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Water & Salt: The Essence of Life

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Profound content but easy to read, this book represents the definitive statement on the subjects of water and salt. The book transports readers into the fantastic world of the two essential elements of water and salt and initiates them into the secret powers of nature. It also gives practical tips for increasing ones well being, finding ones physical and emotional balance, raising ones consciousness, and achieving unlimited energy. The aspects about energies and the information that the original Himalayan crystal salt supplies to our body is especially fascinating. The book also conveys esoteric knowledge about how the basic elements of water and salt can be integrated into ones life. The book paves the way to a healthy and holistic lifestyle.

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

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About the author

Barbara Hendel

12 books8 followers
Dr. Barbara Hendel studied medicine at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany and has been working as a medical doctor and a holistic health practitioner for over 20 years. Her focus has been on naturopathic medicine, specifically in the field of nutrition. From 1993 to 2002 she headed a clinic for bio-regulatory therapies, preventive medicine and regeneration. She has successfully integrated allopathic medicine with the naturopathic approach.
As a physician and nutritionist, in 2006 she developed the individualized weight loss program Ideal-Weight, in accordance with the latest medical and scientific evidence.
Dr. Hendel is best known as the author of numerous books in the health care field, in which she makes her philosophy of healthy and conscious living accessible to a wide audience.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
72 reviews
June 4, 2013
***Just had to update my review because I have now put the information in this book into practice and am absolutely astounded at the results! It is a miracle and truly more valuable to me than gold. It feels good to feel so good and to have the energy and ability to function day after day after day from morning to evening. I had made the sole and had it sitting in my house for four years and had no idea what a treasure I had. Could have saved me a whole lot of grief and lost opportunities if I had taken it way back then. But then it is not me to blindly try something just from a recommendation ... I need to know and I need to understand the why. I was soo far gone by that time that reading was not something I could do much of. This book coupled with hard experience and other things I have learned on the journey came together in one big aha! It was a major piece of the puzzle. How wonderful to have such a kind creator who left us with an abundance of what we need in the earth! So simple, so abundant, so affordable, so doable. I am truly grateful. Read the book and find out for yourself or if you don't have the time or ability, give the sole a try anyway so that you don't miss out on life and precious years with your family and community like I did. The sole is for everyone, healthy or ill, depressed or anxious, overwhelmed or fatigued, arthritis, diabetes and on and on ... I believe this will help. It is one of the essentials in life. Plain and simple.


Parts of this book are right down fascinating! I appreciated this book more now than I would have in the past simply because it reconfirmed some things that I have already discovered both in other areas of study and from my own experience. While the jury is still out on parts of the book, I did gain much from it.

The best part of the book was the discussion of salt. The value of and need for salt, natural salt in particular (as opposed to sodium chloride in the form of table salt), is grossly underestimated and misunderstood by mainstream America and it is wreaking havoc among us. Crazy how we can complicate things so much so easily. How reassuring it is to know that something as simple as crystal salt can make such a difference in your health and wellbeing. It already has in mine, but I have experienced the extreme lack of salt as my body simply cannot hold onto it or get adequate amounts with problematic adrenal glands. Having adequate salt makes all the difference in my ability to think or function - (and because of this book I have a greater understanding of why that is!) Crystal salt contains all of the minerals and trace elements that our body is made up of and historically was more precious than gold and used as a form of payment. Salt can balance an energy deficit. Don't miss out on understanding the importance of this vital nutrient whether you read it from this book or saltinstitute.org or both. My life is about to get even more simple because of what I now know and understand.

Now, don't get me wrong, the discussion on water was great too teaching me more than I could have imagined about water.
14 reviews
May 9, 2013
Easy to read non fiction book (?) suggesting that the quality of the water we drink and the salt we consume can be primary to our overall health. A bit new agey. Connections between structures of matter, whether they be salt crystals or pyramids are loosely thrown together. Sometimes I had to skip a few pages because the author was doing stream of consciousness poetry linking Christ and the word crystals. But, then I'd pick up again on something interesting.

