potassium

Hi all,
was wonderinghow much of the now brand potassium powder is the ideal amount to take dailey? I am currently taking 400mg chealted Mag per day and about 1000mg of potassium powder....is that enough? i havent had a PAC in about 2 months!!! I have had 2 short 2 hour episodes of Afib since 2003.....I feel the supplemets are really a huge help because I used to get a few PACS or PVCs a day....is there anything else I should include? Also i have lost about 60 pounds in the last 5 months

Joe

Hello Joey. The last time you asked this question i answered it. Maybe you did not see the answer,so here is the url to it again. Luck to you.

[www.afibbers.org]

PeggyM

Joe - Congratulations on your progress with controlling the PACs and weight loss. The amount of potassium you take may be fine or you may need more depending on your dietary intake of hidden salt in foods plus how much potassium from foods your typical daily diet supplies.

If you haven't read at least the introduction to Conference Room 72 - I strongly urge you to do that so you know why the potassium to sodium ratio intake makes all the difference in whether you are able to get relief from Afib.... that and magnesium are the core players. The other nutrients that help support the heart energy needed to sustain a steady rhythm that isn't influenced by electrical conduction interferences caused by electrolyte imbalance would be the d-ribose discussed in The Strategy report. Other afibbers need an even broader range of supporting nutrients for the heart such as CoQ10 and L-carnitine and Taurine. They are all reviewed in The Strategy.

Keep in mind that we are all different ages and are in different stages of health with varying dietary intake of nutrients so variations in supplement supportive requirements are very common and we can only hope to give you basic guidelines. The rest is up to you to observe what works for your particulation situation. I suggest you keep a diary or log of what you are taking, the results and any blips that occur so you can fine tune your own personal regimen. Then, of course, share with us here so everyone can learn more.

Here's a link to a post with a collection of responses about potassium intake. [www.afibbers.org]

Conference Room Session 72
Potassium/Sodium Ratio in Atrial Fibrillation (February 7 - June 11, 2011)
[www.afibbers.org]


The Strategy - What Metabolic Cardiology Means to Afibbers
[www.afibbers.org]

Thanks for sharing your success... and long may it continue to bring you NSR.

Jackie

Joey, all you need to know about how much Potassium you need can be found in a Cardymeter, it is a scientific piece of equiptment about the size of a ciggarette pack, it is very accurate. Potassium is nothing to be taken lightly, too much can put you into afib or worse, I found this out the hard way, however, along with Magnesium, it is essential to staying in NSR, but you have to know your numbers when supplementing with Potassium, and you need to know them regularly. Magnesium on the other hand is not dangerous, too much and you just end up in the bathroom, and dosage is easier to establish. I always have my bottle of Potassium powder available if my readings on the Cardymeter are low, but since staying away from wheat products, which are acidic and tend to waste Potassium, I don't need to take it any more, it is easy to get potassium quickly from everyday foods. Magnesium is alot harder to raise through diet and it takes time, for someone dealing with controlling afib, you have to supplement with it.

Tom,

I think a lot of Forum members would be interested in exactly what you eat - a typical daily menu - to show us how you get all the Potassium you need from food. A lot of us find that very difficult

Thanks

Sam,

Sam, of course everyones metabolism is different , but let me tell you how I was able to stop supplementing with the Potassium. I used to supplement with the reccomended amount, about 3 teaspoons a day, and that worked fine for me, I did not have any special diet, I just tried to eat healthy and I purchased a Cardymeter after reading about it on this site(I think it was George N. who first talked about it) so I could measure my Potassium levels. With that 1500 mg. of Potassium a day I was maintaining a level of around 4.5 to 5, affibers need to be a little on the higher side of normal just to be safe side.
About 6 months later I started reading a book by Dr.William Davis called "Wheat Belly",it was all about the new strains of wheat that have been changed through selective botany practices (yes Elizabeth, I did not say genetically modified) and these new strains are responsible for all kinds of modern health problems, including obesity. I wanted to lose about 10 pounds and this looked like an easy way to do it, so I stopped eating wheat whenever possible, all was going fine , the weight was coming off . However after a couple of weeks I was driving home from work and had the feeling like I was going to pass out, I pulled over and waited a few minutes until the feeling had subsided. This had never happened before so I thought about what I had been doing different and the only thing I could think of was limiting wheat from my diet, but that did not make a whole lot of sense because many people go gluten free, which is more than just wheat free, with no problems. I had neglected to take a Potassium reading for a couple of weeks so I thought I should check it after getting home that evening. Much to my suprise the reading was well over 5 and close to 6...way too high. Then I remembered something Jackie had posted on acidic foods wasting Potassium. As fate would have it the next chapter I was about to read in the "Wheat Belly" book was about the delicate PH balance in the body and how acidic the "new wheat" was. That is the connection, you see, Potassium is alkaline. I had been eating the highly acidic wheat most of my life and now not only was i reducing the acid in my system by cutting out wheat, and saving Potassium, I was supplementing with 1500 mg. of Potassium every day....I was now overloading on Potassium, vey dangerous, at least for my metabolism. So there you are Sam, I don't have a special diet, I just hold back on the wheat. I would suggest spending a few bucks on a Cardymeter and a copy of "Wheat Belly," there is alot more in that book than I have discussed here that would amaze you.

Tom C:

I eat some grain (whole wheat, rye, corn), I don't eat a lot but I do eat some most days, my potassium levels are usually around 4.5, I do not take any K supplements, I tried once and it gave me runs of AF. So, people should not apply everything they read to themselves, easy does it, some apparently do need extra K, but they should do this carefully.

Most fruits, vegetables, grain etc., have been changed over the years, those that have not are now called Heirloom varieties they usually had some defects, don't know that would effect ones overall health. Eating a lot of refined pastas and breads does cause weight gain, probably always did, only difference is that people worked physically hard years ago, most don't today. There are all kinds of books out there today touting this and that, now its acidic, alkaline state of the body---Dr. Andrew Weil, he is an integrative MD says it is hype, no real proof.

Liz

Thanks, Tom - for your explanation. It makes perfect sense that eliminating a grain (actually any grain) since they all metabolize to acid ash would be potassium sparing. That's well supported by basic biochemistry science.

Be well,
Jackie

Thanks, Tom.

Another example of how individuals differ. I gave up wheat for some time and it made no difference except I had acid reflux during this period.

When I went back to wheat (I eat a small amount of home-baked organic wheaten) the reflux disappeared.

Sam