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Dear
Friend,
While
the
balance
of
calcium
and
magnesium
is
more
important
for
sleep,
there
is
another
balance
between
two
other
minerals
that
is
critical
to
energy
and
relaxation.
Most
people
are
aware
that
too
much
sodium
is
bad
for
you
but
there
is
an
important
balance
between
sodium
and
potasium
as
well.
Both
sodium
and
potasium
are
needed
by
the
body
in
large
amounts.
The
daily
requirement
is
about
3000mg/day
for
both
of
these
minerals.
Most
people
easily
get
their
daily
requirement
of
sodum
(the
average
is
closer
to
8000mg/day)
but
potassium
is
very
often
deficient.
On a
more
"primitive"
diet,
very
rich
in
fruits
and
vegetables,
there
is a
pretty
good
balance
of
sodium
and
potassium.
All
fruits
and
vegetable
ares
high
in
potassium,
not
just
bananas.
In
most
modern
diets
we
eat
far
fewer
fruits
and
veggies
and
eat
many
prepared
foods
with
added
salt.
This
causes
an
imbalance
with
too
much
sodium,
and
just
as
important,
too
little
potassium.
All
our
nerves
and
muscles
need
the
electrical
"tension"
between
potassium
ions
inside
the
cells
and
sodium
ions
in
the
fluid
outside
the
membrane
of
nerve
and
muscle
fibers
in
order
to
"fire"
or
carry
electical
impules.
If
potassium
is
low
or
marginal
you
will
get
fatigued
much
more
easily
as
nerves
and
muscles
are
easily
delpleted.
Hot
weather
makes
the
problem
much
worse
because
you
are
losing
sodium
and
potassium
through
perspiration.
Sodium
is
replaced
pretty
easily
but
potassium
is
tougher.
If
you
tend
to
get
easily
fatigued
and
"wiped
out"
in
hot
weather,
then
you
very
likely
have
a
potassium
deficiency.
Severe
potassium
deficiecy
can
result
in
muscle
cramps,
especially
of
the
calf
muscle
and
foot.
Eating
more
fruits
and
vegetables
and
drinking
fruit
and
vegetable
juices
can
help
quite
a
bit
but
be
careful
not
to
overdo
too
many
high
sugar
fruit
juices
and
some
vegetable
juice
like
carrot
juice
is
also
high
in
sugar.
If
you
need
potassium
it
is
often
a
good
idea
to
take
potassium
supplements
(see
NOTE
below),
especially
in
hot
weather.
If
hot
weather
bothers
you
and
makes
you
easily
tired,
try
taking
about
5-700mg
of
potassium
twice
a
day.
You
will
often
find
that
this
amount
will
keep
you
from
getting
so
fatigued
and
in
many
cases
actually
seems
to
make
the
weather
seem
less
hot.
There
is a
little
bit
of a
trick
to
reading
the
label
on
over
the
counter
potassium.
Most
or
all
of
the
potassium
you
will
get
in
the
health
food
is
potassium
gluconate
and
the
label
will
often
list
the
amount
of
potassium
gluconate,
not
just
the
amount
of
potassium.
It
is
very
important
to
check
the
amount
of
"Elemental
Potassium"
on
the
back
of
the
bottle.
This
is
usually
90-99mg
per
tablet
even
though
the
front
of
the
bottle
may
say
550
mg
or
more.
Therefore
you
would
need
to
take
5-7
tablets
twice
a
day
to
get
much
effect.
This
sounds
like
a
lot
but
only
translates
to
about
50-70%
of
your
daily
requirement.
Many
sources
will
tell
you
that
you
get
plenty
of
potassium
in
the
typical
american diet
but
I
have
not
found
that
to
be
true.
For
many
people, taking
extra
potassium can
make
a
huge
difference
in
their
energy
level
and
ability
to
tolerate
hot
weather.
Potassium
gluconate
is
carried
by
almost
all
pharmacies
and
health
food
stores
as
well
as
stores
like
Walmart.
I
have
found
that
Walmarts
"Spring
Valley"
brand
is
the
least
expensive.
Some
peole
also
do
very
well
with
a
high
potassium
liquid
product
called
KM
by
Matol.
It
not
only
supplies
potassium
but
the
other
ingredients
seem
to
help
the
potassium
get
into
the
cells
faster.
In
any
case,
for
some
peole
it
works
much
better
than
just
potassium
tablets.
You
can
often
find
a
Matol
distributor
online
or
in
your
local
phonebook.
Remember,
KM
or
5-7
tablets
of
potassium
gluconate
twice
a
day
in
hot
weather
can
keep
the
hot
weather
from
getting
to
you.
Occasionally
some
people
find
they
need
to
supplement
potassium
throughout
the
year,
even
in
cold
weather.
If
you
have
any
questions
about
potassium
or
KM
please
let
me
know.
In
Good
Health,
Daniel
B.
Flemming,
D.C.
NOTE:
If
you
have
kidney
problems
do
not
take
potassium
without
a
doctors
supervision
as
you
may
not
excrete
potassium
properly.
If
you
are
taking
medication,
especially
ACE
inhibitors
or
some
blood
pressure
medications,
you
need
to
consult
your
doctor
before
taking
extra
potassium.
As
in
any
situation,
if
you
have
any
health
condition
or
on
medication
of
any
kind
it
is a
good
idea
to
consult
with
your
doctor
before
supplementing.
Link
to
the
special
Combo
package
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