It is a brand of sea salt. Table salt is almost entirely sodium chloride, plus things like additives that help it not clump so it pours easier. If I recall correctly, the salt in question is 84 percent sodium chloride and 16 percent micronutrients and other minerals found naturally in ocean water.
My body misprocesses salt. A high salt diet is standard medical prescription. I concluded that the additives in table salt are problematic for me, in part because I misprocess some molecules and in part because I consume more salt than average, which means I consume more of the additives as well. I also concluded that misprocessing salt has various knock on effects. When the body sweats out sodium chloride at high rates, it drags other minerals with it. Those micronutrients made a big difference to me.
I no longer need that brand of salt, in part because I live near the coast and get it in the air, in part because I spent years remedying my various deficiencies and I am no longer severely deficient.
There is research that people with my condition who surf have a better prognosis. So my conclusions aren't entirely unsupported by existing research. The medical world used that research to develop a nebulized treatment. Their theory is that surfing helps because you breath salty sea air and it helps the lungs. I used it to conclude that sea salt with a variety of micronutrients made sense for me. I think it is rather silly to conclude that surfing is solely or primarily beneficial because of the air you are breathing. The condition is famous for negatively impacting lung function, but it is genetic and there is a lot more going on than lung issues.
In a nutshell, the medical world recognizes that salt is significant for my condition, but they only think quantity matters. I decided quality mattered more.
I have "typical" CF (df508X2) but it's fairly mild (I believe it's because I grew up in a home where it was essentially immune system bootcamp, but that's another conversation ....). I've always had a very strong salt craving as you've described, but never considered the additive issue.
My body misprocesses salt. A high salt diet is standard medical prescription. I concluded that the additives in table salt are problematic for me, in part because I misprocess some molecules and in part because I consume more salt than average, which means I consume more of the additives as well. I also concluded that misprocessing salt has various knock on effects. When the body sweats out sodium chloride at high rates, it drags other minerals with it. Those micronutrients made a big difference to me.
I no longer need that brand of salt, in part because I live near the coast and get it in the air, in part because I spent years remedying my various deficiencies and I am no longer severely deficient.
There is research that people with my condition who surf have a better prognosis. So my conclusions aren't entirely unsupported by existing research. The medical world used that research to develop a nebulized treatment. Their theory is that surfing helps because you breath salty sea air and it helps the lungs. I used it to conclude that sea salt with a variety of micronutrients made sense for me. I think it is rather silly to conclude that surfing is solely or primarily beneficial because of the air you are breathing. The condition is famous for negatively impacting lung function, but it is genetic and there is a lot more going on than lung issues.
In a nutshell, the medical world recognizes that salt is significant for my condition, but they only think quantity matters. I decided quality mattered more.