The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong--and How Eating More Might Save Your Life Hardcover – June 6, 2017

I wish I could give this book 10 stars. This book was extremely well-cited and will give any hardcore low-sodium advocate an existential crisis. I've got a relatively long history of questioning conventional wisdom already but had never thought to question this particular little nugget of CW. MAN, was I in for the greatest recovery of my [so-far] pretty short life.I started dosing with salt 4 days before I bought this book, after watching an interview with author, Dr. James Dinicolantonio and experienced a complete turn-around and newfound state of well-being that was nothing short of miraculous. Here's my nothing-short-of-miraculous story:A few years ago I started training for a body building competition and was on a very strict chicken, vegetable, and 2 oz of sweet potato diet. About 6 months in, I started having some MAJOR gut issues and could not for the life of me figure out what the heck was going on. So I decided to go on a ketogenic diet (first started with GAPS protocol, then just straight keto), which probably wasn't a great idea because in retrospect, I think I was already low on salt and going keto dropped my electrolytes even lower. I was also going through major stress and started having random muscle twitching everywhere and TERRIBLE heart palpitations. I also started developing pain in my ligaments under normal amounts of stress, and terrible pain during periods of high stress. Sometimes pain under no stress, just pain all the time for no obvious reason. Sometimes sharp nerve pain that would jolt me awake throughout the night. These sharp jolt pains usually happened during a period of relaxation. My central nervous system was going NUTS and the palpitations were so bad that I woke up one Saturday morning and went to the ER. They did a quick EKG and told me I needed to relax, and referred me to a cardiologist.Anywho, saw cardiologist and they found nothing structurally wrong with my heart. They put me on Metroprolol temporarily to address the heart palpitations, which made them less noticeable for the 10 days I took it. After 10 days on this medication, I found I had mysteriously gained 10 pounds. WHAT!? Anyway, I talked to doc and he then informed me this was a common side effect, so I quit the Metroprolol and palpitations came back full-force.I had seen the following doctors during this time, for the stuff Ill detail below the list:GPCardiologistEndocrinologistGastroenterologist (multiple visits)HematologistRheumatologistI had chronic fatigue, but with the chronic state of pain, heart palpitations, dizzy spells, exercise intolerance, anxiety, explosive diarrhea (yeah, yeah, TMI..whatever, I like talking about my poops, had to learn a great deal about them to troubleshoot these wonderful GI issues), and overall misery, I attributed it to working a lot/stress and it was the least worrisome of my symptoms.I lost my period for a month too, and this last year my cycle has gotten 3 days shorter, AND I got pregnant and had a miscarriage (why is this relevant, you may ask? Spoiler alert: There is a great chapter on salt and fertility in "The Salt Fix") I had been having all kinds of strange hormonal issues, like hirsutism (had 3 stubborn hairs that were growing on my chin that I had to pluck every week). I'm a 28 year old female, pretty vain if I may add, so this kind of sucked. While all of this was happening, I also lost about 60% of my hair in a matter of 2 months. This is not a coincidence with the growing of the chin hairs, something with my hormones was going completely awry.There is more, but I think you get the point.Enter the interview I saw with the Doc. Decided to start dosing with salt before I even read the book (bought my kindle download 3 days after watching the interview). And OMG, my heart palpitations vanished immediately. VANISHED.I had this newfound energy to get up and do stuff again, like running?! I can't remember feeling like I wanted to run for FUN, since I was like...7?This was just 3 days of dosing. At this point, I have been dosing with salt for about two months and have noticed I don't need to take as much as I did when I started to keep the palpitations away. General anxiety has subsided and I've been feeling GREAT since I started dosing, which was an unexpected effect of this whole thing. I increased my salt intake with hopes of getting rid of the palpitations and dizziness but I got so much more. The last time I plucked those damn chin hairs was about a month and a half ago, so at this point I think they're gone-gone :) YAYMy following menstruation after starting to supplement came on its old schedule (28 day cycle instead of 25 for the last year). Hooray! I'd like to keep my eggs for as long as possible :) Also, I've got so much new hair growth on my head that my hair is getting super unruly with frizz, but that's a problem I love to have now hehe.TL;DR version:Salt made my heart palpitations, dizziness, exercise intolerance, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and hirsutism go away. It normalized my menstrual cycle, and improved my bowels. If I could marry my pink salt shaker, I would.I started having all of these issues about 3-4 years ago when I was 24 years old. I literally went from feeling like I was 24 to feeling like I was 70 in a matter of 1 year. I finally feel my age again because of this tiny change. I have tried every diet under the sun, and THIS is what was missing.This may not seem miraculous, but it felt that way to me. At the rate I was going with chronic issues, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be 80 years old if I already felt like I was in my 70s at 28 years old (Turns out, a combination of low carb dieting and chronic stress are no good for ya). Anywho, great read! I am recommending this book left and right

