Tuesday, March 18, 2014 by: Paul Fassa

(NaturalNews) Due to the poor monoculture farming practices of Big Ag, most of the topsoil for plant based foods has been depleted of key minerals over the past 100 years. This recorded fact and junk or processed foods diets has left most modern culture individuals mineral deficient.

Ed McCabe, author of Flood Your Body With Oxygen, once surveyed several holistic health practitioners and nutritional scientists to determine the nutrient order of importance. Ed's final list order is: Oxygen, water, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. Nutritionally, without enzymes not much can happen, but minerals are more important than vitamins.

Magnesium, considered the "master mineral" since it's involved in over 300 metabolic processes, has been written about considerably. But the much less discussed mineral potassium is also a vital nutrient. Too little leads to hypokalemia, which can result in irregular heart rhythms and death.

Although many MD holistic types claim very few are potassium deficient and warn against supplementing potassium that may induce equally dangerous hyperkalemia (too much serum potassium), according to Dr. Michael Greger, 98 percent of Americans are potassium deficient, measured against the RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of 4700 mg daily. RDAs are usually considerably lower than more realistic amounts of what is needed for optimum health. After all, maintaining malnutrition ensures prosperity for the sick care industry.

Potassium's importance

Potassium is essential for the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system to operate normally. It's also required for regulating fluid balance, the body's acid-base balance, and blood pressure. Every cell in our bodies requires potassium to function properly. Insufficient potassium is linked to high blood pressure, osteoporosis, kidney stones, heart health issues, and strokes.

Dr. Greger quotes a study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that demonstrated a reduced risk of strokes with higher uptakes of potassium. He goes further to explain how even higher levels of potassium have been studied to reduce pain from rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that low potassium levels may promote autoimmune diseases, while higher levels can help prevent autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Greger advocates consuming many more greens and plant foods as a solution for potassium deficiency. Of course, properly cultivated greens that enrich the soil's mineral content are optimum. Even while certifying the absence of harmful chemicals, USDA certified organic cannot guarantee proper soil cultivation for maximum mineral yields.

If practical, use farmers markets and local growers and ask questions, or grow your own. If those options are out of reach, buying organic produce is better than using conventional produce. Though highly touted bananas are a good source of potassium, several others are even better.

Surprisingly, a baked potato with skin offers over twice the amount of potassium than bananas offer. Here's a short list of some foods with their potassium content levels (http://www.essense-of-life.com).

Some natural cancer fighting protocols, including the Gerson Therapy, the current Hoxsey treatment, and cesium chloride treatments use potassium supplements. It's especially critical with cesium chloride to maintain potassium levels.

But too much potassium may lead to hyperkalemia, which is actually quite rare. Some MDs claim you can't intake too much potassium and others claim you can. Obvious symptoms of both hyperkalemia and hypokalemia are similar: Nausea, muscle fatigue, limb cramping, and irregular heart rhythms.

It seems that many medicos are paranoid about suggesting potassium supplementation for fear of inducing hyperkalemia. The Lugol iodine supplement contains potassium iodide. Vitamin B12 promotes potassium absorption, and different types of potassium supplements are available. Research to determine which type would be suitable for you.

Sources for this article include:

Soil depletion report http://www.dailypaul.com

Mini-videos on potassium by Dr. Greger www.google.com

Article by Dr. Greger http://nutritionfacts.org

http://www.essense-of-life.com

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Alkaline.html Section under subtitle "The Importance of Potassium in the Blood (i.e. Serum or Plasma)"

About the author:
Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com

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