Sodium and Head Pressure
 

I consumed very little salt this week, mainly because I was very busy. I usually ended up grabbing an apple or something rather than cooking a big meal. I also decided that I suddenly hate potato chips (I was eating them like crazy before - I was dealing with intense salt cravings for a while).

I just realized that I had very little head pressure this week, and some days, it was completely gone. It returned today after lunch: Vietnamese spring rolls with lots of soy sauce.

Could just be a coincidence, but it seems like consuming excess sodium is one of the things that causes my head pressure. I believe some is also caused by neck and vision issues, but that pressure appears in different areas. I am diagnosed with Stage 2 hypertension, so that might also be why sodium seems to have such a big impact on me.

I'm going to start a low-sodium diet on Sunday after I go grocery shopping. I'll report back if it seems to help. Figured I'd share this in case it helps anybody else.

lots of sodium would equal higher blood pressure.. and that could create issues... have you checked you BP?

Just checked it because I almost fainted a minute ago. Very scary. No clue what caused that.

Anyway, it's 152/107 now. It was 136/103 earlier today, so that's a big jump. No more soy sauce for me.

ETA: The 136/103 was after my morning walk. It was actually even lower than that before the walk. It usually increases a bit immediately following the walk, so I monitor it to make sure I'm not pushing myself too much.

Hey guys, I know I'm always talking about hormones... but I've read a lot about them...

Salt Craving, especially an intense or long-lasting craving for salt can be an indication of a hormone imbalance. (Our bodies thrive on hundreds and hundred of different hormones!)

It can indicate Addison's Disease, or a deficiency in cortisol, which is a hormone we can't live without - literally:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c...g/faq-20057988

And another hormone deficiency that can cause salt craving is aldosterone. This deficiency won't kill you - but it's often over-looked by even the best of Dr.'s. Aldosterone deficiency can cause the following symptoms:

fatigue
“cognitive fuzziness”
dizziness
lightheadedness on standing
palpitations

You can have your levels tested and most of the time, drinking licorice tea, or taking a licorice supplement can rectify it completely. They also have a medication for patients with the more serious cases of aldosterone deficiency can take.

Here's a paper on my Dr.'s website about this:

http://www.goodhormonehealth.com/youradrenal.pdf