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Tips on balancing electrolytes

chilove

Senior Member
Messages
365
Hey all,

I've learned a lot about managing my electrolytes while in a crash the last few weeks. Managing my potassium, magnesium and sodium levels throughout the day has been crucial to me getting through it faster and feeling better.

The potassium is huge of course as we've been discussing here the last couple of days. I am extremely sensitive and reactive to food and have crazy food allergies to just about everything so I don't tolerate ANY supplements well.. usually because of the fillers that are commonly used in them. SO.. I called my awesome local compounding pharmacy yesterday and they are happy to make me a pure 500mg potassium supplement with no fillers! My doctor had to send them a prescription but it will be cheap and easy and should be much easier for my stomach to tolerate than anything I could find over the counter. Good compounding pharmacies are awesome! They can help you a lot with all kinds of supplement issues and questions. I find that I always handle food or herbs better. Artichoke hearts and celery seed are very high in potassium as is red clover and nettle. Herbal teas with these plants are great ways to get more potassium in and artichoke hearts are yummy to eat! :)

About magnesium: I LOVE magnesium and have loved it for years even before I was sick because it is so good at helping me relax. If I feel tense or tight or inner pressure or have muscle cramps I know need some magnesium. While when a crash or hard core healing mode I think we need WAY more on a daily basis. Magneisum is NOT easy to tolerate when taken internally. It is best absorbed through the skin. Magnesium oil foot soaks and hot baths feel wonderful and are a easy way to top off your crucial magnesium stores. Magnesium oil is available at any health food store or online or you can even just go get some epsom salts from the corner drug store and take epsom salt baths every day. When I'm in a crash or healing mode I find I need a 30 minute magnesium foot soak or bath every day.. otherwise 1 to 3 times per week for general wellness.

For the rest of the electrolytes I rely on a electrolyte powder mix (ElectroMix by EsterC) I put it in reverse osmossis purified water with added sea salt and minerals (a pinch of any high quality sea salt will do the trick). I drink it all day long.. 32 to 64 ounces per day.

I also use a high quality sea salt liberally on my food.

This electrolyte protocol has been helping me tremendously during this current crash.

Best to everyone!

Audrey
 

chilove

Senior Member
Messages
365
Oh yes, I do. I crashed about six weeks ago.. thats what led me back to the medical world again for more testing and I just got a diagnosis of MTHFR mutation and an autoimmune condition called Sarcoidosis so now I know why my adrenals crashed. :)

From reading the posts here it seems that careful electrolyte management is also important for many while doing the methyl B protocol.

Blessings,

Audrey
 

Rosebud Dairy

Senior Member
Messages
167
Thank you Audrey!

This may prove to be invaluable for me, as I almost had a terrible crash from low potassium while on-protocol, I think from not eating my banana early enough in the day on my cycle day 4, after a pretty rough days 1-3 preceding, if you catch my drift. We were at church, and I started to feel faint and cotton headed. I was also quite nauseated. This is my first day 1 since back on full protocol including potassium, which I am still working out.

I found some fresh pineapple while out, had a banana at home after that, then got at least 1 tsp sea salt in me, too. I took the multi-mineral supplement by NOW as a rescue since I felt so terrible, but don't usually take it. WEll, I am for now, but still have to carefully watch my GI response.

It felt like I prevented a really bad crash, but it was almost a crash because my body badly needed potassium to replenish RBC's.

Might be going to my favorite health food store today.
 

chilove

Senior Member
Messages
365
You are very welcome! Eating LOTS more fresh fruits and veggies helps a lot as well.

Here is a recipe for "Potassium Broth" that I found on another health message board.

POTASSIUM BROTH RECIPE:
This is a GREAT tasting addition to your Cleansing Program. It will FLUSH your Body of TOXINS, poisons and UNWANTED salts and acids, while giving you a CONCENTRATED amount of vitamins and minerals.


1. Fill a LARGE pot with 25% potato peelings, 25% carrot peelings and WHOLE chopped beets, 25% chopped onions, including 50 cloves of Garlic, 25% celery and DARK greens.


2. Add HOT peppers to taste.


3. Add enough distilled water to cover the vegetables and simmer on very LOW temperature for 1-2 hours.


4. Strain, or just dip your mug in, and drink ONLY the broth.


5. Make enough for 2 days, refrigerating the leftover broth.


NOTE: It is IMPORTANT, that you use ORGANIC vegetables, because you do NOT want to consume ANY toxic insecticides, pesticides or inorganic chemical fertilizers
 

Freddd

Senior Member
Messages
5,184
Location
Salt Lake City
You are very welcome! Eating LOTS more fresh fruits and veggies helps a lot as well.

Here is a recipe for "Potassium Broth" that I found on another health message board.

POTASSIUM BROTH RECIPE:
This is a GREAT tasting addition to your Cleansing Program. It will FLUSH your Body of TOXINS, poisons and UNWANTED salts and acids, while giving you a CONCENTRATED amount of vitamins and minerals.


1. Fill a LARGE pot with 25% potato peelings, 25% carrot peelings and WHOLE chopped beets, 25% chopped onions, including 50 cloves of Garlic, 25% celery and DARK greens.


