Posts Tagged potassium

… who taught a monkey what to eat? I realize that you are here to learn about the benefits of potassium , bare with me a moment, I promise I will give you the answer. for now,, back to the …

Some health experts claim that nutrient deficiencies are a thing of the past and supplementation is unnecessary in today’s day and age…they are dangerously mistaken!

In fact nutrient deficiencies are quite common, and such deficiencies are the direct cause of many health problems that result in hospitalization and even death.

One such nutritional deficiency is potassium and in today’s article, we will talk about the benefits of potassium supplementation as well as the daily potassium requirements for optimal health. Published research shows that potassium deficiency can be a direct or indirect cause of many health problems, including:

• Cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart beat)
• High blood pressure
• Fatigue and muscle weakness
• Constipation

Benefits of Potassium

Potassium can be an important part of any supplement program. Studies have shown that potassium supplementation can result in significant decreases in blood pressure, improvements in constipation, decreases in cardiac arrhythmias, and improvement in fatigue and muscle weakness.

Daily Potassium Requirements

The majority of your potassium should come from your diet; supplementation should be used as a means of optimizing your dietary potassium intake. I recommend reading the article on the Benefits of Potassium for a discussion of dietary potassium from the perspective of our evolutionary history. Although the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium is 4.7 grams (4700 mg), our Paleolithic ancestors consumed between 10-15 grams per day from fruits and vegetables!

For most healthy people, taking up to 1,000-2,000 mg of potassium daily in supplement form should be very safe (depending on diet). If you are on medications, such as loop diuretics or ACE Inhibitors, or suffer with heart or kidney disease, check with a health care provider prior to supplementing with potassium.

The Potassium Supplement That I Recommend

K+2 Potassium is a high potency potassium formula that provides 300 mg of potassium per capsule. In addition to providing 300 mg of potassium per capsule, this formula provides two impressive forms of potassium…

Potassium glycinate is a chelated form of potassium that mimics food sourced potassium in absorption and utilization.

Potassium bicarbonate provides a source of bicarbonate, which helps to alkalinize the body. This advanced combination makes this one of the most potent and powerful potassium supplements on the market. This form would be especially good for people who have bone loss and/or those who eat a high meat diet.

As an alternative, Potassium Amino Acid Complex by Your Prescription for Health is an inexpensive and high-quality form of chelated potassium. Each tablet provides 99 mg of potassium in a form that mimics potassium found in food. Potassium chelate by Your Prescription for Health is considered the most cost-effective form of potassium. The only negative to this potassium supplement is it is limited to 99 mg per tablet.

Summary:

As I mentioned in the article, Benefits of Potassium, we are designed to consume far more than the ridiculously low amounts suggested by the RDA. So if you are a healthy person, with normal kidney function and currently not taking any medications for blood pressure or heart problems, eat as much potassium as you can from fruit and vegetable sources. If you have difficulty getting large quantities of fruits and vegetables, try 4-6 capsules of K+2 Potassium by Designs for Health.

Could adding more potassium really prolong your life?

This study goes one step further than most studies on potassium salt and focuses on its effect on risk of death due to cardiovascular events. The study included 1981 veteran participants and five veteran retirement home kitchens and lasted about 31 months. Participants were given either regular table salt or potassium-enriched salt. The participants who received potassium-enriched salt lived 0.3-0.9 years longer. Even more exciting is the fact that the veterans that received the potassium salt had better quality of life as represented by significantly less money spent in patient care related to heart health problem. The study effect was most likely due to the increase of potassium and a moderate decrease in sodium intakes. (Summary by: Kasia Kines, MS, CN, CNS, LDN a nutritionist at Your Prescription for Health)

Dr. Ray Hinish’s Comments:
This is a very interesting study because it is one of the first salt intervention studies to look at risk of death due to cardiovascular events after replacement of sodium salt with potassium salt. Here is the interesting point, compared to the sodium we get from prepared, caned and refined foods, table salt makes up the significant minority of sodium intake. This is what leads me to believe that the benefits of these results come from adding extra potassium rather than decrease daily intake of sodium. The Standard American Diet (SAD) contains much more sodium and far less potassium than nature intended. There is no doubt that we have too much sodium in our diet, however, we can not ignore the fact that our diet is also potassium deplete. In addition to using potassium salt, you should also get plenty of fruits and vegetables to help balance out the sodium/potassium levels in our diet. Low sodium tomato juice is a great source of potassium. You can even get a powdered tomato concentrate that mixes with water or juice to make up the difference.

