Cell salts

Schüßler-Salze (translated: Schüßler salts or Schuessler salts), also sold as cell salts and tissue salts are a group of mineral salts, claimed to be a remedy for virtually any ailment. It's a homeopathy soap opera spin-off.

Against allopathy Alternative medicine

Clinically unproven

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The invention of cell salts is credited to Wilhelm Heinrich Schüßler[1][2] (1821–1898), a homeopathic medical doctor in Oldenburg, Germany. Cell salts are entirely without merit and a waste of money.[3][4]

"Biochemic healing"

After Jacob Moleschott, Justus von Liebig and Rudolf Virchow published their works on cell theory and cellular pathology, Wilhelm Schüßler came to the conclusion that the cause of many or most illnesses must be what is known today as mineral deficiency: a lack of important nutrients leads to cells not working properly.[5] But hold on! Aren't there only minuscule amounts of salts in cells? That's right, so in order to introduce only minuscule amounts of salts into billions and trillions of cells, dillute! I'm sure it all makes sense.

"Biochemic healing" has nothing to do with biochemistry. It is pure woo, intended to be applied to your worries. Literally. If you're worried, there's an app a salt combination for that.[6][note 1]

Cell salts are stuck on 19^th century discoveries with misguided conclusions and have been debunked early on.[11][12] There are little to no reputable studies.[13][note 2]

Schüßler had no issue with applying scientific scrutiny to other pseudomedicine.[15]

The salts

After analyzing the ashes of human remains,[16][17][18][19][20][21] he came to the conclusion that the following 12 11 salts are critical for processes in our human flesh bags:[22][23][24]

1. Calcium fluoride
2. Calcium phosphate
3. Iron phosphate
4. Potassium chloride
5. Potassium phosphate
6. Potassium sulphate
7. Magnesium phosphate
8. Sodium chloride (table salt)
9. Sodium phosphate
10. Sodium sulphate
11. Silica
12. Calcium sulphate[note 3][2][19]

But why stop there when you can placebo yourself into believing all kinds of salts make you feel better? After all, Schüßler never gave a real explanation of why certain salts or combinations thereof would result in anything specific. Commonly, 15 additional salts are added to the list.^{[citation needed]}

13. Potassium arsenite
14. Potassium bromide
15. Potassium iodide
16. Lithium chloride
17. Manganese sulfate
18. Calcium sulfide
19. Copper arsenite
20. Alum
21. Zinc chloride
22. Calcium carbonate
23. Sodium bicarbonate
24. Arsenic iodide
25. Aurum chloride sodium (NaAuCl₄)
26. Selenium
27. Potassium dichromate

Differences with homeopathy

Wilhelm Schüßler himself didn't think of his salts as homeopathic.[25] So here's a handy list of differences:

• "Let like cure like" (similia similibus curentur) is not the basis of the woo, instead, all ailment comes from a lack of salts in your cells.
• Therefore, figuring out which salts you need to take is instead based on facial analysis.[26][17][27][28][29][30] While Schüßler said it can't be learned with printed instructions,[31] this doesn't seem to have any effect on the industry.[32]
• As there are usually more than one salt in a typical cell, using several salts is almost a given. Some homeopaths don't like using different homeopathic remedies simultaneously.
• "Biochemic healing" doesn't say a stronger dilution results in a stronger remedy, but maintains that dilution is necessary to bring single molecules to single cells.^{Do You Believe That?} This results in a potentization of 6X to 12X (i.e., dilution to 10^-6 to 10^-12).

Nevertheless, cell salts may be sold under the same regulations as homeopathy.[note 4][33] So you can bet this is sold online and in pharmacies, especially in Germany.[34][35][36][37]

Notes

1. This is not a joke. There are salts that are claimed to cure your belief in the salts (credulity),[7] your fear (angst)[8] of Big Pharma, they can even help you forget about offence[9] once someone tells you cell salts don't work, and get over jealousy[10] that other people seem to be healthier than you thanks to modern medicine. As hilarious as these examples are, having a look at the long list of actual diseases and mental illnesses makes it a lot scarier.
2. That doesn't stop amateurs from conducting poorly constructed studies[14] with no control group.
3. Schüßler removed this one later on, because it could only be found in the gall bladder.
4. At least in the EU, otherwise it would count as food.

