Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures

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Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« on: June 27, 2008, 11:28:02 AM » by herbalmom

Quote from: mykidsmom on June 25, 2008, 08:30:43 PM

Kati*did,

You may have just helped me solve a major issue with my 7yr old! Grin

If you did, I'll owe you a million bucks! hee hee hee. Okay, it'll have to be a monopoly million - but I digress....

I am taking my 7yr old to a chiro on Monday to have her vagus nerve adjusted. She has almost no peristaltic movement in her lower bowel and hasn't since birth. This is causing constipation which in turn causes UTI's and kidney infections from the overimpacted bowel pressing on the bladder, pushing urine up into the kidneys.

If what you and Beka are saying is correct, then it's likely my daughter has a mineral deficiency of potassium... That makes me wonder if she has difficulty holding or using potassium since she's been like this since birth? Oooohhhh. Thank you for the idea! I will be starting her on minerals immediately to see what that does.

thanks again!

patti

Patti,

If you are right about your DD you may find that she needs more supplemental potassium than supplements typically provide. From what I remember, we need about 5000 mg of potassium a day. Potassium pills on the other hand are only allowed to be (by law) 99mg. I don't remember the reason for the limit but thought I would mention it. Most people assume that a potassium supplement has close to their daily requirement but it doesn't even come close. NOT that I recommend taking bunches of potassium pills a day, that's NOT what I'm saying. It just drives me nuts when people on strong diuretics (& their Drs Roll Eyes

) assume that they COULDN'T have a potassium deficiency because after all they take one potassium pill a day. Roll Eyes

HTH Blessings ~herbalmom

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Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2008, 11:16:50 AM » by mykidsmom

Quote from: herbalmom on June 27, 2008, 11:28:02 AM

Quote from: mykidsmom on June 25, 2008, 08:30:43 PM

Kati*did,

You may have just helped me solve a major issue with my 7yr old! Grin

) assume that they COULDN'T have a potassium deficiency because after all they take one potassium pill a day. Roll Eyes

HTH Blessings ~herbalmom

I actually bought a full mineral supplement thinking it couldn't hurt her to have the other minerals as well. I may go to a potassium powder if needed. Since she's only 7 (and weighs 45lbs) I'm thinking the 99mg might be enough? Huh

I wonder, since I prefer foods over supplements, if a couple of bananas a day would work? I've never checked potassium content. I guess I'd better. Undecided

I'm anxious for this stuff to get here so I can start but in the meantime I'm going to start her on a couple of bananas a day.

thanks for the info!

patti

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For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.

Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2008, 10:35:33 PM » by gabi

I remember reading the potassium levels on white grape juice and being stunned it was so much more than any other juice. Check for yourself. I had been buying organic white grape juice (Lakewood brand) and noticed this.
HTH

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Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2008, 08:58:59 AM » by mykidsmom

Thanks, Gabi. I'll check it out. Juice would also help with the underlying constipation (although I know that's not ideal to give to a kid). We have an organic brand called "just juice" here that I'll check out.

patti

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For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.

Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2008, 12:38:55 PM » by DHW

Here's a page on food sources of potassium from World's Healthiest Foods:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90#foodsources

As usual, cabbage is on the list Wink

. And lots of other yummies. The best sources are crimini mushrooms (raw), swiss chard (boiled) and spinach (boiled).

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Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2008, 07:20:18 PM » by kcb

What are other symptoms of potassium deficiency? My dh had a hair analysis, which showed that he is very low in potassium. Since getting on a supplement, he has way more energy. Cheesy

He also has had problems with constipation all along, and I didn't know that the two were connected. Now I'm going to check the amount per pill!

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Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2008, 07:32:30 PM » by kcb

Hey, I'm answering my own question, but I thought I would post. . .

I looked up potassium in my "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" and found some of the symptoms to be dry skin, acne, constipation, depression, heart problems, growth impairment, insomnia and headaches. Interestingly, dh has had several of these.