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The most important thing that you need to know about high blood pressure is that it is generally not a disease, instead, it’s a symptom of a body that is biochemically out of balance. In this article, we will teach you a simple three step system for natural blood pressure control using only diet and natural remedies. The purpose of such a program is to achieve one thing…bring the body back into perfect balance so that blood pressure is controlled by the body’s own homeostatic systems.

Step 1: Find Out Why You Have High Blood Pressure

I am not going to leave you to figure this out on your own, nor am I going to leave it to your busy, overworked doctor either. Below are the tests that you should ask your doctor for to figure out why your blood pressure may be elevated:

1. Fasting Insulin Levels & Hemoglobin a1c – The number one cause of elevated blood pressure is elevated insulin levels and the resulting metabolic syndrome. These two tests will help to diagnose a metabolic syndrome and may help to save you from a future diabetes diagnosis.
2. Potassium (K) & intracellular magnesium (RBC-Mg) – These two minerals are essential to a healthy blood pressure. If either, or both, are low or low-normal, this could be one indication as to why your blood pressure is elevated.
3. Vitamin D – Vitamin D deficiency is common in our society and when vitamin D is low, the cardiovascular system does not work properly.
4. RBC-Mg (Red blood cell magnesium) – Magnesium deficiency is a common problem in our society and the consequences can be devastating. Magnesium acts as a natural calcium channel blocker and works to relax the blood vessels.

Step 2: 3 Dietary Changes for a Healthy Blood Pressure

1. Decrease carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates increase insulin production which causes fluid retention, inflammation and electrolyte imbalance.
2. Remove all unhealthy fats. These fats include trans-fatty acids and cooked omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils.
3. Make the Magic Salad for Blood Pressure every day. I have designed a salad recipe that will flood your body with hypertension- blasting ingredients which are high in potassium, magnesium and phytochemicals that will lower blood pressure and promote wellness. The ingredients are as follows:

• Organic field greens (available at Costco and most local grocery stores)
• Organic carrots
• Celery
• Green & Red Peppers
• Radishes
• Mushrooms
• Fresh parsley
• Tomatoes
• Braggs Apple cider vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil

Eat at least one large salad, containing these ingredients every day. Note: Some medications, called ACE Inhibitors, can cause your body to retain potassium. If you are on these medication, your doctor should monitor your potassium closely.

Step 3: Use the right natural supplements to promote a healthy blood pressure.

Supplements can be an effective tool in your struggle to normalize blood pressure. The goals of a natural program for high blood pressure are three fold:

1. Normalize deficiencies (such as potassium, magnesium zinc, omega-3, etc.)
2. Decrease resistance to insulin
3. Relax blood vessels & normalize fluid balance

There are a few natural remedies that we recommend for normalizing blood pressure.

1. WholeMega by New Chapter – This omega-3 supplement provides a healthy balance of essential fatty acids that help to relax and improve the elasticity of blood vessels. Recommended dose: 2 capsules twice daily.
2. Cardiotonic-BP by Natura Health Products – I have used this formula in my practice for almost a year, it is a blend of some of natures most powerful herbal and nutritional ingredients for a healthy blood pressure. 3 capsules twice daily.
3. Coenzyme Q10 – CoQ10 helps to energize the cells and protect the vessels from free radicals that can harm the blood pressure. Research has not delineated the exact mechanism by which CoQ10 positively impacts the blood pressure; but it can have a significant impact on blood pressure while positively impacting overall wellness.

Although most cases are women, we also come across men and seniors who are prone towards infection of the urinary tract or prostate. For the purposes of this article we will discuss infections of the lower urinary tract which occur in the urethra and the bladder. It should be noted that UTIs can become a chronic problem for many women resulting in a nearly constant need for antibiotics to keep the bacteria in check. There are a number of subgroups of women who are prone towards developing UTIs, these include:

1. Pregnant women –  UTIs are considered the most common infection in pregnant women and can place the fetus at risk of complication. Infections in pregnancy must be treated immediately in order to prevent such complications.
2. Women in college – Frequent sexual activity is certainly linked to risk of UTIs and a number of studies have found college-age women are at increased risk.
3. Women with extenuating circumstances – Such situations as neurogenic bladder, post-menopausal women with diabetes, poor health, vaginal dryness or previous UTI.

Why do UTI Infections Occur?