Presents some concepts about spring water that I never considered. Like how the natural process of water filtrating through soil, rock and plants is what purifies it and how it is picking up information during this process. That part reminded me of a BBC special on the English royal family's organic gardens - those gardeners were using specific plants for filtration and seemed to have some similar ideas.

Promotes some corporate entities, like Fuji spring water a bit too much. Info on the salt mines in Poland is fascinating. They call it a salt hospital or cathedral. Sent me off in a few directions looking up various salt mines around the world and reading about the health journeys people take to feel better or to heal. Learned about salt lamps and how they can negatively magnetize a room (which is good), especially helpful for areas with lots of electronics.
Profile Image for Lkwms.
12 reviews
December 5, 2011
At first, as I began reading this book, I thought it was dull, dull, dull! It's written in such a calm style that it's like listening the calming new age music that's is supposed to relax everyone. This music (or this style of writing) doesn't relax me; in fact, does the opposite.

Nevertheless, I continued reading. I began to read the information about Salt Lamps and crystal salt ionizers. The use of crystal salt is said, by this author, to be very beneficial to our health.

The crystal salt discussed in this book is not the same iodized salt we find in our kitchen cabinets. It is salt mined from various places in the world and is the salt which was left behind eons ago as the original vast oceans on earth began to evaporate away. It retains a slight pinkish color.

I have tried drinking the "sole" (pronounced so-lay) salt water mixture suggested by the author. It does not have the taste typically associated with a salt water rinse; it is much milder. The author suggests drinking a small amount of this every day to enjoy many health benefits.

I have purchased two salt lamps, basing my purchase decision on the information in this book. These lamps help neutralize electronic emissions from all the electronic hardware we work around and clean the environment in our rooms. The effects of these lamps can improve sleep, improve skin conditions, and have an effect on persons who have ADD and ADHD. We have experienced several health improvements in the few weeks we've operated them.

Being a skeptical reader at heart, I thought some of the claims in this book were extreme and perhaps just "hocus pocus". However, now that I've actually tried some of the suggestions from the book and experienced health improvements, I'm no longer skeptical.

I recommend this book to everyone. Read it and learn if you have any health issues that the author says are helped by crystal salt. Put the information to the test. It's a alternative health method that might prove to be very helpful for you.
Profile Image for Kelli.
163 reviews
December 24, 2021
The data shown and the conclusions drawn seem very sketchy at times. Inferences are made that don’t seem to connect to the observations cited. That being said , they have touched on topics that warrant more objective research. If it reads like pseudo science it might be pseudoscience. I expected more from this.
Profile Image for Shriyansi.
67 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2024
This is possibly the most woo woo thing I've read this year.

In a nutshell, all our problems stem from not consuming the right kind of salt and water. What's the right kind of salt, you ask? Oh, it's an expensive kind found only in a mine in an exotic place and it is hand mined by angels. Sigh.

Oh, the water? Yeah, Fiji spring water. Only that. All other water is bad. Its because Fijians aren't producing anything that pollutes. Sigh.

A mixture of salt and water can be used to treat everything from cancer to zits. A one kilo bag of that angel mined salt is meant to be used in bath water, twice a week. Your water filtration system be damned. Deep sigh.

The woo woo aside, the writing is terrible. If it wasn't written a while ago, I would've assumed this was written by an AI.

Just... don't bother. The material is problematic. The writing is terrible. And there are these random stream of consciousness diversions into a very white person's understanding of what non-white cultures bring to the table in terms of our healing systems. So much cringe.
Profile Image for Marcus Goncalves.
814 reviews6 followers
March 29, 2025
This is an olde book (2003), but while body nutrition science has come a long way since, the author offers a comprehensive exploration of the vital roles that water and natural salt play in human health, delving into the purported healing properties of Himalayan crystal salt and advocating for its integration into daily wellness practices. Some of the claims lack robust scientific backing, though.
Profile Image for Karen.
126 reviews
April 2, 2010
Who knew water and salt could do so much?
Profile Image for Bridget.
1 review
July 9, 2013
Great information on how we poison our bodies with everything we eat today.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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