Tag: potassium

The Proper Way(s) to Hydrate Your Body

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

Congratulations — you have decided to add water to your daily hydration routine! If someone simply recommends for you to drink four, five, six, seven or eight glasses of water per day to hydrate your body, don’t listen to them! Hydration entails much more than that. I 100 percent (%) agree that hydration should equal both clean water mixed, with minerals. And when I say minerals, I’m not just talking about salt, like some people are. Ultra-pure water is very corrosive — the same corrosion that happens when the power of river-water breaks up rocks into sand particles, over time. Ultra pure water strips away things — like the delicate mucus membrane that lines the wall of the stomach and intestines, while also depleting the body of minerals it already has. Ultra pure water also acts like a bleach, making things so clean, that it dissolves the color of the surface it comes in contact with. In this article, I will therefore discuss the best ways to hydrate or rehydrated the human body, and without all those ill-effects.

Many people falsely believe they have found the Holy Grail of hydration by adding reverse osmosis (RO) or distilled water to their hydration routine. These methods remove toxins, but also remove necessary minerals out of the water, with reverse osmosis using a semipermeable membrane to filter out contaminants, and distillation involving boiling water to evaporation, leaving dissolved solids behind. Though these processes of removing contaminants from water is worthy of praise, the additional removal of needed minerals should raise the alarm; and calls for a plan B. That plan B involves properly replacing these needed minerals.

If you think you have nothing to worry about drinking ultra pure water, such as RO or distilled water, and you will continue to do so without worry or regret, you are sadly mistaken. The human body runs on minerals. These are what keeps us alive. The heart runs on minerals like potassium and magnesium. If your body runs out of these minerals, then the cells that depend on them will not only run out of energy — they will run of of life and die.

Our blood mimics ocean water?

I’ve been hearing this argument about blood mimicking the electrolyte balance of the ocean. That sounds good on paper. But the reality is the ocean is four times saltier than human blood. That is why we can’t drink ocean water — it will dehydrate us quickly, while destroying our kidneys!

Yet some companies offer hydration drinks called hypertonics, heavily and disproportionately mixed with sodium.

Since salt keeps water outside of the cells, and potassium encourages water into the cells, potassium would therefore be the preferred mineral for hydration. Sodium/salt has a tendency of holding onto water; plus a tendency of causing edema and high blood pressure, and potassium loss.

I find coconut water very hydrating, with a potassium/sodium ratio of 10:1, meaning potassium is 10 times higher!

Like I said, I am a little skeptical about the argument of blood mimicking ocean water — we cannot drink ocean water because it’s too salty.
I would prefer the less sexy argument that mimics the sodium -potassium pump — where sodium ions are pushed out of the cells during ATP to make room for potassium ions into cells. And that is what hydrates cells!

In simple terms, if all of this is confusing, it is potassium that is needed to hydrate cells.

So — though a good start and heading towards the right track — probably the view of hydrating the blood is too broad to talk about in terms of hydration — so maybe we should talk about hydration within cells, where real hydration ultimately takes place.

Main minerals needed for hydration:

As previously mentioned, potassium is the main mineral needed to hydrate within the cells. Other important minerals are: magnesium,  chloride and copper. Magnesium helps keep potassium in place or to stay in place (to hydrate cells), and chloride — which is 60 percent of salt — works with sodium, to maintain the correct pressure between cells and the surrounding fluid. Copper is needed to ignite the electrical (electrolyte) system within each cell. And sodium is needed for extra-cellular hydration.

Be careful with electrolyte drinks!

Science defines three types of dehydration: isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic.

Isotonic dehydration involves a mineral plus water loss that is equal to each other. Hypertonic dehydration involves water loss greater than mineral loss. And hypotonic dehydration involves a mineral loss greater than water loss. The common denominator used as a mineral is usually sodium.

Using these as examples, companies tailor drinks that maintain water retention by increasing particular electrolytes, especially sodium, to curtail hypertonic dehydration. This may be useful for someone who has just lost a lot of water through heavy exercise and sweat — but not useful (even dangerous) for the common person, who didn’t dehydrate from sweat loss.

Electrolyte drinks are also heavy on sugar, which increases energy, but in the long term, may also increase cellular dehydration.

What water is best for hydration?

The safest way to rehydrated your body is to consume water that comes already with natural electrolyte balances. It is called spring water.

