It was around 6:00 o'clock in the evening of Friday (November 14, 2008) when I received another paranoying message. This time, it came from my sister telling me that she has a high uric acid and she has to undergo another urinalysis exam. At first, I wasn't bothered at all since high in uric will not affect her application. But on a second thought, I was attacked by an extreme worries and many "what if " played into my mind. And one of those is that, "what if the greedy group will use the uric issue to disqualify my sister?" Sounds tenable, right?
So, you think TGIF would still be appealing to me? When it comes to trouble and problems concerning my family and love ones... surely, I got so affected. But what really made me more anxious was her message on Sunday morning informing me that she has to undergo another ECG and worst she has to secure a cardio clearance. OMG! talagang nakakapraning!
Well, at around 7:00 o'clock in the evening of same day, good news have been revealed! She got her cardio clearance and the findings on her ECG was that she was lack in Potassium that's why lately she easily felt over fatigue and that also answer why she had a high uric acid.
I felt relief...and tears of joy were kept falling from my eyes... Then, I told my sis; "Susko!..that news of yours...I might be having a heart ailment than you are!"
Then immediately, I got my Medical Wonder Book and made a researched on Potassium. As provided by that wonder book, Potassium (K) is very essential into our daily dietary needs. The estimated dietary intake is 1.9-5.6 grams. But this amount will easily be surpassed if you eat largely of fruits and vegetables.
Three (3) electrolytes: Potassium, Sodium, and Chloride are electrolytes (minerals which, when dissolved in water, conduct electricity). The three are very closely related. They always operate in pairs: a positively charged molecule (sodium or potassium), with a negatively charged one (chloride [chlorine]). Although all are important, potassium is the key- it is the most important of the three.
Potassium works closely with magnesium in many body functions. It is in all vegetables, especially green leafy ones. Thick white potato peelings are rich in it. Bananas are also excellent.
There is more potassium in body cells than any other mineral; and we have a greet need for large amounts of it. Potassium helps maintain proper acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues, and prevents over-acidity. It is essential for muscle contraction, promotes hormone secretion, and helps kidneys to detoxify the blood. Its vital functions include acting as electrolyte, converting blood sugar into glycogen, and storing blood sugar in the muscles and liver. For example, muscle energy comes from burning glycogen; but, without enough potassium, there are no enough glycogen and extreme fatigue and muscle weakness results.
Lack of potassium causes sodium (salt) to accumulate in the body. The result is edema, high blood pressure, and heart failure. The heart muscle can be damaged. Constipation, extreme fatigue, muscular weakness, low blood sugar, and nervous disorders.
Potassium and sodium must be kept in proper balance at all times, or serious problem develops. Too much sodium in the diet disrupts the potassium/sodium balance in the body. A low potassium and high sodium diet helps produce cancer, cardiovascular disease (heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, etc.)
But a diet high in potassium and low in sodium- protects against diseases! You can easily take too much sodium; but you cannot take too much potassium! Restricting salt (sodium chloride) intake does not lower blood pressure, until potassium intake is greatly improved. High dosage potassium salts (in pill form) can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and ulcers. There is lots of potassium in fruits and vegetables, and almost none in processed foods. There is relatively little sodium in fruits and vegetables, and far too much (often extremely too much) in processed foods. There are no ill effects from a diet rich in excess potassium, with one exception: “If you have kidney disease, you will need to restrict your potassium intake.”
Thus, it is essential that we have to balance our diet to achieve good health. The photograph of Food Pyramid above suggests the required foods that we have to take. Remember, having a balance diet is having a healthy living.
Have a Healthy Living, Friends!