An exciting article out of LewRockwell dispels the myths about salt and uncovers it's vital role in human health.  This article explains that our common table salt is chemically engineered from poisonous sources and lacking in nutrients that are essential to our very existence and yet it's natural counterpart, unrefined sea salt, plays a vital role in human existence.  

According to the article, table salt can be detrimental to our health because of it's manufacturing process which entails chemically treating it and processing it under high temperatures, thus stripping essential magnesium and other minerals out.  Manufacturers then add toxic levels of  potassium iodide to replace those removed and dextrose to stabilize this toxicity.  Bleaching is then necessary to overcome it's now rancid purple color and create a pretty version of salt for our American tables. 

Whereas, natural sodium in the form of unrefined sea salt plays intricate life supporting roles in our bodies as it enhances cellular energy, regulates blood pressure, stabilizes heartbeats, and maintains sexuality and libido. 

Nutritionists are discovering that minerals which exist in salt refined by ancient methods but not in refined table salt are very important to circulatory health. Sea salt refined traditionally can contain up to 16% of its content in trace minerals and salts other than sodium chloride.

Specifically, magnesium and potassium are important in the case of hypertension. The pharmaceutical companies' answer to hypertension are blood pressure medications falling under the classification of calcium channel blockers (CCBs). What these types of medications do is prevent the uptake of calcium into your system so that the blood vessels expand. An unfortunate side effect of these drugs is reduction in magnesium absorption. Magnesium is an important mineral which aids your body in metabolizing calcium and potassium. Potassium deficiency is a prime suspect amongst nutritionists as the main cause of hypertension.

However, you can't patent magnesium. Anne Briscoe and Charles Ragan discovered in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that calcium and magnesium are cooperative elements. When you increase magnesium intake, your absorption of both magnesium and calcium are greatly improved. When magnesium absorption is improved, so is potassium absorption. Thus, CCBs ultimately treat the symptom (constricted blood vessels) by reducing calcium absorption yet increase the body's dependency on the drug since the underlying root cause of hypertension is not addressed and is in fact exacerbated...

I enjoy a couple of shakes of sea salt when my body is most receptive to nutrients such as first thing in the morning and in my post workout shakes, to ensure the vital nutrients and fluids will be absorbed into my cells and be utilized efficiently.

...If you trust thousands of years of human evolution and wisdom, rather than chose a refined table salt, seek out traditionally made sea salt (sun and clay vats) or mined salt and at the very least you will augment your magnesium, calcium and potassium intake, and you will more than likely be quite healthy even if you ingest a goodly amount of it.

An extensive list of salt's vital roles in human health is available here.