Mrs D thanks. I've been getting potassium tested for years and it always comes in at the lower end of range. I've been taking extra potassium for a couple yrs now for Fatigue and now seeing the blood pressure connection. I know I don't get requirements from my foods...You mention cantalope, I haven't had any cantalope in a long time...hardly ever eat it when it's in season. Just bought some new bottles of coconut water which is high in potassium so I'll work on that for a while.

My D.O. really doesn't get into blood work etc, she concentrates on bodywork for an hour when I see her. Saw her today and we talked potassium some...told her I'm taking more and cutting out 1 cup of coffee daily. She took BP after my session and it was acceptable.

On the food scene, I don't eat white potatoes, a sweet a couple times a week and 2-3 bananas a week...then my other drinks that are high in potassium.

There are many different causes of elevated blood pressures and also many different manners in which to treat it. It is NOT a one size fits all.

I am always a bit concerned when someone decides to take matters into their own hands and play doctor for themselves, especially without the training nor the testing that is available to physicians.

That being said, unless one KNOWS their levels of anything, I personally feel that "supplementing" is not always a wise decision.

Potassium can actually KILL you. If someone unknowingly has an elevated potassium level and is supplementing their potassium levels, they are causing themselves more harm.

Kidneys play a big part in regulating blood pressure. People with renal insufficiency or renal disease, need to avoid foods containing potassium or at least limit them. Patients on dialysis should NOT be eating bananas.

Just knowing ones potassium levels is not adequate. One also needs to know their BUN and creatinine levels.

Blood pressure is not a simple matter and is best left to professionals to make decisions about how best to treat it in consideration of a lot of other factors for a specific patient. Cardiovascular issues will affect blood pressure. Life style affects blood pressure. Hydration levels affect blood pressure. Kidney function affects blood pressure. What other medications is the patient taking? And the list goes on and on.

Blood pressure meds are also used for other reasons beyond just blood pressure. There are many classes of blood pressure medications, including, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, ace inhibitors, etc.

Physicians do not prescribe blood pressure medications in a vacuum. There are many factors beyond blood pressure readings that are taken into account. This is why a complete metabolic panel should be done prior to prescribing medication and also before one should decide to supplement based upon ONE aspect alone.

The body is a marvelous thing with many regulators and checks and balances. It is when the body can not make the proper adjustments needed, medications come into play. My opinion, if it ain't broke, don't mess with it.

YOU may be causing imbalances for which your the body may not be able to compensate if you supplement things that do not need supplementation.

And if your body can't handle an overload of potassium, cardiac issues will soon follow.

I am sorry if I have offended anyone here, but PLEASE be careful when you take it upon yourself to supplement without knowing what you are doing to yourself.

Research is fine, but it does not give you the FULL picture. Blood pressure is not a distinct separate issue that can be treated without knowing a lot of other factors. One must consider the entire body, not just the systolic and diastolic numbers of one's BP readings.

Some other considerations. Are the BP readings the same in both arms or do they differ? What are the ankle pressures? Which is climbing, the systolic or the diastolic, or both? What time of day was the reading taken? Was the patient sitting or standing? Was the arm at the same level as the heart? Was the cuff the proper size for the patient?

Just some food for thought.

Potassium (K) in Blood: Healthwise Medical Information on eMedicineHealth

Above is an article you may find more informative regarding potassium levels.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

What To Think About
•Low blood potassium values are more common than high blood potassium values.
•An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) may show signs of a very high or very low blood potassium level because of the effect potassium has on the heart. To learn more, see the topic Electrocardiogram.
•Other electrolyte tests, such as sodium, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine, are often done at the same time as a test for potassium.

Very good to be aware of the deficiencies and true, you know your own body and what you are challenged with re: health issues. But be aware of being as optimal as one can be for more optimum health. Minerals are important. IF, you can get it all from whole foods more power to everyone. I cannot so I supplement and I've been working with supps for over 25 yrs and I'm headed to 78 and still learning.

18 Causes of Mineral Depletion

The above link is interesting. I think that its comments about nutrient-deficient soils are very sensible.

However, in my view it makes a number of sweeping statements which would have been strengthened with links to evidence that people can check out for themselves.

Also, I think that some statements in it are misleading.

Some examples:

"Pharmaceutical Drugs -- this is too vast to go into, suffice it to say all drugs deplete the body of a vast amount of nutrients."
Is there any evidence for this claim?

