Essential minerals, the non-organic substances your body requires, support normal body functions and some of them function as electrolytes. These essential minerals, also called elements, possess either a positive charge, called a cation, or a...
Mental status changes are one of the most common presentations of electrolyte imbalances. According to "Cecil Medicine," the prevalence of acute cases of mental confusion during hospital stays is approximately 60 percent in elderly patients, with...
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, occurs when the force required by the heart to pump blood through the arteries is high enough to cause significant health problems. Diet and exercise are useful initial strategies to control hypertension, but...
Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. There must be a balance between the electrolytes with positive charges and those with negative charges, and all must stay within a certain range. If that balance is lost or if...
Most people realize that exercise can lead to dehydration and are careful to drink water before, during and after a workout. Water, however, is only half of the picture in staying hydrated. The body also contains electrolytes. These are...
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition in which the force exerted by blood against blood vessels is high enough to cause damage to blood vessels and body organs. Hypertension can be a sign of sodium electrolyte imbalance in the...
Sweating is a natural process needed for regulating body temperature. Any time your body temperature increases beyond its normal 98.6 degrees, the brain signals for sweat glands to release fluid and cool down the skin. Heavy sweating can cause...
A salt imbalance, or hyponatremia, can arise due to excessive exercise, hot weather or lack of salt in the diet. A salt imbalance occurs when salt levels drop in the body fluids surrounding the cells, notes MedlinePlus. A wide range of symptoms...
Certain minerals that the body needs to function normally have an electrical charge; these minerals are called electrolytes. Examples of important electrolytes include sodium, potassium and chloride. The body tightly controls the concentrations of...
Your body needs adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals to function properly, and electrolytes are included in these nutrients. Multiple things can cause electrolyte imbalances, including cancer treatment. If you are undergoing cancer treatment,...
You may be considering vitamin D supplements if you think you're not getting enough of this essential nutrient from food, such as fortified dairy products, or from sunshine. Medical cases involving too much vitamin D-3 are rare, but ingesting...
Electrolytes help the body maintain fluid balance within the cells, around the cells and in the blood. Fluid balance keeps the body functioning normally, controlling muscle action and blood acid levels, according to Medline Plus. The major...
Your body aches, and it prevents you from completing your day-to-day tasks and makes it impossible to relax. Your aches and pains might stem from a number of conditions, including an imbalance in your electrolytes. Your body requires a proper...
The company that manufactures Colon Cleanse, Health Plus Inc. in California, suggests that detoxing the colon releases trapped toxins and absorbs water in the intestines. Go Ask Alice, Columbia University's health-education website, reports that...
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing foods for your survival kit. Survival foods should be high in energy, easy to transport, require no refrigeration or cooking, and most importantly, provide necessary nutrients. Whether you're...
According to the Cleveland Clinic, 30 million to 50 million people suffer from lactose intolerance. People with lactose intolerance are unable to digest lactose, the sugar found mostly in milk and dairy products. If you are lactose intolerant, you...
Heart palpitations, a type of abnormal heartbeat, may feel like a fluttering sensation in the chest, skipped or extra heartbeats, or a feeling that the heart is "flip-flopping" or "running away." Having excessively low or high blood levels of an...
The electrolytes in your body help establish muscle action and blood acidity. They also play other important roles in your vitality and health. Because electrolytes can easily be lost through your sweat and urine or as a result of an underlying...
Potassium is an essential electrolyte mineral required for health. One of several important functions of potassium is to maintain normal electrical activity of the heart. Having too much or too little potassium may cause heart arrhythmias...
A rapid pulse may be a minor symptoms of some stimuli or a sign of a major medical condition. Sometimes, a high pulse rate is simply caused by something you ate or drank. Other times, it may signal that something is wrong internally and it's best...
The sports drink Gatorade contains electrolytes designed to help prevent dehydration in serious athletes. Kids often enjoy the sweet taste of Gatorade, which prompts many parents to offer it to them in lieu of water. Some parents also use Gatorade...
Minerals in the body that carry electrical charges are called electrolytes. Your urine, blood and other bodily fluids carry electrolytes through your body. When electrolyte levels become imbalanced, you can experience a range of symptoms ranging...
The electrolyte magnesium is vital for good health. Therefore, if you have a condition that causes you to have a low serum magnesium level, your health is at risk and serious symptoms and complications are possible. Because magnesium is closely...
If you exhibit signs and symptoms suggestive of an electrolyte imbalance, your doctor will perform a blood test to determine the origin. If the laboratory results reveal a suboptimal serum sodium level, or hyponatremia, your doctor will begin...
Don't let the similarity in their names fool you. Despite sharing every letter but one, magnesium citrate and magnesium nitrate are drastically different substances. While magnesium citrate is a common type of magnesium supplement often used as a...
Although drinking-related deaths usually involve alcohol, sometimes water is the fatal fluid. Excessive water intake sometimes causes imbalances of certain ionized salts in the blood, which can lead to serious symptoms, including paralysis....
Hyponatremia is a deficiency of sodium in your blood. It is an electrolyte imbalance that causes several symptoms. Doctors treat it based on the underlying cause. Regardless of your doctor's initial intervention, ongoing treatment focuses on...
Electrolytes are minerals in your blood that help to regulate muscle and nerve function as well as balance fluid levels, according to the Merck Manuals. Lack of proper nutrition and other factors can cause electrolyte levels to become too high or...
Polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350) is a drug used to treat constipation. This drug is sold under the brand name MiraLax. Because this medication works to relieve constipation, it can cause several side effects. While some do not have harmful...
