Sodium phosphate (natrum phos) has often been called the “biochemical antacid.” It plays this role not only in digestion but also in the body’s fluids, including the blood. But it is a major remedy for indigestion.
Americans spend over a quarter of a billion dollars a year on medications that promise relief from indigestion. Yet, the best advice for those who suffer from indigestion is to change their diet and try the various biochemical remedies, which cannot hurt and will most likely help. Many antacids that people take for stomach upset contain bicarbonate of soda, which can cause the formation of kidney stones and recurrent urinary tract infections.
The high sodium count of “bicarb” also makes it bad for people with incipient heart trouble or kidney problems. The next time you are stricken with indigestion, instead of using one of the commercial preparations, eat and drink nothing until the pain is gone. Then try adding clear liquids-water, herbal tea, or broth. Next, add bland foods such as toast, rice, mashed potatoes, and the like. Music and meditation can also help because anxiety produces excess stomach acid, and excess stomach acid produces indigestion.
Chronic indigestion may mask more serious ailments. If treating indigestion with biochemical preparations and changing your diet does not help, your “indigestion” may actually be gallbladder or heart problems, or even a peptic ulcer, masquerading as common indigestion. So, be methodical. Keep a record of your diet, recording the effect various foods have on your indigestion. Also, be sure not to overeat to the point where you feel stuffed. It is now known that the state of one’s nerves can have a profound effect on digestion. The digestive function is practically the first thing affected by an agitated mental condition.
Indigestion is a very complex problem, intimately connected with your whole nervous system. If you find yourself becoming angry at trifles, easily vexed, anxious at night, not feeling very sociable, or suffering from mental fuzziness, all of these problems could be signs that indicate a need for natrum phos. The symptoms helped by natrum phos in cases of indigestion often indicate other health problems.
Why Good Digestion Is Necessary
Physically, digestion (or a lack of it) is central and vital to your health. If you are not digesting your food properly, you cannot eliminate it properly. Problems such as constipation and diarrhea have an immediate effect on how you feel. Natrum phos can help you if you find yourself developing an aversion to the food you would otherwise like. If you feel “heat” in your stomach, nausea in the morning, and pain in your stomach after eating, natrum phos is your remedy. It is also indicated if you suffer from alternate bouts of constipation and diarrhea. Even your dreams can be tied to indigestion. If, after raiding the refrigerator for a midnight snack, you dream a lot and the dreams are vivid or make you feel anxious, natrum phos will help you sleep more comfortably.
Of course, you should take natrum phos, or any other cell salt remedy, only as a part of a conscious attempt to follow a healthier lifestyle. If the cells of your body are depleted of vital cell salts, it might take more than the ingestion of the indicated remedy to cure you. The whole theory behind the use of cell salts is that your body can cure itself. The cell salts are merely catalysts.
Sometimes, however, a cure may require a change of surroundings, a happy occupation, good food, vitamins and exercise, regular sleep, and better, effortless evacuation of the bowels and bladder. All of these are things to concentrate on in the event of illness. After these have been attended to, one can begin the administration of cell salts.
A Helpful Combination
In some cases of rheumatism, natrum phos is called for in conjunction with ferrum phos. Phosphate never occurs in a free state; it is always in combination with other substances. It is found in urine and can be extracted from the bones. It was discovered in Germany in 1673, and its properties of healing have been discovered by many since then. You will find that phosphates are included in some of the most important remedies in cell salt treatment. They are used as a standard cell salt nerve tonic, among many other things.
Natrum phos is recommended first in cases of indigestion. But once the condition has been left unattended for too long or has been made worse by the use of patent antacids or other medicines, the general rule of thumb is to combine natrum phos with natrum sulph. These two cell salts work remarkably together. If you have headaches in addition to indigestion and they are located in the forehead, or if your skull feels “too full,” think of natrum sulph. If you have pain in your stomach or your stomach seems full of frothy, sour fluids, once again, natrum phos will do the trick. Be sure you alternate these two cell salts with doses of ferrum phos as well.
Back Pain and Rheumatism
Natrum phos is also useful for some back pains and in all acute or chronic cases of inflammatory rheumatism. Rheumatic pains in the joints, a weak feeling in the legs, cracking and creaking in the joints—these symptoms all call for natrum phos.
The primary indication that you have a rheumatic condition that can be helped by this remedy is a yellow-coated tongue and other acid symptoms involving the mouth and sweat glands.
If your symptoms seem worse during menstruation, you may need natrum phos. The point is that the primary role of natrum phos is the decomposition of lactic acid and the emulsification of fatty acids. It is found in the blood, muscles, nerves, and brain cells-and many illnesses involving these.
In many diseases, the common factor is the acidity of the blood. Cell salts, as you know, operate in the individual cells, and natrum is used for such ailments as gout, stomach ulceration, and worms. It helps emulsify decomposed lactic acid, which causes pain in rheumatic conditions. However, in most cases of toxic and acid rheumatism, natrum phos is recommended along with other cell salts such as silica and kali sulph. For rheumatism, one expert recommends using the appropriate cell salts in alternation three times a day.
Eye Problems
Natrum phos has long been used for conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the eyelid, and is one of the time-honored remedies for this condition. The eyes are particularly sensitive to acid conditions. Natrum phos is called for in many cases where there is a creamy secretion-for example, a creamy vaginal discharge.
Vertigo
Vertigo—a feeling of dizziness—is a definite indication of a need for natrum phos, especially when it is accompanied by acid-producing gastric problems.
Other uses
Other conditions where natrum phos has been helpful include restless sleeping, an itching anus, eczema, hives, and a rose rash.
Check out our other posts in our Cell Salt Series:
Homeopathic Cell Salt Remedies
Calcium Phosphate (Calc. phos.)
Calcium sulphate (calc. sulph.)