"Radiation - any type of electromagnetic (EMF) frequency has an effect on the bodies ability to absorb and assimilate minerals."
Which electromagnetic frequencies - radio, microwave, infra-red, visible, ultra-violet...? What is the evidence for this claim?

" the body needs appropriate stomach acid in order to break down minerals, namely calcium"
I don't understand what "break[ing] down minerals" means.

"Birth Control Pills -- deplete magnesium and zinc, along with numerous other vitamins."
Magnesium and zinc are not vitamins. Is there any evidence for this claim?

"Sugar - for every molecule of sugar our bodies use 54 molecules of magnesium to process it."
Mg2+ is, in various ways, needed for glucose metabolism. However, it is not "use[ed]" in this process - it remains available.

"Excess Insulin- causes calcium to be retained by the body through re-absorption by the kidneys."
Is there any evidence for this claim?

Hi, I'll just focus on one the pharma drugs. For me, it would be great if I didn't take any, but I do take a few, one being ibuprofen and I know it's toxic to my body. Foreign for my body...so are blood pressure meds as I know these synthetics. And probably the desiccated thyroid support which comes from the porcine thyroid and is pretty much a food based support for my thyroid, but it's still a drug. If others want to research the rest, then can do so.

Hi Kiwi - thanks for the useful Linus Pauling link - as someone who has to manage both potassium & sodium levels 'manually', as my body no longer does it naturally (due to Addison's Disease), it provided some good detailed info.

In regard to the potassium content of food I was told by my endocrinologist to avoid too many 'orange' colored fruits as they tend to be high in potassium: eg: apricots, oranges, persimmons etc. Other than that I eat a pretty normal diet - (mostly home prepared with little processed food) but still eat avocados, yogurt etc regularly. My potassium/sodium levels are tested 3 monthly and are normally within range - the only exception being once after surgery when the potassium was low - which I corrected within two weeks by bulking up on banana's, avocado and yogurt.

A normal healthy diet should provide adequate potassium - it is found in such a wide range of foods. If test levels are regularly low (or high) it may be an indication of another condition which might need medical investigation.

Hi, Kiwi... I'd like to respond to your post. I agree the language is vague on that mineral siteand exaggerates the topics at times. "all" drugs in the quote I bolded is not really accurate. But many or some drugs, yes, do affect nutrient status.

I can provide you some information about pharmaceutical effects of nutrient depletion.

There is a reference that was compiled by two pharmacists who went thru Medline and collected papers on this subject and published a book about it.

Here is one author who has provided excerpts from that work online:
Recognizing Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion in Chiropractic Practice
Click on the button that goes to the chart too for more details.

This reference book is now out of print:
Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook: Ross Pelton, James B. LaValle, Ernest B. Hawkins: 978193598454: Amazon.com: Books

I have a copy however, and do refer to it for posting on this forum at times.

This book is also good, easier to read for the layman, and based on LaValle and Pelton's work:
The Side Effects Bible: The Dietary Solution to Unwanted Side Effects of Common Medications - Kindle edition by Frederic Md Vagnini, Barry Phd Fox. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

It is true that drugs and nutrient depletions is a huge subject. All the data mostly was discovered post marketing of RX drugs. One of the oldest examples that was quickly discovered, was the depletion of B6 by INH.
Here is a paper illustrating that from 1980.
Pyridoxine supplementation during isoniazid therapy. - PubMed - NCBI

Much of the information on this subject comes from post marketing studies on drugs and can take up to 10 yrs or more to be discovered. Many doctors remain unaware of this fact and don't realize that some side effects listed for drugs are really signs of some metabolic changes due to the drugs' effect on the body.

According to this info, cooked spinach and baked potatoe are big potassium winners. I don't either one often at all. I do eat broccoli pretty much and don't have any now. And small/med banana a couple times per week. Just bought a nice supply of coconut water and will work with these for higher potassium.

This info says too the FDA will now be adding potassium content to it's products.

Good if everyone can do all their own fresh cooking and get all their body needs. Older people are more in trouble as they aren't in the kitchen as they were all their lives...that's me.

What Is Potassium?

Caroline, from your link, you could consider adding some yogurt to your diet.

It is a good source of potassium and might add some healthy ("pro-biotic") bacteria to your gut.