Another natural way to rehydrate is with pure coconut water, with no sugar added.

If there are concerns about the containers these water sources comes in, consider plastic bottle alternatives, such as plant-based carton or glass.

Another way to hydrate is to filter and boil for 20 minutes, tap water. The clock begins as boiling starts!

Adding sea buckthorn berry oil occasionally as a supplement will help hydrate the mucus membrane of your internal tissues, like that of the stomach, intestines and vaginal area.

In simple terms:

If you are confused about what this article is suggesting for you to do, simply start adding spring water or coconut water to your hydration routine. Or if you’re using RO or distilled water, simply start adding mineral drops — particularly potassium and magnesium — to buffer the ill-effects of ultra-pure water. You may also filter and boil tap water for 20 minutes. And occasionally add sea buckthorn berry oil as a supplement to hydrate your internal mucus membrane.

So, how much water should we drink per day?

The amount of water needed for each adult person must be tailored to each individual need. What may work for one person, may be too much or too little for another. Using common sense, drinking gallons of water per day may be a dangerous routine for anyone to follow; and also making it a habit of drinking only one glass of water per day may be dehydrating for anyone and everyone. If I must give a number, I’d guess on average if you’re 100 pounds, somewhere around 4 to 5 cups of water may be necessary; and if you’re around 200 pounds, 6 to 8 cups of water may be necessary. As a visual guide, if your urine is too clear, you may be over-hydrating; if it is too dark (yellow), you may be under-hydrating.

Be Set Free from Edema

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

Edema is a symptom that the body gives us to tell there is something wrong with a major organ. Edema is the manifestation that happens when inside the cells and outside the cells are saturated with water, like a busted pipe within our tissues and organs. This edema can affect anywhere in the body — from the top of the head, to the sole of the feet. In this article, we will cover the most severe form of edema — refractory edema — thereby covering all forms of edema. We will show the mechanism that forms edema, and how to resolve it.

Edema, also spelled oedema, only occurs when and where there is, simply speaking, some type of damage in the body. Refractory edema is a chronic edema that does not respond to diuretic use or sodium restriction. Diuretics is used to flush out excess fluid, and sodium restriction is implemented to reduce fluid retention, since salt holds onto fluid — just like carbohydrates and protein do.  Refractory edema, however, means that the condition is more advanced, and needs to be dealt with more than just adding or taking away nutrients from the diet.

If there is bloating only in the lower right leg, then that is usually considered to be a sign of liver dysfunction — specifically a condition called ascites. If you have ascites, then that means your stomach is most likely also swollen with fluid. If the bloat is only in the lower left leg however, then that may indicate descending colon congestion, left kidney congestion or heart disease. This heart disease could lead to congestive heart failure if left untreated. If both legs are affected, this could mean advanced liver problem that is also affecting the kidneys. If such is the case, there may be also bloating under the eyes as well.

But what causes edema in the first place? Just like a busted pipe will dispense water uncontrollably, so will a busted organ not be able the handle the fluid in the body. The organ that usually starts the cascading failure is, the liver — from injury, that may then lead to a natural inflammatory response, then maybe fibrosis, and if fibrosis is chronic, this could then lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Other events that may lead to edema are hepatitis C and pregnancy. Medication that is damaging to the liver could also be a factor.

If both extremities are swollen, then this is most likely multiple organ failure. At this stage, the body is losing protein more so than it is designed to, and not being able to replace it. Furthermore, if there is high protein loss, then there is also high potassium loss. This quick and sudden excretion is damaging to the kidneys.

When we say the body is losing protein, what that mostly means is that the blood is losing albumin. Albumin is exactly what it sounds like — the same-like gooey-type clear liquid found in egg whites. This albumin transports nutrients and hormones throughout the body and helps to keep fluid inside of blood vessels and capillaries, and out of tissues and organs. At the loss of albumin, fluid buildup then occurs in the organs and tissues, causing fluid retention a.k.a. edema.

As this albumin and potassium make a quick exit out of the kidneys, they damage the sensitive glomeruli that acts as filters. Ideally, the kidneys allow much less than 1 gram of all proteins to filter out in a day (less than 150 milligrams/0.15 grams). But when a condition called nephrotic syndrome occurs, the glomeruli processes 3 or more grams of protein leaking into the urine within a 24 hour period. This becomes very stressful and damaging to the kidneys.

This albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood serum, and is made in the liver, composed of some nearly 600 amino acid residues. If the liver is dysfunction, then albumin will not be made properly, if at all. And even when it is made, it may become quickly oxidized by free radicals. So an albumin problem first starts in the liver, then makes its way down to the kidneys.

Edema comes in many forms and have many names. There is peripheral edema, which affects the extremities. Then there is cerebral edema which affects the brain. There is pulmonary edema which affects the lungs. There is also lymphedema, which is directly affected by the immobility of the lymphatic system. I personally developed a form called pedal edema, that affected my lower right leg, ankle and feet — when I accidentally injured myself with the edge of a paint scraper. The treatment by allopathic medicine usually depends by edema type, which could range from something as basic as compression socks, to a more advanced or even holistic type all encompassing treatment.

I had what might have been called pedal edema, for 4 years, before I finally discovered the solution that completely reverse it — in days!

There are a combination of 5 supplements, including herbs, that have repeatedly shown positive results in reversing just about all forms of edema. It goes like this:

Pycnogenol: I took this supplement for 5 days with P5P, and my edema disappeared thereafter. Pycnogenol improves circulation and blood flow.

P5P: I took this synthetic form of B6 for a few days, and my edema disappeared, but came back one week later. Only when I combined it with pycnogenol did my edema disappear for good.

Mangistha: Mangistha gets the lymphatic system moving, thus it is good for edema, especially lymphedema.

Astragalus: Chronic edema damages the filtration mechanism of the kidneys — but this herb fixes that.

Kutki: Most edema problems are really a liver problem — this herb help fix all stages of liver dysfunction, including fibrosis and cirrhosis.

In addition to these, you want to support whole body function with a healthy diet of adequate potassium and other B vitamins. These include: Black beans, asparagus, bok choy, yu choy, parsnip, yam, sweet potato, kohlrabi, crimini mushrooms and lichens. You may also want to reduce excess sugar, since such encourages edema re-activation.

 

 

 

 

 

One or More Avocado(s) Per Day: Good or Bad?

Posted on by Diogenes II

Many things that are bad for our bodies disguise themselves as being good. Lots of people drink coffee because it makes them feel good. Proponents of eating a whole or more avocado daily argue that it contains lots of vitamins and minerals like potassium, so it must be good — and, the more the better. What they fail to realize is that avocado also contains sulfur — though sulfur is needed for our bodies, it takes specialized enzymes to metabolize it. Many peoples’ digestive system are compromised, not able to break down sulfur into a constructive form their bodies can utilize, but instead accumulating the mineral to toxic levels, attracting binding heavy- metals and microbes.

The over-consumption of avocado can mimic good health within our bodies for months or even years without any apparent side effects. This positive reaction is not because of the avocado itself — but comes from the increased activation of our immune system to fight the ill-effects of the substance. You may develop clearer thought and clearer skin tone, thinking that it’s because you are doing a good thing.

Avocado is a complicated and fatty, fruit-berry. It should not be consumed everyday. It should be treated more as a medicine than as a food source. (If there is mixed message in the Science World about the effects of avocado, that should raise a red flag to us consumers.)
Only about 1/4 of an average-sized avocado should be consumed within a meal/day. Furthermore, it is ill-advised to consume this fruit-berry more than three/four times per week. So, if you desire avocado, 1 average-sized avocado should last you for the entire week.
Avocado is a sinister fruit, with a double-edged sword. A little of it can be OK, while too much can become, eventually dangerous!
For some people, avocado can be dangerous at any amount — these people should avoid avocados completely. I’ve witnessed some utter the adverse reactions they’ve had to this berry, that ceased only after they discontinued use.
We should listen to our animals — if things such as xylitol and avocado are harmful to them, so too could these things be harmful to us!

The sinister way in which avocado is grown is another dead giveaway that something is not right — that something is not natural. Avocados have become a hybrid fruit with critical changes to its molecular structure throughout the centuries and even more so throughout recent years. The massive amount of water needed to grow this tree, and the destruction of pine trees in replace of these avocado plants is another sinister indicator that something is not natural.
Scientific review of the effects, good or bad, of avocado long-term, is incomplete. For that reason alone, one should consider it wise to limit their intake of avocados!