References

1. Wilhelm Heinrich Schüssler's healing system "Biochemie" and its further development by Dietrich Schöpwinkel. — PubMed — NCBI
2. Pharmazeutische Zeitung: Wilhelm Heinrich Schüßler: Ein Therapeut als Kind seiner Zeit
3. Stern: Ratgeber Alternativmedizin: Schüßler-Salze — teuer, aber wertlos?
4. Even German health insurance can admit there's no merit — unless of course profit is involved
5. Pharmazeutische Zeitung: Schüßlers Biochemie: Mit Salzen heilen
6. Schüsslersalze Anwendungsgebiete
7. Anwendungsgebiete: Leichtgläubigkeit Schuessler-Salze-Liste.de
8. Schüsslersalze Anwendungsgebiete: Angst Schuessler-Salze-Liste.de
9. Schüsslersalze Anwendungsgebiete: Beleidigtsein Schuessler-Salze-Liste.de
10. Schüsslersalze Anwendungsgebiete: Eifersucht Schuessler-Salze-Liste.de
11. 1946-04-12, Government Gasette of Western Australia: The Health Act, 1911-1944: Dr. Schuessler Cell Salts, Kali Phos 3X., page 352
12. not even experiments in Nazi-Germany concentration camps yielded positive results: the control patient outperformed both the patient treated with sulfoamids and the biochemically treated patient
13. Medizin Transparent: Schüßler-Salze: Studien fehlen
14. Wirkung der Schüssler Salze in empirischer Studie nachgewiesen Forschung und Wissen
15. PDF: Kneipps Wasserkur – Gedanken darüber by Dr. med. Schüßler, see Water Cure
16. Süddeutsche Zeitung: Schüßler-Salze: Die heilsamen Zwölf
17. PDF: SWR Fernsehen - odysso: Scharlatane und Pseudowissenschaftler, Scharlatan-O-Meter
18. Google Books: Schüßler-Salze by Günther H. Heepen, p. 7
19. Google Books: Schüßler-Salze für die Seele by Günther H. Heepen, p. 25
20. Google Books: Schüßler-Salze - Das Kochbuch: Typgerecht ernähren, in Balance leben by Hans Wagner
21. Google Books: Schüßler-Salze: Die fantastischen 12 by Sabine Wacke, p. 11-12
22. DailyMed - CELL SALTS - calc. fluor., calc. phos., calc. sulph., ferrum phosphoricum, kali mur., kali phos., kali sulph., mag. phos., nat. mur., nat. phos., nat. sulphuricum, silicea pellet
23. http://schuessler-cell-salts.com/potency/index.htm
24. http://www.schusslersalts.com/en/schuessler-salts/Dr._Schuessler_Salts_Overview/index.html
25. Eine Abgekürzte Therapie. Anleitung zur biochemischen Behandlung der Krankheiten by Schüssler, Wilhelm Heinrich, 1821-1898, p. 4
26. Der Standard: Schüßler-Salze: Antlitzanalyse als diagnostisches Mittel
27. Österreichische Apothekerzeitung | 64. Jg. | 25. Oktober 2010 | ÖAZ 22, Schüßler Salze pro & contra Eine unendliche Geschichte?
28. https://www.adler-pharma.at/en/facial-analysis/?_wb=en/facial-analysis/&lang=EN
29. http://schuessler-cell-salts.com/facial-diagnosis/index.htm
30. Google Books: Antlitzanalyse in der Biochemie nach Dr. Schüßler: Der Bildatlas by Thomas Feichtinger, Susana Niedan-Feichtinger, p. 19
31. Eine abgekürzte Therapie, gegründet auf Histologi und Cellular-Pathologie, p.60
32. Google Books search
33. MHRA guidance for Tissue Salts/Schuessler Salts in a medical context
34. Oberpfalz TV: Gesundheitstipp: Schüßler-Salze
35. apotheke adhoc: Geschüßlert wird online, breakdown of online and pharmacy sales
36. Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung: Apotheken-Kooperation: Linda wird „grün“
37. Stuttgarter Nachrichten: Alternative Heilmethoden: Schüßlersalze: Die sanfte Kraft aus Natrium