Potassium

Optimal Result: 2 - 23 Units.

Potassium is a primary intra-cellular element required for fluid balance, nerve activity and muscle activity.

Sources Of Potassium

Seafood - halibut, herring, lingcod, sardines
Meats - goose
Nuts/seeds - pecans, sesame, sunflower, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts, peanuts
Fruits - avocados, dates, figs, prunes, raisins
Vegetables - watercress, garlic, horseradish, lentils, parsley, potatoes, spinach, artichokes, lima beans, beet greens, swiss chard, collards
Grains - buckwheat, rye, wheat bran
Miscellaneous - chocolate, molasses, mushrooms, kelp, yeast, salt substitutes

Roles In The Body

Potassium has many roles, especially intracellular fluid balance, and cell membrane effects such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse conduction, and cell permeability.

Functions Of Potassium

Circulatory - lowers heart rate, dilates arteries, can reduce blood pressure
Excretory - maintains acid-base balance
Digestive - increases digestive tract activity
Endocrine - helps raise aldosterone and other hormones
Metabolic - involved in carbohydrate metabolism

Synergistic Nutrients

magnesium

Antagonistic Nutrients

calcium, processed food diets are low in potassium

Hair Analysis Notes

Potassium is known as the follow-through mineral. Hair must not be washed at the laboratory to obtain accurate potassium readings.

Reasons For Potassium Supplementation

- to lower a high sodium/potassium ratio

- to enhance energy production

WHAT CAN CAUSE A MINERAL IMBALANCE?

There are many factors to take into consideration, such as:

Diet - Improper diet through high intake of refined and processed foods, alcohol and fad diets can all lead to a chemical imbalance. Even the nutrient content of a "healthy" diet can be inadequate, depending upon the soil in which the food was grown or the method in which it was prepared.

Stress - Physical or emotional stress can deplete the body of many nutrients while also reducing the capability to absorb and utilize many nutrients.

Medications - Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can deplete the body stores of nutrient minerals and/or increase the levels of toxic metals. These medications include diuretics, antacids, aspirin and oral contraceptives.

Pollution - From adolescence through adulthood the average person is continually exposed to a variety of toxic metal sources such as cigarette smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), anti-perspirants (aluminum), dental amalgams (mercury and cadmium), copper and aluminum cookware and lead-based cosmetics. These are just a few of the hundreds of sources which can contribute to nutrient imbalances and adverse metabolic effects.

Nutritional Supplements - Taking incorrect supplements or improper amounts of supplements can produce many vitamin and mineral excesses and/or deficiencies, contributing to an overall biochemical imbalance.

Inherited Patterns - A predisposition toward certain mineral imbalances, deficiencies and excesses can be inherited from parents.

What does it mean if your Potassium result is too high?

High Hair Potassium:

  • indicates high sugar and glucocorticoid levels.
  • very high potassium can be a potassium loss due to excessive breakdown of body cells.

What does it mean if your Potassium result is too low?

Low Hair Potassium:

→ indicates adrenal gland exhaustion.

→ very low potassium is associated with allergies, fatigue, low blood sugar, sweet cravings, and low blood pressure.

A low potassium level on a hair tissue mineral analysis is often associated with excessive excretion of potassium due to stress and adrenal gland weakness. This may contribute to feelings of fatigue and low blood sugar.

-----------------------------

 

If you have low levels of potassium in a hair analysis, it may indicate potential issues related to adrenal function and/or electrolyte balance, rather than reflecting your nutritional status or dietary intake of potassium. The level of potassium in hair does not directly reflect the potassium functions that take place in cells; instead, it can be influenced by various factors.

Low hair potassium (K) may be associated with conditions like gastrointestinal or renal dysfunction or side effects of certain diuretics. In cases of adrenocortical hyperactivity, blood potassium levels may be depressed, while urinary potassium levels may be increased. Interestingly, low hair potassium levels are commonly found in association with emotional stress and may be concomitant with high levels of calcium and magnesium in hair, which is referred to as the "emotional stress pattern".

Symptoms of true potassium deficiency, known as hypokalemia, may include muscle weakness, fatigue, and tachycardia (rapid heart rate). Severe potassium loss can occur in conditions like diabetic acidosis.

To confirm potassium deficiency, additional tests may be conducted, such as measurements of packed red blood cell potassium, whole blood potassium, the sodium/potassium ratio, and urine potassium, and the sodium/potassium ratio. An electrocardiogram may also be used to assess for abnormalities when potassium levels are low in serum/plasma or whole blood.

Frequently asked questions

Unlock Your Health Journey with Healthmatters.io! Ever wished for a one-stop digital health haven for all your lab tests? Look no further! Healthmatters.io is your personalized health dashboard, bringing together test reports from any lab. Say goodbye to scattered results—organize and centralize your lab data effortlessly. Dive into the details of each biomarker and gain insights into the meaning behind your medical test data.

Join the community of thousands who've transformed the way they understand their lab results. Experience the joy of having all your lab data neatly organized, regardless of where or when the tests were done.

For our professional users, Healthmatters.io is a game-changer. Revel in the intuitive tools that not only streamline analysis but also save valuable time when delving into your client's lab report history. It's not just a dashboard; it's your gateway to a smarter, more informed health journey!

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

While we do talk about popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too. It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters. We can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.

Still on the hunt for a specific biomarker? Just tell us, and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account!

There are two ways to add your test reports to your healthmatters.io account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."

Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.

For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you. We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.

Our special data entry service makes it easy to add your results to your private dashboard. Just attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and our skilled data entry team will do the work for you. It's all done by humans, ensuring that your data is entered accurately and with personal care for each client.

Depending on your account, the data entry service can be included for free or come at an additional cost of $15 per report.

For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.

Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.

Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.

The Unlimited plan is a one-time purchase for $250, and it covers your account for a lifetime with no additional payments.

For the Complete plan, the cost is $15 per month. You have the flexibility to cancel it anytime through your account settings, ensuring no further payments. To avoid charges, remember to cancel at least a day before the renewal date. Once canceled, the subscription remains active until the end of the current billing cycle.

Additionally, you can upgrade to the yearly Advanced plan from within your account. The annual cost is $79, and it comes with a data entry service for five reports.

You can always upgrade to a lifetime version with a prorated price from a monthly or yearly subscription.

Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.

Unlocking the insights from your lab tests has never been this intuitive! We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into a treasure trove of testing data.

1. Graph View:

Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.

2. All Tests View

Get a quick grasp of your test reports in minutes! Explore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.

3. Table View:

For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.

Experience the power of clear, organized data visualization with Healthmatters.io — your key to understanding and taking charge of your health journey!

Yes, you can download information from your account. We can compile your labs into a CSV file. To download all your labs, you can go to Account Settings, and at the bottom of the page, you will find a link to download your information.

Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.

A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.

The professional or business account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.


We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.