Facts on Potassium

For CKD (Chronic Kidney Diseases) patients, one of the many factors in determining how well the balance of chemicals, electrolytes, and nutrients appear inside the body is through Potassium. For people on dialysis, their Nephrologists sometimes recommend to them to get a monthly laboratory results for this. The Nephrologist will then identify whether the patient is of high or having a low potassium intake. Anyway the normal Potassium level a person is supposed to have is 3.5-5.0 mEq/L. Beyond or below this level is of already something.

What is the main function of Potassium in our body? Potassium is a chemical, a positive electrolyte inside our cell which functions to maintain the water balance in our body. Common symptoms of potassium deficiency, which is very obvious, are having dry mouth, thirst, weakness, fatigue and muscle cramps. And since the heart is a muscle, it is one of the many muscle-organ that is highly affected if having too much or too low potassium intake.

For people with a normal kidney function and experiencing hyperkalemia and/or hypokalemia (hypo-low, hyper-high), can be corrected by a doctor or even by self-medicating. Supplementation is only the key factor. I have here some tips on how to treat symptoms of low potassium (for people with CKD and normal kidney functions). 

1. Get the daily recommended daily potassium intake. I think every physician would recommend this first tip first. First things first, as they would say. Doctors would normally advice to take at least 2000 to 3000mg of potassium daily.
2. Eat foods high in potassium. What are these kinds of foods? Main sources of potassium are from milk, fruits and green leafy vegetables. Bananas potatoes are also very rich in potassium. Here's one trick i got from my mother and also advised by my doctor (that is if you're having trouble in lowering your potassium level and/or  into dialysis): Soak the potatoes in a warm water for about 30 minutes before cooking it. In that case, you removed the excess potassium found in the potato! You can have an instant french fries if you like without having guilty thoughts.
3. Only self-medicate if the medicines you take is approved by your physicians! Some over-the-counter-supplements needs a doctor's prescription or proper dosage before taking it. Extra awareness is needed.
4. Follow everything what the doctor would tell you to do. 
5. Some people on dialysis use salt substitutes like potassium chloride to lower their sodium intake but unknowingly increased their  potassium level. If you're on dialysis i strongly disagree on having potassium chloride as a substitute. I would still suggest the name of the game, which is moderation. But if you still insist on having it, try to ask your doctor about it.

Sleep Deprivation and some Sleeping Tips

On my previous entry, i wrote an article about Restless Leg Syndrome which is a not-so-common problem relating sleep. On the last part, i promised to give some tips on how to have a good night (or even day) sleep - without the pills or such - the natural way. And with that, i found an article about it on a newspaper's entertainment section. 

The article only pointed out 5 important tips to promote a good sleep (it's actually more than 5 but since the newspaper is only a tabloid, that's probably the reason they shortened it). But anyhow, the tips, if followed can give you the sleep you wanted. To start with,

• Have a regular routine. What does that mean? That means you have to set your biological clock - sleeping and waking up on the same regular time. For example, set your sleeping time at around 8 pm (or the time you probably would fall asleep easily because some people couldn't sleep after this particular time) and regularly wake up at around 7 am. Do this daily and you'll notice it's not a hard thing to do. Just have your regular set of time for sleeping and waking up.
• Don't eat too much on a supper. Avoid eating a very heavy meal during night time and when you're about to sleep because your digestive system keeps you awake and active as it digests your food.
• Look for the most comfortable sleeping area. If you can't sleep easily, it's advisable to find another sleeping area where you think is much comfortable and can let you sleep. On my part, if i think my bed is uncomfortable for me, i tend to sleep on the couch and believe it or not, it's the most reliable resting place i've had next to my bed. Second option, 'ika nga.
• Always maintain the silence and orderliness of the place where you sleep. The silence of the room gives calmness and the the orderliness gives harmony. If you have these two in your room, you'll easily fall asleep.
• Stop whatever you're doing. Whatever it is, stop it. It's a false idea that doing something before you sleep can  make you doze off. For example, writing, reading a book, and some small chores, can let you stay awake because it makes your mind active.

People with lack of sleep can likely to have a hypertension, diabetes, an impaired immune system and some diseases. I have here a picture of some diseases we'll likely to acquire if we lack sleep.

Not everybody can sleep regularly. I, myself, have a sleeping problem (the RLS which is worsen by insomnia) which i really hate. I always say this that i envy those sleepy-heads who sleeps earlier than me. Just don't abuse your health. Remember that health is wealth.