Electrolyte imbalance

Same age here, similar experience in June. Low water and no electrolytes - out in the sun all day. At our age it has to be harder for blood vessels and cells to work right.

Remember Powerade has High Fructose corn syrup. I drank plenty to revive in June, but not regularly.

We take Medi-Lyte tabs (bought from Gemplers) in the summer/ sweat times.

2 tabs contains:

10.4 mg Calcium (from calcium phosphate)
41.6 mg Potasium (from potasium chloride)
12 mg Magnesium (from Magnesium carbonate)

also ... someone recently posted the link for this site which tells what Vitamins and Minerals are in what foods, and what various foods contain:

http://www.healthalternatives2000.co...ion-chart.html

I take blood pressure meds......which tend to deplete Potassium. I spent 3 days in the hospital once, hooked up to an IV to get the K+ levels back up to a normal range. My K+ had dipped into the range where the heart starts beating irregualrly.

I used to only drink when I felt thirsty......now, when the weather is hot, I drink aobut a quart of "homemede sports drink" before in I even start doing anything outside.......and I keep drinking while I am outside......1/2-1 gallon/day. And, sometimes I feel like a "wimp," but I take a LOT more breaks when the weather is hot.

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"When you are having dinner with someone and they are nice to you, but rude to the waiter, then this is not a nice person.".....Dave Barry

BourbonRed has some great advice above. Electrolyte imbalance is what ultimately killed my mother. Although she had cardiopulmonary issues, the fact that she lacked proper electrolytes was her actual, direct cause of death. One doesn't have to be working outside in the heat for an imbalance to cause serious, even deadly results.

Her original illness was. She was so anorexic that the electrolyte imbalance caused the heart arrythmia that brought on the coma just because she wasn't eating or taking in nutrients. Her eventual death was just stat sanctioned euthanasia from starvation though.

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Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

It's pretty bland, but it does the job and it's all ingredients most have on hand anyway

This should work well also:

HAYMAKERS SWITCHEL

1 gal. water
2 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 c. vinegar
1 tsp. ginger

Read more about it at http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,173,...245193,00.html

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

"I take blood pressure meds......which tend to deplete Potassium"

Oh, well I just started BP meds this year, so one thing is different from past years.

And will these suggestions work for those of us who also have a touch of high blood pressure?

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I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning; and my growth is yet to end. http://motdaugrnds.com/farmsales ~~~~~ http://motdaugrnds.com

How about starting out with nutritious foods?
Yogurt and bananas, high in calcium and potassium, Plenty of natural sugars.
Try not to get so drained that you need an instant source of chemicals.
Water works well, if you have the nutrients in your digestive system.

I would not be so bold as to give 'universal' medical advice........it might be a good idea to check with your doctor.....

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"When you are having dinner with someone and they are nice to you, but rude to the waiter, then this is not a nice person.".....Dave Barry

Some of the meds for high blood pressure work in the kidneys, and cause potassium to get excreted faster than the body can replace it. (That is why I was hooked up to an IV for 3 days. My body could not replace the Potassium fast enough to keep me out of the 'danger zone' for irrefular heart activity.)

Good nutrition is always a good idea........and it is also sometimes a good idea to have some awareness of how the meds actually work that one is consuming.

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"When you are having dinner with someone and they are nice to you, but rude to the waiter, then this is not a nice person.".....Dave Barry

A touch of high blood pressure may lead to kidney damage, when then may lead to more sensitivity to electroids.

Ken, that means what as to using what is being discussed in this thread?

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I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning; and my growth is yet to end. http://motdaugrnds.com/farmsales ~~~~~ http://motdaugrnds.com

I have had untreated high blood pressure for probably 40 years. As the result a CAT scan shows I have some degree of kidney damage. When your kidneys aren't working 100%, it is even more important as to maintaining a good electrolyte balance in your system.

High blood pressure and diabetics are the two leading causes of kidney damage.

When I went to the ER the last time at first doctors were baffled by my blood tests. Extremely high potassium, extremely low magnesium, blood pressure of something like 107/73 and blood sugar of 103. Once they looked at my medications they found the medications I was taking for high BP were somewhat masking the symptoms of kidney problems.

Thankfull it was caught before I had to go on dialolyis (sp?).

I am very careful about my diet. Mostly fresh veggies and fruits (usually home grown if possible) little meat or fish, little bit of homemade goodies. And of course lots of raw goats milk! I eat no junk or fast food. But since DHs stroke a few years ago we have given up salt, and have been extremely careful about eating foods low in sodium. I think too low in sodium for me. Since this never happened before. So now, I'm no longer monitoring my sodium intake (only his), just going to eat good homemade, home grown food.

