Formulating a diagnosis is an ongoing, dynamic and flexible process. Your health care practitioner may start with a medical history, which includes aspects of the present illness, past illnesses, surgeries, medications, social habits such as...
Vitamins and minerals are organic and inorganic nutrients that are crucial to appropriate nutrition and normal body function. Your body does not make most nutrients and requires consumption in your daily diet. Some vitamin and mineral deficiency...
The University of Texas Medical Branch reports that hypercalcemia is the most common disorder associated with lung, neck, head and breast cancers. Doctors use the term hypercalcemia to describe high levels of calcium in the blood. Although the...
The renal diet helps people with kidney disease preserve their remaining kidney function and avoid complications. Having diabetes along with kidney disease makes meal planning more complicated, as diabetics also need to control the amount of...
Healthy kidneys control the amount of potassium in the body by "deciding" how much to excrete in the urine and how much to send back into the bloodstream. Damaged kidneys do not perform this function properly, so potassium builds up in the blood....
There are chemical compounds in your body responsible for metabolic reactions that allow your body to function properly and create energy. Discussions of these reactions fill textbooks and scientific journals, but in a very elementary summarized...
When the kidneys function normally, they filter waste from the blood and help the body maintain normal fluid and electrolyte levels. When kidney disease and other kidney disorders damage the kidney tissues, these organs lose their ability to...
Creatinine forms as a waste product when the body metabolizes the proteins from the foods you eat. The body breaks protein down into creatine and then turns the creatine into creatinine. Decreased creatinine levels do not occur as often as...
Sodium has a variety of uses. It assists in blood pressure regulation, fluid volume maintenance, nerve conduction and muscle contraction. Sodium is added to foods as a flavor enhancer and is used as a preservative. The recommended dietary sodium...
Calcium and glucose participate in many of the most important chemical processes in the body. Calcium provides structure for bones and teeth, participates in hormone secretion and muscle contraction, and optimizes the activities of protein and...
The human body has several intricate processes that maintain normal potassium and calcium levels in the blood. When organ damage, acute illness or chronic illness interrupts these processes, potassium and calcium levels may increase. Doctors refer...
The kidneys perform several important functions that preserve life. These functions include regulating blood pressure, filtering wastes from the blood, producing urine and maintaining normal fluid and electrolyte levels. When kidney function...
Potassium is one of six important electrolytes -- sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine and phosphate -- that work together to maintain the right acid-base balance in your body fluids. Sodium and potassium work together to make sure...
Sodium is a cation, or positively charged ion, that is abundant in the extracellular tissues. It has a variety of purposes in the human body, including regulation of blood and body fluids and transmission of nerve impulses. For adults, a normal...
Creatinine is a chemical waste product produced in your body as a result of muscle metabolism. The breakdown of meat foods can also produce some creatinine in your body. Healthy kidneys remove creatinine from your blood and deposit in your urine...
A physician may order a blood chemistry test to help diagnose an illness. Blood chemistry testing gives a good overview of how the kidneys are functioning and can determine if a patient is dehydrated. This test also measures blood sugar and the...
Laboratory blood tests can help doctors to diagnose problems in their patients. While there is no such thing as a "standard blood test," there are several common blood test panels that your doctor may recommend. These can be ordered as part of a...
Arriving at a diagnosis is a complicated process that involves many factors. It generally starts with a medical practitioner taking a detailed history of current symptoms, past illnesses and surgeries, exercise habits, smoking, drug and alcohol...
The CDC reports approximately 14.6 million Americans have diabetes, while another 6.2 million remain undiagnosed. Age, obesity, genetics and being of certain ethnicity play a role in the development of diabetes. Family history plays a significant...
Potassium acts as an electrolyte -- a substance that conducts electrical impulses that power the heart and prompt the muscles to contract. Potassium also works with enzymes to speed up chemical reactions in the body. Although the body needs...
Creatine is a substance found in the muscle tissues of the body. It is constantly broken down and rebuilt by protein fibers to maintain strong, healthy muscles. The byproduct of this breakdown is creatinine. When your kidneys are working properly,...
Electrolytes are electrically charged molecules that are important in your body's many functions. These include muscle movement, transmission of signals from your brain to the rest of your body, fluid balance and heart rhythm. For this reason,...
Electrolytes are particles that become electrically charged when they are distributed in body fluids. They are needed for muscle contraction, nerve conduction, fluid volume regulation, blood pressure, acid-base balance and cell function....
Your body relies on sodium to generate electrical reactions that can help your nerves communicate and muscles move. Your kidneys filter sodium in your body, helping to release excess sodium via your urine or retaining sodium if you do not have...
Following a no-salt or low-sodium diet is a heart-healthy way to eat. No-salt diets are beneficial for cardiac patients or those who are ordered by their physician to reduce sodium levels in their body. A no-salt meal can reduce water retention...
Potassium controls muscle contractions, helps regulate the acid-base balance of the body, builds muscle, regulates the transmission of nerve impulses and assists with protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. Potassium deficiency, also known...
Electrolytes are electrically charged molecules involved in the functioning of nerves and muscles and in the maintenance of appropriate fluid balance in the body. Anorexia is an eating disorder. People affected with anorexia either binge and purge...
Sodium is an essential mineral classified as a macromineral because the body requires more than 100 mg per day. Sodium supports vital life functions by regulating blood volume and blood pressure and serving an essential role in normal muscle and...
Sodium is necessary for good health. Your body needs it for muscle contraction, conduction of nerve impulses and fluid regulation. Sodium is checked as part of a basic metabolic panel, which is routine blood work that measures blood sugar and...
