Did you know Roman soldiers used to be paid partially in salt? It was known as their salarium, which is where our word for salary originated (Salt Institute, 2011). Often we are caught up in what man has to offer for healing. Pain killers. Anti-biotics. We forget about the naturally occurring healing properties of everyday substances. Salt has more medicinal worth than we give it credit today.
My reflections about salt were stimulated by a nasty sore throat this past week. I will spare you the details. After flashing the glow of a miniature flashlight down my throat I was worried I had a bout of strep. When my symptoms ended up not including a foggy and dizzy head, I resided that my infection was viral (thank goodness!). Nevertheless, it was gargling with salt water that helped clear up the illness. I gargled with salt water religiously after each of Rylyn's feedings for 2 days. Ugly throat be gone! (I should mention that a little Tylenol helped me sleep without pain though!)
In honour of salt eradicating my throat illness, I want to highlight some of its other great uses:
- placing salt directly on a mouth abscess will cause it to drain without having to break the blister (how I love the practical applications of osmosis)
- salt baths can help heal minor sunburn, cuts, bug bites, poison ivy and poison oak
- salt baths can help regulate skin's moisture and dry out blemishes
- salt baths are anti-septic and anti-stress too!
May I suggest an Epsom Salt bath some time this week to relax?
Bible Reflections
Colossians 4:6 (New King James Version)
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
-Just as salt can be healing to our bodies, so too can our words be healing to one another's souls.
-Just as salt can be healing to our bodies, so too can our words be healing to one another's souls.