2. Add HOT peppers to taste.


3. Add enough distilled water to cover the vegetables and simmer on very LOW temperature for 1-2 hours.


4. Strain, or just dip your mug in, and drink ONLY the broth.


5. Make enough for 2 days, refrigerating the leftover broth.


NOTE: It is IMPORTANT, that you use ORGANIC vegetables, because you do NOT want to consume ANY toxic insecticides, pesticides or inorganic chemical fertilizers


Hi Audrey,

Sheer poison for anybody who has paradoxical folate deficiency with vegetable folate. Paradocical folate deficiency is usually called "detox" which is almost always misused to apply to an induced folate deficiency and/or potassium deficiency.
 

Lotus97

Senior Member
Messages
2,041
Location
United States
For the rest of the electrolytes I rely on a electrolyte powder mix (ElectroMix by EsterC) I put it in reverse osmossis purified water with added sea salt and minerals (a pinch of any high quality sea salt will do the trick). I drink it all day long.. 32 to 64 ounces per day.

So I noticed they include manganese gluconate in the ElectroMix. I'm having trouble figuring out which minerals I need to be taking. I'm trying to take mainly chelated minerals rather mineral salts because I read that those are better. I have no idea if that's true or not, but I recently read that magnesium chloride is the best absorbed type of magnesium. Since learning that I need electrolytes I've been noticing that a lot of these commercial electrolyte products include other minerals beside sodium/potassium/calcium/magnesium. Also, most electrolyte products are mineral salts although some do have chelated minerals. If I'm already taking chelated minerals with my meals do I need anything beyond sodium/potassium/calcium/magnesium in my electrolyte mix that I drink between meals?

Also, I found this chart that might be helpful in electrolyte and mineral balancing. Again, I don't know how accurate it is so I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can comment. I don't know much about mineral balancing or hair analysis, but I understand it is quite controversial.
http://www.holistic-back-relief.com/hair-analysis.html

  • Manganese - raises Sodium, lowers Copper
  • Chromium - Raises Sodium, increases sugar metabolism
  • Zinc - Raises Potassium,lowers Sodium and Copper
  • Copper - Raises Sodium and Calcium, lowers Potassium and Zinc
  • Iron - Raises Sodium, lowers Chromium
  • Molybdenum - Raises Sodium, lowers Copper
  • Potassium - Raises Sodium, lowers Magnesium and Calcium
It is also important to note that the supplementation of one mineral like, say, Zinc will have effects on multiple other minerals in the body. If you take Zinc supplements alone:
  • Sodium levels drop.
  • Copper levels also drop.
  • Toxic Heavy Metals will get displaced and so will enter the blood stream, causing a Heavy Metal Detoxification reaction, making you feel ill.
 

Crux

Senior Member
Messages
1,441
Location
USA
Hi Lotus 97;
I'm not altogether sure that this chart is correct for everyone. Some minerals do directly affect others, and some may be indirect.

For instance, I haven't found potassium to increase sodium, decrease magnesium, or decrease calcium, in my case. ( Typically, potassium can decrease sodium.)

I've read that zinc may help to reduce calcium in the serum. Mine has been high normal, and high, for years. Since I've been taking zinc, my calcium has decreased closer to a more optimal level. ( good news)

I understand that high dose zinc can lower cortisol, which could then lower sodium. ( This could be another reason high dose zinc causes ill feelings).

In the case of calcium, I would suggest that it may not be necessary unless the diet is very restrictive. Calcium is a bit clumsy - it needs alot of guidance - it tends to accumulate in the wrong places.

Balancing electrolytes and minerals is difficult, I hope I haven't made it more so.
 

Lotus97

Senior Member
Messages
2,041
Location
United States
Hi Lotus 97;
I'm not altogether sure that this chart is correct for everyone. Some minerals do directly affect others, and some may be indirect.

For instance, I haven't found potassium to increase sodium, decrease magnesium, or decrease calcium, in my case. ( Typically, potassium can decrease sodium.)

I've read that zinc may help to reduce calcium in the serum. Mine has been high normal, and high, for years. Since I've been taking zinc, my calcium has decreased closer to a more optimal level. ( good news)

I understand that high dose zinc can lower cortisol, which could then lower sodium. ( This could be another reason high dose zinc causes ill feelings).

In the case of calcium, I would suggest that it may not be necessary unless the diet is very restrictive. Calcium is a bit clumsy - it needs alot of guidance - it tends to accumulate in the wrong places.

Balancing electrolytes and minerals is difficult, I hope I haven't made it more so.

I was hesitant to even post the chart because I don't really know what's right, but I'm just looking for answers. I hope anyone looking at it will use it as a starting point for research and not an end point. I also added a link to the full article in my original post.
 
Messages
426
Location
southeast asia
this issue always confused me. since we need to keep all in balance otherwise it will mess everything more. adding something on the wrong place wreck others. we need to know exactly which to increase and which to decrease. but how do we detect it accurately? :(
anyway about the electrolyte, was pedialyte ok? i couldnt get electromix
 
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