink, Celtic sea salt) taste better, as well as having more of the minerals we need.
I used to be a sweets freak. I still am, but to a much lesser extent. I think now that the time I started craving salt was probably the time I started coming down with this. I also use Standard Process Drenamin, an organic gland extract that contains no hormones. My salt craving goes down when I do, and I doubt that's a coincidence.
I want to meet Athene's mother, too. And have her feed me more good lines. (Although there are times when it is hard to distinguish myself from a slug. I'm glad to have this differential: I'm still not dissolving at the touch of salt, so I'm still a vertebrate apparently.)
I used to be a sweets freak. I still am, but to a much lesser extent. I think now that the time I started craving salt was probably the time I started coming down with this. I also use Standard Process Drenamin, an organic gland extract that contains no hormones. My salt craving goes down when I do, and I doubt that's a coincidence.
I want to meet Athene's mother, too. And have her feed me more good lines. (Although there are times when it is hard to distinguish myself from a slug. I'm glad to have this differential: I'm still not dissolving at the touch of salt, so I'm still a vertebrate apparently.)
sensing progress
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yes! I recently started taking buffered (slow release) salt tablets, brand name: Thermotabs, because I have low blood pressure and also suspect low blood volume. it has made a BIG difference in my orthostatic intolerance symptoms. I suspect I have been chronically dehydrated for a long time. I wrote a blog about this recently for anyone interested: http://tinyurl.com/2ut3mnb
sensing progress
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Could be a food sensitivity/allergy instead of salt being the culprit. I found recently that I get dizziness and fatigue when I eat anything with nitrates (commonly added to things like hot dogs, ham, bacon, etc). Try eating uncured bacon and see if you still get the same reaction.
Sunday
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sensing progress, your blog post was very interesting, and enough to convince me to give Thermotabs a try.
And I agree, it could be the nitrates that are a problem (or other preservatives, or even the feed and medication the animals get).
And I agree, it could be the nitrates that are a problem (or other preservatives, or even the feed and medication the animals get).
sensing progress
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Cool, I hope they help! I recommend following the guidelines of Dr. Peter Rowe, et al, at Johns Hopkins for using the salt tablets: http://www.pediatricnetwork.org/medical/OI/johnshopkins.htm
Btw, if you have trouble finding them for purchase let me know, I found a good source.
glenp
"and this too shall pass"
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My cortisol levels are lower and opposite what supposed to be.
I have been eating Dulse - the pack says 7% sodium - 10% fibre - 10% iron
I found when I went on a diet for food intollerences my diet didn't contain enough salt so have to be conscious of adding it. I'm always forgetting. till it hits me. Also when I have the very sick spells I think I am worse as I forget about salt. Some crackers look like they may be healthy choices I'm always forgetting to buy them
Does anyone know of potato chips that are healthy??
glen
I have been eating Dulse - the pack says 7% sodium - 10% fibre - 10% iron
I found when I went on a diet for food intollerences my diet didn't contain enough salt so have to be conscious of adding it. I'm always forgetting. till it hits me. Also when I have the very sick spells I think I am worse as I forget about salt. Some crackers look like they may be healthy choices I'm always forgetting to buy them
Does anyone know of potato chips that are healthy??
glen
hi all,
i don't crave salt as much as i know i need it and like the taste. i was bedridden almost all the time until i went on the Rowe protocol (Johns Hopkins protocol for neurally mediated hypotension). this was the protocol i did:
- salt (3 grams per day in pill form)
- water (3 liters pre day)
- florinef (don't recall the amount, but it was tiny)
- atenolol (25 mg twice per day)
all the above increased my BP (blood pressure) and i assume my blood volume, but i never checked that out (how do you test yr blood volume?). my BP had been too low for any human being to function. and i was "healed" for 2 months with the florinef, going to conferences in my field of work, etc. then i got horribly depressed on it. horrible! the second i went off florinef, i got un-depressed. i stayed on all the other things listed above, and i stayed out of being bedridden all the time but could not go to conferences or lead a normal life at all, but at least i was not bedridden 24/7. now i'm "only" bedridden some of the time (1/2 the time?).