Potassium is found in dairy, fruit, veggies, whole grains, legumes, fish, meat and poultry. (Isn't that most everything?) And specifically apricots, bananas, dates, figs, nuts, garlic, winter squash, yams, raisins.

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Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2008, 08:24:52 PM » by Pastorswife2B

Ok Ladies I need some advice.

In July I started having issues with losing physical strength to the point of collapsing after several weeks and a visit to the emergency room (which ended up being totally worthless), we figured out it was all due to low potassium.

At the time I could somewhat understand why my potassium would be low, nursing and drinking lots of water, my nursing tea had some diaretic herbs, and I had started fairly strenuously exercising. So I paused the strenuous exercising started on a Potassium supplement, taking 3 a day to get back to normal, and backed off on my tea. We got my Potassium back up to normal and I felt much better so I backed off to one Potassium a day. I was doing fine for awhile then I started to be symptomatic again so upped my Potassium, but I didn't rebound like I did before, so I added some Magnesium and that seemed to help.

My diet is healthy and has quite a bit of fresh foods quite a few locally grown (my garden, my grandma's garden). I've had a battery of traditional and alternative (chiropractic and accupuncture) tests and my body seems to be functioning at a normal to healthy level. My MD even said he rarely sees a woman who has had 3 kids as quickly as I have with my health especially my teeth and bones (which says to me that my Magnesium hasn't been low for that long).

Anybody have any ideas why I am not absorbing or keeping my potassium adequately? I would appriciate any ideas on what's going on and how to fix it.

thanks!
Heather

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Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2008, 08:43:00 PM » by boysmama

Two questions...
What's your protein intake? *quick search links poor potassium absorption with insufficient protein*
Did they check your blood ph?

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Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2008, 08:48:31 PM » by cjanderin

I think you probably solved the question of why you didn't bounce back straight away ...
“Magnesium deficiency keeps people from replenishing potassium,” says hypertension expert Chris Mende, MD. “So when patients are hospitalized and potassium levels are low, efforts to increase potassium often are hampered unless the magnesium deficiency is also treated.”

So your potassium levels didn't rise as effectively the second time because you had become low in magnesium by that stage.

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Erin

Wifey to Chris and mummy to Marcail (7), Alexandra (5), Joel (4) and Timothy (2) and Zipporah (9months).
Proud to be a Kiwi.

Re: Potassium Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes & Cures
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2008, 02:23:49 PM » by Pastorswife2B

Quote from: boysmama on September 13, 2008, 08:43:00 PM

Two questions...
What's your protein intake? *quick search links poor potassium absorption with insufficient protein*
Did they check your blood ph?

I noticed several warnings of that also, but I eat a very high protein diet. For the last 4 years I have basically been pregnant and/or nursing and so I try to get between 80-100 grams of protein a day so I don't think that's why things aren't absorbing. it would be intersted to try and figure out why Potassium needs Protein to absorb, it could point me in a good direction, but I didn't find any place that got into the mechanism of absorption Angry

.

My blood PH was in "normal" range but I don't remember the numbers so that could be something to look up. Is there a specific reason you would key in on PH? (Other than the fact that Potassium is used as an Alkalide PH blood balancer).

Quote

So your potassium levels didn't rise as effectively the second time because you had become low in magnesium by that stage.

I quite agree that is why they didn't rebound until I supplemented the Mag, my question was more, why did my Mag plummet all the sudden when it's been fine for so long. But then I think we just figured that out as I found out this weekend that we are expecting our 4th Child about mid May and I know my calcium and Mag take a hit when I get prego, so part of the mystery is solved Grin

.

Thank you all for your ideas, and I would still appriciate any input anybody has on why I wouldn't be absorbing enough Potassium from my diet, this doesn't look to be a problem that just goes away anytime soon.

-Heather

« Last Edit: September 15, 2008, 02:25:27 PM by Pastorswife2B »
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