This is a unique feature of the rural areas of the Eastern Anatolia region in Turkey. Sometimes (not too often, but it happens) newborn babies are rubbed there with salt. This is a tradition. Grandmothers and grandfathers brine children in this way for an hour. They seem to believe it is good for the little ones.
In the story of high sodium levels in the blood, many could not understand how do people manage to increase their sodium. Here's a good example. A helpless little man can do nothing and is completely dependent on those who care for him. Someone does not give water to the child, and someone rubs it with salt.
When a child is rubbed with table salt for an hour, his skin becomes red and damaged. Sodium from salt is absorbed in large quantities into the bloodstream, and poisoning is obtained. The brain and kidneys are particularly affected.
In those places, children regularly end up in intensive care with such poisoning, and some die. Many remain crippled for life. Various paralysis, kidney failure, all the cases.
Weird and wild? Yes. Have you seen our grandmothers who roll out fluff at newborns? In my opinion, they are not much different from the Turkish ones.
