Daily Sodium Allowance:
Sodium as a Supplement
In its many forms and compounds, sodium as an element reaches far into the universe, being a component of stars, as well as being an essential nutrient for the human body. Although it was not isolated in a pure form until 1807 by Sir Humphrey Davy, it was realized to connect to human health for centuries. Now a quick little factoid: in Europe during the middle ages, sodium was used as part of a headache remedy.
With all the bad press concerning sodium intake today, it is easy to forget sodium is an essential nutrient to the health and functioning of the body.
Sodium enjoys an important role in the circulatory system. The body needs sodium to regulate blood pressure, as well as the volume of the blood itself. It also guards against dangerous blood clotting in the blood vessels. This happens in relation to what it does in the balancing of the fluids in the body, working with potassium and chloride in equilibrium processes. Another aspect of sodium's function in the body that makes it important to each the circulatory system and the muscular system is its influence in the processes that serve to help the muscles contract smoothly and regularly. This means that sodium helps regulate heartbeat, as well as nerve function, helping the nerves to be able to communicate effectively.
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Sodium, like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, is an electrolyte. Sodium controls the electrical charges that travel from cell to cell, which is part of the cellular communication process. Without sodium to help the brain and nerves speak to one another, the basic five senses would not function properly.
Sodium also has a high ranking role in the digestive system, particularly in the metabolism of food to useful and accessible energy for the bodily processes. It helps prevent the digestive acids from burning the stomach lining.
It partners with potassium in some processes, making the balance between these two minerals very important in the body.
Sodium is essential to the functioning of the pancreas, spleen and liver.
It helps keep the joints flexible and limber.
While sodium deficiency in the long-term is rare, there are times in which deficiency can occur, particularly during illnesses that include bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. In these scenarios, the essential balance of all of the electrolytes is threatened, and must be treated rapidly. This is extremely important in infants and children. Chronic diarrhea is well known as a particularly nasty killer of children and the elderly in the developing nations.
The body is a delicately balanced system of complex chemical reactions that depend heavily on the nutrients that are consumed every day to function properly. Nutritional supplements can be a safe and effective means of seeing that the body has the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that it needs. Some natural sources of sodium are Celtic sea salt, the best salt you can buy for your health on the market.
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