Salt: The paradoxical philosopher's stone of autonomic medicine

Sodium chloride, or common table salt, for millennia has played a prominent role in human affairs. Salt is also a key molecule for regulating intravascular fluid volume in patients with orthostatic disorders. In this first article of a special issue of the journal focusing on salt and the autonomic nervous system, the historical and physiologic significance of salt is reviewed, highlighting its importance to society and to medicine. The relevance of salt both for civilization and for autonomic physiology penetrates into nearly every aspect of life and health.
Source: Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Source Type: research