Potassium is important for a healthy nervous system and a regular heart rhythm. It helps prevent stroke, aids in proper muscle contraction, and works with sodium to control the body’s water balance. Potassium is important for chemical reactions within the cells and aid in maintaining stable blood pressure and in transmitting electrochemical impulses. A 1977 review of earlier studies showed that low potassium intake might be significant factor in the development of high blood pressure.
The normal serum level of potassium is 3.5 to 5 mEq/L.
Potassium also regulates the transfer of nutrients through cell membranes. This function of potassium has been shown to decrease with age, which may account for some of the circulatory damage, lethargy, and weakness experienced by older people. Together with magnesium, potassium can help prevent calcium-oxalate kidney stones.
Potassium Deficiency Symptoms
Potassium deficiencies include abnormally dry skin, acne, chills, cognitive impairment, constipation, depression, diarrhea, diminished reflex function, edema, nervousness, insatiable thirst, fluctuations in heartbeat, glucose intolerance, growth impairment, high cholesterol levels, insomnia, low blood pressure, muscular fatigue and weakness, nausea and vomiting, periodic headaches, proteinuria (protein in the urine), respiratory distress, and salt retention. Excessive sodium intake can result in edema, high blood pressure, potassium deficiency, and liver and kidney disease.
Causes Of Potassium Deficiency
Perhaps the most obvious causes of potassium deficiencies is insufficient consumption of potassium (that is, a low-potassium diet). However, without excessive potassium loss from the body, this is a rare cause of hypokalemia-potassium deficiency in humans. Hypokalemia refers to the condition in which the concentration of potassium in blood is low.
A more common cause is excessive loss of potassium, often associated with heavy fluid losses that “flush” potassium out of the body. Typically, this is a consequence of vomiting, diarrhea, excessive perspiration, or losses associated with surgical procedures.
Mild hypokalemia (>3.0 mEq/L) may be treated with oral potassium chloride supplements (Klor-Con, Sando-K, Slow-K). As this is often part of a poor nutritional intake, potassium-containing foods may be recommended, such as leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, citrus fruits, oranges or bananas. Both dietary and pharmaceutical supplements are used for people taking diuretic medications.
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Certain medications can accelerate the removal of potassium from the body, including thiazide diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide, loop diuretics such as furosemide, as well as various laxatives. The antifungal amphotericin B has also been associated with hypokalemia.
A special case of potassium loss occurs with diabetic ketoacidosis. In addition to urinary losses from polyuria and volume contraction, there is also obligate loss of potassium from kidney tubules as a cationic partner to the negatively charged ketone, ?-hydroxybutyrate. Hypomagnesemia can cause hypokalemia. Magnesium is required for adequate processing of potassium. This may become evident when hypokalemia persists despite potassium supplementation. Other electrolyte abnormalities may also be present.
Potassium is vital in the human body and oral potassium chloride is the common means to replenish it, although it can also be diluted and given intravenously (of course, in concentrations much lower than those used in executions). It can be used as a salt substitute for food, but due to its weak, bitter, unsalty flavor, it is usually mixed with regular salt (sodium chloride), for this purpose to improve the taste. Medically it is used in the treatment of hypokalemia and associated conditions.
High Potassium Symptoms
Hyperkalaemia-high potassium in blood – High Potassium Symptoms are fairly nonspecific and generally include malaise, palpitations and muscle weakness; mild hyperventilation may indicate a compensatory response to metabolic acidosis, which is one of the possible causes of hyperkalemia. Often, the problem is detected during screening blood tests for a medical disorder, or it only comes to medical attention after complications have developed, such as cardiac arrhythmia or sudden death.
During the medical history taking, a physician will dwell on kidney disease and medication use (see below), as these are the main causes. The combination of abdominal pain, hypoglycemia and hyperpigmentation, often in the context of a history of other autoimmune disorders, may be signs of Addison’s disease, itself a medical emergency.
This Magnesium and Potassium formula is comprised of Magnesium and Potassium complexes formed from L-Aspartic Acid. Chelates of these elements have been formulated with Taurine to help support healthy heart, muscle and nerve functions. Taurine is an amino acid which can function as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator. It serves as a potent synergist to these important minerals.
Potassium Deficiency Symptoms-The Herbal Shopper!