Magnesium: The King Of Minerals

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

As we age, unbound, free iron increases in our body while magnesium decreases. For healthy living, it should be the other way around. Increased magnesium automatically keeps potassium from depleting. There lies the heart connection. Magnesium is not involved in over 300 enzymatic processes — it’s more like over 3000! If you know about methylation, you will know the power of magnesium, and P5P, and copper, and zinc, and manganese, and molybdenum! The number one thing that is depleting magnesium in health conscious people today is taking too much Vitamin D3. If you are taking D3/K2-MK7 without adding magnesium, it would be better had you not taken the former(s). Vitamin D3 depletes retinol (vitamin A), which then depletes ceruloplasmin (a protein needed to transport copper), which then depletes bioavailable copper, which then causes unbound iron buildup and rusting of the blood and organs — because copper regulates iron. Which then causes a great depletion of magnesium!

I’ve seen statistics estimating that 60 percent of the population is deficient in magnesium; and I’ve seen others raising it to 85 percent. In reality though, I believe the entire human race is deficient in magnesium! Yes, even 100 percent of all people are deficient in this important mineral. Even those eating the healthiest foods in the world are deficient. Even those supplementing in high doses are deficient. Magnesium is very easy to lose, like water vapor is very easy to dissipate. Even stress depletes magnesium. Even thinking too hard depletes magnesium. Heat depletes magnesium in our body. Cold depletes magnesium. Exercise depletes magnesium. A sedentary lifestyle depletes magnesium. Consuming the wrong type of magnesium depletes magnesium. Too much or too little of any other mineral or vitamin depletes magnesium. Inflammation anywhere in the body uses magnesium like gasoline, depleting it. Just being alive depletes magnesium.

Magnesium is so important for so many things and is needed in so many things. Our cell’s mitochondria needs magnesium to work at all . The enzymes used to create energy during ATP, from cellular respiration, need magnesium. Potassium and sodium depend on magnesium. Progesterone and all other hormones need magnesium as a co-factor. If you have low progesterone, you have low magnesium. To even sleep properly, you need magnesium. Serotonin, dopamine and melatonin depend on magnesium.

Supplementing magnesium via vegetables is surprisingly not easy. Supplementing it with chlorophyll is also impractical. What is chlorophyll — what does it look like? If you think it’s that green liquid thing you see in bottles, you are sadly mistaken. Chlorophyll does not come in liquid form! Currently, I am taking magnesium glycinate/malate combination, about 500 mg, per day — because they are among the most absorbable forms of magnesium. If you think something like magnesium oxide is absorbable, you are sadly mistaken. You would be lucky to receive even a rate of 4% absorption.

There are other absorbable forms of magnesium besides glycinate and malate, that can be taken — such as magnesium citrate, found in Natural Calm Canada. I personally would rotate between the different forms of absorbable magnesium rather than stick to just one brand. And there is mineral water. Spring water has an affinity to magnesium— it loves this mineral. Decocting or infusing herbs in hot water extracts the magnesium into the water.

You could get magnesium from such herbs as turmeric, guduchi, fenugreek, eclipta alba, saffron, olive leaf extract and many more. However, herbs are designed to be used sparingly— typically 1/4 teaspoon per day, or less.

People’s bodies are not aged by time, but by a depleting of magnesium (and others), an increase in unbound iron; and the build-up of toxins and heavy metals in our cells and tissues, and even by the oxidation of fatty acids.

But what if you can’t tolerate magnesium?

If you cannot tolerate magnesium, that means you cannot tolerate oxalates, which means you are eating too much high oxalate foods or your liver is producing too much oxalates. We have heard of calcium oxalates — but we hardly ever hear of magnesium oxalates.
Furthermore, if you cannot tolerate too much magnesium, that means you are low in potassium as well, and there is a severe electrolyte imbalance.
Solution simple: AVOID high oxalate foods such as soy, raspberries, nuts, seeds, spinach, swiss chard, okra, beet greens, chocolate, etc.
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INCREASE your potassium with yam, coconut water, etc.
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Take magnesium in more absorbable forms, such as cream, spray and Epsom salt baths, bypassing the liver and kidneys.
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The glycine in magnesium glycinate can aggravate the condition. So consider a more tolerable form, like magnesium malate. The malate, or malic acid, in magnesium malate actually helps neutralize or gently excrete oxalates.
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Drink spring water, which contains natural magnesium.
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Do a liver and kidneys cleans with artichokes and dandelion root.
Suggestions on quality magnesium brands:
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