Richard and everyone, Someone on another list forwarded this fabulous article about potassium. The author, Joe Vialls, discusses symptoms of potassium depletion, exposes the myths about potassium and sodium, and suggests remedies, based on his own health problems. This is an extremely important article and cleared up a lot of questions I've had over the years. Despite my own research, I never knew how important a mineral potassium is for the proper functioning of the system. This article really drives it home.
It can be found on: http://joevialls.altermedia.info/potassium.html and is reproduced below after the text of this email. Joe chose to purchase one kilogramm of AR (Analytical Reagent) grade potassium chloride salt from a chemical warehouse to meet his needs. It cost him $30.00 -- which is MUCH cheaper than what he would pay for an equivalent amount of potassium from the health food store. (Government agencies in all countries have restricted access to large amounts of potassium in capsules, for politically motivated reasons.) Now, my question, especially for Richard, is this: Before I go out and purchase a kilogram of potassium chloride, based on your reading of the article, is the chemistry sound? I value your opinion as an experienced chemist. Many thanks. Nenah > POTASSIUM DEFICIENCY SCAM KILLS AND MAIMS MILLIONS > Deliberately restricting your potassium intake makes > you very ill, and > thus vulnerable to hundreds of highly profitable > medical "cures" > > Copyright Joe Vialls, 30 January 2004 > > Large graphics, please be patient while page loads > > The title immediately suggests to the > reader that a giant pharmaceutical atrocity has been > inflicted on the poor natives of some far off > third-world country, by a predictably greedy drug > multinational, but this is simply not the case. By far > the largest number of deaths and permanent crippling > disabilities from potassium deficiency occur in > America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several > other western nations. > How this horrific state of affairs came > into being and was perpetuated thereafter, is a very > long and frequently confusing story, meaning that we > must start at the very beginning if we are to have any > real chance of understanding the lethal implications. > We first need to understand what potassium is, how > much our bodies need on a daily basis to stay healthy, > and what happens to us when our body's critical store > of potassium is inadvertently or deliberately > depleted. > Unlike toxic sodium [table salt], > potassium is essential to our health. Potassium is > present in all cells and is critical to cardiovascular > and nerve function, regulating the transfer of > nutrients into cells and facilitating muscle energy. > This wonder mineral also regulates water balance, > assists recuperative powers, and aids rheumatic or > arthritic conditions by causing acids to leave the > joints, thereby easing stiffness. At the same time > potassium is vital for the elimination of wastes, is a > natural pain desensitizer, helps control convulsions, > headaches and migraines, and promotes faster healing > of cuts, bruises and other injuries. > Because of its very high electrochemical > activity, potassium is on the move all the time, and > we need vast quantities to replenish that lost every > day. When we exercise and sweat, we lose potassium > through urine. When we are under extreme stress for a > variety of other reasons, potassium loss can treble > instantly. But as renowned nutritionist Adelle Davis > points out, it is toxic sodium that causes the > greatest problems. "Persons eating [sodium] salt as > they wished excreted nine times more potassium than > when their salt intake was limited, and human > volunteers kept on diets deficient in potassium > retained so much salt that they developed high blood > pressure." > If Mother Nature was to deprive you of > potassium completely, hard scientific evidence proves > you would be dead in less than three weeks. But in > many ways this would be a merciful release when > compared with the infinitely more painful and far > slower death caused by slow potassium deprivation, the > preferred method of the FDA and AMA. Proper scientists > agree the daily potassium requirements of an average > adult lie between 3,200 and 4,100 milligrams, but the > average potassium intake of Americans through the food > chain is only 1,500 to 2,100 milligrams per day, > representing an overall average shortfall of 1,850 > milligrams. > Obviously humans can survive at these > savagely depleted levels, because Americans manage to > eke out about 70 years each, before this basic > potassium deficiency overwhelms them and they finally > die, sometimes in great pain from a number of directly > related illnesses including arthritis, osteoporosis, > hypertension [high blood pressure], angina, strokes > and so on. It is scientifically beyond question that > all would live longer and suffer less pain if they > received the necessary quantity of potassium each day, > which is where the American Food & Drug Administration > [FDA] should do a John Wayne job, and ride gallantly > to the rescue. > Alas, the Food and Drug Administration has > not and will not do so, because of sustained lobby > pressure by the pharmaceutical multinationals. Despite > having full and unrestricted access to the real > scientific data providing hard proof of widespread > potassium deficiency bordering on a pandemic, the FDA > has deliberately avoided specifying a "Recommended > Dietary Allowance" [RDA], while simultaneously passing > a law restricting the potassium content of all > alternative medicines to a mere 100 milligrams. -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver List archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html Address Off-Topic messages to: [email protected] OT Archive: http://escribe.com/health/silverofftopiclist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