Thank you Ken. I'm glad they caught your medical problem before it got worse too. I do understand it is important to maintain a good electrolyte balance. My question was ummm .. not sure I'll ask it correctly.

If I use the items mentioned in this thread to keep my system balanced, will they not have a negative impact on my blood pressure?

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I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning; and my growth is yet to end. http://motdaugrnds.com/farmsales ~~~~~ http://motdaugrnds.com

I am not sure what you mean by "negative impact on my blood pressure".....

Once your body decides that it wants you to have 'high blood pressure' (and, as far as I know, no one really know what triggers that mechanism), your body may try the following mechanisms to try to maintain that 'too high BP:'
1. Pull more fluid into your veins and arteries........drugs to combat that factor are often diuretics.
2. Constrict the arteries to create more pressure........various drugs for this.
3. Cause the heart to beat stronger or faster.......various drugs for this also.

I think that most doctors will start a person on just one drug, and see if that is sufficient.........I was not so lucky......I am on all 3 types of drugs.

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"When you are having dinner with someone and they are nice to you, but rude to the waiter, then this is not a nice person.".....Dave Barry

I went into the ER twice at christmas because of low potassium. I was having a seizure and the first er dr said it was a panic attack.

when same occurred two days later I went to a different hospital. my potassium was so low they said I could have had permanent heart damage and did an ekg. all other minerals were in the normal range.

never knew something like that could be so serious.

This can be very danergous if left untreated. Last year I was working out in the sun for a landscaping company for 4 consecutive days (full sun and no shade) I drank quite a bit, but didn't eat enough salt. I was getting more and more tired over the four days and the final day I tried to tough through it. By 3 pm I knew I was in trouble, but didn't really know how bad. Took a much needed break, I was feeling dizzy a bit. Then I came back out and tried to a little work with my co-worker. I just didn't feel well, at this point I was having a lot of muscle cramps in my legs/hands even my tongue. We went home an hr later. I was sick on the way home and I managed to drive myself home after getting back to the shop. Once home I had a cool bath and ate some salty chips and lots of water and orange juice. At this point I was feeling very dizzy and I remember crawling up the stairs and that's all I remember. I was rushed to a nearby hospital, then flown by helicopter to a larger hospital. I woke up two days later in ICU in critical condition. I guess I had a 5 min seizure due to low sodium which went down to 115. Normal is I think 130 - 139. I was in ICU for 6 days and on the ward for another 6 days. The doctor said that I almost died. No I am not allowed to do any landscaping or work out in the hot sun anymore and I am very careful on making sure I take enough sodium and potassium if I am sweating a lot. If your getting muscle cramps then you need salt fast. Hope your feeling better. Chris

I, too play a Doctor on TV Hee Hee.....

1 gal. water
1 quart

2 c. sugar
1/2

1 c. molasses
1/4

1 c. vinegar
1/4

1 tsp. ginger
to taste

Do you take BP readings, and use BP meds to regulate? Does your blood sugar test out above 110 - are you diabetic? If diabetic, you know you can't have the sugar, I'm not sure about the molasses.

If using meds, call your DR and ask about the ingredients. Otherwise, if you are watching borderline HBP by checking it you could take a reading, try the above proration, and see if it changes the reading.

Here is the tonic I make in summer which uses fruit juices.

Fruit juice, water and suntea buffered vit C to taste, cinnamon, ginger. I have added cider vinegar at times. I will start adding backstrap molasses to this.

In looking back over my health problems in the past couple of years, except for a knee replacement, pretty well all of them might be attirtable to an electrolyte imbalance.

The first of September I am going to Europe to visit distant relatives for a week. Before leaving I will try to get a prescription from my doctor saying I need to take electrolytes at least every four hours so I can get the mix-in-water electrolytes passed the security checkpoint. Will also take several days worth in my luggage just in case sports drinks are not readily available there.

Atlanta to Frankfort and Zurich to Kennedy are long flights.

I will be going back to Croatia. In 2001 I was in Eastern Croatia near the border with Hungary. This time I'll be going to Western Croatia across the Adriatic Sea from Italy.

The only link between high blood pressure is it, and diabetics, can cause kidney damage, which can then cause electrolytes imbalance problems.

I'm not restricted from sodium, however I was put on a low salt diet, which esentially means taste before automatically salting.