Trying to get healthy. Read this book to learn the facts about salt. The case studies completed are interesting. Good book.

I just finished the book, The Salt Fix by James DiNicolantonio.Well worth the read.As a prevention and wellness family physician who prides himself in looking deeper at cause and effect in healthcare, I must admit that I had my blinders on when it came to salt. I too believed that salt was to be watched closely and tried to remain at the lowest recommended usage. Well, no longer! The author James DiNicolantonio makes a great case as to why limiting your salt to the national guidelines may be BAD for your health.In my practice, I have different views than mainstream medicine in many areas of health and wellness. Why? Well, I have arrived at the point in my career when I am not afraid to ask the “experts”- “WHY?”.Why is fat bad?Why is cholesterol bad?Do cholesterol lowering drugs really save lives?I like to dive deeply into cause and effect. But it appears like I did not look closely enough at how the human body uses salt. I was still advising people to watch their salt intake as I thought that the dietary recommendations were set in stone with irrefutable evidence.Well…….Let me add one more question for the “experts”.Why is consuming more than 2 grams of salt a day bad?After reading The Salt Fix, I am disappointed in myself but that changes today. The author James DiNicolantonio very simply makes the case that the war on salt is as misguided as I believe the war on cholesterol and fat has been. He points out how salt is a vital nutrient that our body needs to stay in balance, just like fat and cholesterol. He clearly and simply shows how our body responds to different levels of salt intake.He brings together many other aspects of my practice, writing about how it is not salt, but that other white processed powder, SUGAR, that is really the issue in most people with metabolic health issues. He points out how sugar can cause insulin resistance leading to Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Heart Disease, etc, etc. He then shows how too LITTLE salt also leads to insulin resistance, Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Heart Disease, etc, etc. See the twist?Besides learning about the many beneficial aspects of salt, this book should make you a more skeptical thinker when it comes to national dietary guidelines. You should ask yourself, “Is there real proof that these guidelines are good for my health AND were these guidelines based on real medical studies or are they a dietary or political/industry power play?If you are overweight, have High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, or Kidney Disease, BUY THIS BOOK and READ IT. If you like salt but are afraid to use it, BUY THIS BOOK and READ IT. Then have a conversation with your physician(s). If they just restate the National Dietary Salt guidelines without understanding the true data, lend them this book, or buy them one so they can refer to it and help more patients.

This book is very eye-opening as to the absolute necessity of having adequate salt in your diet. It is no surprise that the medical industry has it all backwards. This seems to be a common theme these days. You really need to be your own doctor and do your own research instead of depending on the "experts". My one criticism of the book is the constant evolutionary indoctrination throughout the book. If you really believe that our human ancestors evolved from the briny sea and slithered out of the sea and grew some lungs to breath air as the author contends, then you are misguided and misinformed. Reading his evolutionary explanations for things such are our builtin salt thermostat is a bit laughable. Do you know any other types of thermostats or sensors that just evolved? Well that's what our bodies are designed with: sensors to monitor blood pressure, blood volume, temperature, etc and many other complex systems. That being said this book is well worth the read. This book will also help you curb your sugar addition too.