Potassium and sodium are essential minerals and electrolytes that support cell and muscle function and regulate fluid. According to Merck, low potassium (hypokalemia) and low sodium (hyponatremia) occur when water levels in the body change....
Potassium is an electrolyte in the blood that regulates body functions. In most situations, electrolyte levels change as the body's water level changes. Low potassium levels, or hypokalemia, result when blood levels drop below 3.5 milliequivalents...
Potassium is a mineral that is essential for the body to function properly. It is also an electrolyte, which conducts electricity in the body. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, potassium is crucial to heart function and...
Potassium is an essential nutritional element that is necessary for your normal cellular function. When your potassium levels become low, due to poor potassium nutrition or excessive fluid loss, you may develop a condition called hypokalemia. This...
High or low levels of potassium in the blood can cause significant health problems. Potassium is a nutrient that the human body needs to function properly. Some enzymes need potassium to work. Also, the heart, lungs and muscles require potassium...
Potassium is found abundantly throughout your body. In fact, it is one of the most common minerals in your body. Potassium helps with just about every bodily function. An imbalance of potassium can cause many different side effects, one being...
Potassium is an important electrolyte. It helps conduct electricity in the body, and is important for the formation and health of smooth muscles, like the heart. According to Penn State University, low blood potassium is the most common in people...
Potassium is essential for heart, muscle, nerve, skeletal and digestive function. If you don't consume enough potassium in your diet or if you have certain medical conditions or take some medications, your blood levels of potassium may drop,...
Your blood potassium levels are usually regulated by your body. But in certain circumstances potassium may become tougher to find and retain in the body, resulting in a condition called hypokalemia. Low potassium is usually not a major concern,...
Furosemide is a medication doctors prescribe to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and water retention. It is a diuretic medication, one of the side effects of which is increased urination. Complications of this side effect include...
The human body uses potassium to decrease your chance of stroke and help in lowering blood pressure. It is also a key ingredient in cardiac health. Potassium is found in many foods and getting too low in the mineral is generally a rare occurrence...
Indapamide is a medication used to manage hypertension (high blood pressure) and the edema (a condition in which you swell and retain fluid) of congestive heart failure (a condition in which your heart doesn't pump adequate amounts of blood to the...
Liquid potassium chloride is prescribed to treat low potassium when dietary changes do not produce a normal potassium level. Low potassium, or hypokalemia, can be serious, so taking prescribed medication is essential. Unfortunately, nausea is one...
The Atkins Diet restricts your intake of carbohydrates well below what your body needs for optimal functioning, as few as 20 g a day in the first weeks, or induction phase. Your body requires about 150 g, and that's for a moderately active...
Cancer will kill an estimated 171,600 people in the United States this year, says the American Cancer Society. It occurs when the cells of the body divide quickly but do not die as fast. Cancer can affect any part of the body. The general symptoms...
Potassium is a mineral contained in certain foods that helps conduct electricity inside your body and plays a crucial role in certain essential body functions. Use of potassium supplements will not lower your levels of blood sugar, or blood...
Prednisone is a commonly prescribed corticosteroid. It can be very helpful in treating a number of medical conditions. However, potentially life-threatening side effects can occur, especially when used for an extended amount of time. One of the...
Hyperkalemia, or excess potassium in the blood, is a potentially fatal medical condition. Normal blood potassium levels range from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. Blood potassium levels above 6.0 mEq/L are dangerous and merit immediate medical attention,...
The herb senna, with the botanical name Cassia senna or Cassia angustifolia, has laxative effects. When taken as directed, it typically produces a bowel movement within 12 hours. Senna is included in many over-the-counter products, including...
Cortef is a brand name for hydrocortisone, a corticosteroid prescription drug used to treat inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, thyroid disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, severe allergies, asthma and certain types of cancers. Cortef has...
If the results of a blood test indicate low levels of potassium in your blood -- or hypokalemia -- expect your doctor to recommend a high-potassium diet. If that intervention is not adequate enough to raise your serum potassium to a healthy level,...
Potassium is one of several minerals essential to your health. It plays a central role in nerve conduction, allowing for the brain function, muscle movement and heart functioning essential to survival. Low potassium levels negatively impact your...
Antihypertensives are a class of drugs used to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. Sometimes hypertension has no known cause and is called "essential hypertension." "Secondary hypertension" is caused by an underlying condition such as...
Potassium, a mineral naturally found in your body, helps to keep your heart beating and your muscles functioning normally. Your kidneys are responsible for filtering potassium through your urine. When you take medications like diuretics, which act...
If you have an iodine deficiency, one available treatment is oral iodine supplementation. Spironolactone is a diuretic medication doctors prescribe to treat certain conditions, such as water retention secondary to conditions including liver...
Hypokalemia is a condition that occurs when the potassium level in your blood dips below normal. If potassium levels drop too low, it can be life-threatening, as potassium is necessary for nerve and muscle cells to function properly. Common causes...
Foscarnet is an antiviral medication used to treat cytomegalovirus retinitis (type of eye infection affecting AIDS patients) and herpes simplex virus (HSV). According to Drugs.com, it arrests viral growth and multiplication. Foscarnet is an...
The root of the licorice plant is used in complementary and alternative medicine. There are two types of licorice supplements -- those made with the whole licorice root and those made with deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, which has had the...
High blood pressure puts patients at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Chronically elevated blood pressure allows cholesterol to accumulate in the arteries, resulting in atherosclerosis; it also makes the heart work harder to...
