Electrolyte Imbalance Is A Condition You Must Avoid

Electrolytes are common minerals that naturally appear in the body, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and the most common one, sodium, and are responsible for the electrical charge that keeps your heart, muscles and nervous system working properly. The human body is an electrical machine, and electrolyte balance keeps the body's electric system working and maintaining normal body functions, like muscle contraction, brain performance and heart rhythm. However, electrolyte imbalance takes place in your body when your electrolyte counts are out of balance, whereupon you may experience irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, seizures or even sudden cardiac arrest. Electrolyte imbalance is a condition you want to avoid.

There's a long list of things that cause electrolyte depletion and impact proper electrolyte levels. These include certain medications, just about any form of sport or exercise, dehydration, drinking habits, circulation problems, illness causing diarrhea, vomiting, exhaustion, your diet... even gardening! Electrolytes are destroyed in the intestinal tract, but mostly sweated out. In fact, most any activity seems to lower electrolyte levels in the body, and need to constantly be replaced.

Easy ways to avoid electrolyte imbalance

Since electrolyte imbalance is caused by mineral depletion of magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium, the easiest way to pump your system back up with electrolytes is by eating foods that are rich in those trace minerals. Fruit, vegetables like leafy greens, beef, chicken, fish and whole wheat breads are highly recommended. Some dairy is okay, just make sure your chosen dairy product is rBST free. Avoid sports drinks that claim to re-infuse electrolytes back into your system. They aren't that effective. Not only do they lack key essential electrolytes, but they have high sugar content. Get your electrolyte quota from healthy foods, or from a proven healthy supplement. It's important to remember that if electrolyte imbalance is left untreated, a life-threatening condition could occur.

Electrolyte imbalance, and its possible connection to sudden cardiac death

The most common cause of cardiac arrest is an arrhythmia in the heart. Like a severe heart palpitation, the heart muscle will begin to misfire, causing an irregular heartbeat. This is an electrical failure that could be brought on by an electrolyte imbalance in the body, and could cause the heart muscle to misfire and stop. Here's an odd little fact that frustrates paramedics. When these dedicated medical personel arrive on the scene of a sudden cardiac arrest victim, there's very little they can do. The body needs air, blood flow and an electrical spark to live. Paramedics can solve air and blood flow problems, but if the body's electrical system short-circuits, they have almost no chance of saving the victim. Seems medical science hasn't figured out how to put the electric spark back into a body, once its gone.

Maintaining a healthy electrolyte balance is another one of those oft-overlooked conditions. And again, it's tied to trace mineral deficiencies in the body. So, stay hydrated, eat right and get your share of potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium into your diet. With a little oversight and healthy, conscientious eating, electrolyte imbalance will not be a problem you'll have to deal with.

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