some day i will try florinef again. in the meantime, when i went off florinef my doc put me on licorice root extract (a gummy liquid type of thing: i get it from Clark Pharmacy on the west coast somewhere) as a natural alternative to florinef. and with that (at 1/4 tsp per day), my blood pressure remained fine. in fact, i could alter my blood pressure according to how much salt i took. i took the salt tablets, the normal non-buffered tablets, and made sure to eat rice or pasta or bread with them, so the salt would not irritate my tummy and make me puke. it was easy. 2 tablets and 1 slice of bread. no worries.
and the water: 3 liters per day. period. no messing around with that.
then i went on Rich Van K's "simplified" methylation protocol and my blood pressure normalized (raised) all on its own, and i was able to get off the salt and 3 liters of water. so i stopped the salt, but stayed on the water at 2-3 liters per day just to keep my body hydrated and healthier (whatever "healthier" means). i also stopped the licorice root extract.
i am now off the methylation protocol -- because i crashed hard, after a wonderful year of no crashes.
so now that i'm off the methylation protocol, i wonder if my blood pressure will drop again. we'll see. i restarted the licorice root extract.
re: salt. i still think it is very healthy to eat it. so i eat the RealSalt brand and the Celtic sea salt brand. i just put a lot of it on my food, or some days i actually take 1/4 tsp of it (drop it in my mouth, swallow it with water like i would any other pill).
the atenolol: i still take it. been almost 18 yrs on it. if i go off it, my heart pounds too much. i'm on a lower dose now, since the methylation protocol. i now take 12.5 mg twice a day.
best,
rrrr
p.s. i have a huge bottle of salt tablets, the non-buffered kind. if anyone wants to buy it off me, please contact me via private messaging.
i don't crave salt as much as i know i need it and like the taste. i was bedridden almost all the time until i went on the Rowe protocol (Johns Hopkins protocol for neurally mediated hypotension). this was the protocol i did:
- salt (3 grams per day in pill form)
- water (3 liters pre day)
- florinef (don't recall the amount, but it was tiny)
- atenolol (25 mg twice per day)
all the above increased my BP (blood pressure) and i assume my blood volume, but i never checked that out (how do you test yr blood volume?). my BP had been too low for any human being to function. and i was "healed" for 2 months with the florinef, going to conferences in my field of work, etc. then i got horribly depressed on it. horrible! the second i went off florinef, i got un-depressed. i stayed on all the other things listed above, and i stayed out of being bedridden all the time but could not go to conferences or lead a normal life at all, but at least i was not bedridden 24/7. now i'm "only" bedridden some of the time (1/2 the time?).
some day i will try florinef again. in the meantime, when i went off florinef my doc put me on licorice root extract (a gummy liquid type of thing: i get it from Clark Pharmacy on the west coast somewhere) as a natural alternative to florinef. and with that (at 1/4 tsp per day), my blood pressure remained fine. in fact, i could alter my blood pressure according to how much salt i took. i took the salt tablets, the normal non-buffered tablets, and made sure to eat rice or pasta or bread with them, so the salt would not irritate my tummy and make me puke. it was easy. 2 tablets and 1 slice of bread. no worries.
and the water: 3 liters per day. period. no messing around with that.
then i went on Rich Van K's "simplified" methylation protocol and my blood pressure normalized (raised) all on its own, and i was able to get off the salt and 3 liters of water. so i stopped the salt, but stayed on the water at 2-3 liters per day just to keep my body hydrated and healthier (whatever "healthier" means). i also stopped the licorice root extract.
i am now off the methylation protocol -- because i crashed hard, after a wonderful year of no crashes.
so now that i'm off the methylation protocol, i wonder if my blood pressure will drop again. we'll see. i restarted the licorice root extract.
re: salt. i still think it is very healthy to eat it. so i eat the RealSalt brand and the Celtic sea salt brand. i just put a lot of it on my food, or some days i actually take 1/4 tsp of it (drop it in my mouth, swallow it with water like i would any other pill).
the atenolol: i still take it. been almost 18 yrs on it. if i go off it, my heart pounds too much. i'm on a lower dose now, since the methylation protocol. i now take 12.5 mg twice a day.
best,
rrrr
p.s. i have a huge bottle of salt tablets, the non-buffered kind. if anyone wants to buy it off me, please contact me via private messaging.