Guess what, every woman has a urinary tract infection! No urinary tract is sterile and that is a good thing. In a healthy urinary tract, a number of bacterial species act as its defenders. When the healthy bacteria are killed off then the tract is left defenseless and other, less friendly bacteria, can grow unchecked and a UTI occurs. The most common cause of UTIs in otherwise healthy women is E. Coli, a common bacteria found in the intestines, which has long appendages that attach to the bladder and urethral wall. There are a number of factors that can set the stage for bacterial infection of the urinary tract:

1. Exposure to spermicide which can kill the normal flora of the urinary tract
2. Chronic low-grade dehydration
3. Previous antibiotic use
4. Chronic stress
5. Poorly functioning immune system
6. A swing in urinary pH

A step by step approach to preventing urinary tract infections:

1. Keep well hydrated. Your first defense from infection is a regular flow of urine. If you urinate on a regular basis, any bacteria that may be trying to colonize in the urinary tract may not have an opportunity to attach to the wall of the urethra or bladder. Keeping well hydrated will also prevent the pH of the urine from becoming hospitable to the unwanted bacteria.
2. Add cranberry concentrate to your water. If you like sipping on something with a little flavor, try adding Cranberry Concentrate from Genesis Today to your water. This is a highly concentrated cranberry juice that is high in plant compounds that prevent adhesion of E. Coli to the lining of the urinary tract.
3. Take a probiotic daily. Probiotics are encapsulated bacteria that help to colonize the intestinal system and urinary tract. One such probiotic formula appears to be especially beneficial for those who suffer with chronic urinary tract infections. This formula is called YC-7 by Sedona labs and is taken 2 capsules daily for the first week and then one capsule daily thereafter for 6 weeks. After this 6 week period we can switch to a more broad spectrum product called iFlora for maintenance which is taken 1 capsule daily.
4. In situations where UTIs seem to occur after sexual intercourse, I would recommend taking a product that we will discuss in the following section, this product is a sugar called D-mannose. The recommended dose to prevent intercourse-induced UTIs is 1 teaspoon of D-Mannose mixed in water and taken orally after intercourse. Take another teaspoon of D-mannose 4-6 hours later. This can help to prevent a UTI from occurring.

When you have a UTI…

If you are reading this article then you likely either have a UTI or you are prone towards UTIs. For those who have not had a UTI, common symptoms include:

1. Frequent urge to urinate
2. Pain or burning sensation on urination
3. Bladder pain (even when not urinating)
4. Difficulty urinating

It is important to note that if the pain reaches the lower back or you have fever, nausea or vomiting it could indicate that the infection has moved into the kidney which is a much more serious situation. It is also important to note that children usually do not present with the same symptoms as adults. Often children can present with irritability, fever, lack of appetite and incontinence.

At the first sign of symptoms, it is important to begin right away to get the infection kicked before it has an opportunity to take hold. Follow the instruction below:

1. Mannose – Mannose is the active sugar found in cranberry, now that this compound is available, cranberry has become nearly obsolete as it pertains to dealing with an existing infection. Cranberry is still of great value for people who are looking to prevent infection, however, if an infection exists then we recommend the mannose. Mannose works by preventing the E. Coli bacteria from being able to hold on to the bladder and urethra wall. It is not uncommon for people to see significant improvements within the first 24 hours of taking the D-mannose powder. Take 2 scoops for the first dose, then take 1 scoop every 3 hours. Often times the symptoms begin to subside within hours. It is recommended and this alone is all that people need to take care of the infection.
2. Berberine – This is a plant chemical called a plant alkaloid that is present in many plants such as goldenseal, barberry and Oregon grape. This compound appears to prevent the bacteria from forming those long appendages that permit them to hold to the urethral and bladder wall. Berberine also appears to inhibit the first stage of bacterial development and has shown activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including the E.Coli. I recommend the Berbercaps by Thorne research: 1 capsule three times daily.
3. Potassium/Magnesium Citrate – The citrate helps to alkalinize the urine which can enhance the effect of other natural products such as berberine and mannose. In one study, sodium citrate improved symptoms of a UTI in 80% of the women in the study. The citrate salts can also protect from Candida infection in the urinary tract. Take potassium/magnesium citrate 2 capsules two to three times daily for 7 days.

It is important to note that in many situations with UTI infection, D-mannose is usually sufficient to correct the issue. I have given two other options that can be used in situations when you do not have access to mannose or you want to take an aggressive stance against the infection.

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