Whether you are speaking about plants, animals, or humans, electrolytes are essential for the existence of life. They provide the means, when combined with proper circulation and balanced body chemistry, to maintain proper blood pressure, circulate nutrients, and rebuild damaged tissues and expedite waste from the body, including our lymphatic circulatory system.
Electrolytes in the body are minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride etc. that are dissolved in the blood. When the electrolytes are dissolved they break apart into charged particles called ions. The ions carry either a negative or positive charge. These charged particles create electricity (much like a common battery) that help run the bodies of animals and humans.
Electrolytes are the basis of good health because they are used in the maintenance and repair of all tissue, the utilization of amino acids (cells and tissue "building blocks"), and as the basis of every physical and neurological function. They maintain osmotic equilibrium of our cell walls and the internal water balance that enables muscles and nerves to contract and expand, and wounds to heal. They are also essential for growth and development of the bones as well as the organs.
Electrolytes are responsible for carrying minerals and amino acids to all points of the body. The pH (the measure of acidity or alkalinity) of the body is regulated by the electrolytes. Without electrolyte balance (homeostasis) the body may be in a disease state, nutrient deficient and vulnerable to disease.
Electrolytes help to chelate toxic and inorganic minerals out of the body before they cause damage, and they also assist in the absorption of minerals into the cells where the body can use them.
Electrolytes are the primary factors for cell and immune system health. They keep cell membranes strong, raise their osmotic pressure, so that no virus or bacteria can enter, and maintain correct pH in intracellular fluid so that invading organisms cannot survive.
Healthy cells are kept round by osmotic pressure or osmotic equilibrium - an opposing fluid pressure between the inside of the cell and on the outside of the cell. It is a critical balance and protects the autoimmune system.
It is time for scientist to realize that there is something deeper in man that has to be cared for. We cannot heal a person through symptomatic relief. We must go to the root of the problem – to the cell itself – where electrolytes are at working giving life. It is here that real healing can begin.
Electrolytes supply the spark to cells. They are not fuel that is burned to provide power. Rather, like a spark in a car engine, they are the electric fire that ignites every chemical reaction in a cell. They deliver electrons where needed for reactions, and store charges between events.
Too much positive charge from acids (+) creates and inability to circulate electrons. Excess anions (-) of an alkaline state will overcharge a cell or organism.
Life is a balancing act, so most biological processes need neutral – or slightly alkaline pH to assure a steady supply of electrons. Our blood remains very close to 7.45 pH, and if it changes by .1, we can die. Electrolytes not only help restore neutral pH balance, they also act as buffers that resist any change in pH.
A "neutral factor" "means if we eat something that is too acid or alkaline, our body can prevent a change in pH. A healthy body with electrolytes will temporarily neutralize these extremes. Electrolytes that contain bicarbonates, create neutral factor to buffer body fluids and neutralize anions and cations if positive or negative charge is too strong."
A cell's most critical chore is to maintain the integrity of the cell membrane – the inner-outer pressure balance at a cell wall to separate cell from not-cell. This double layer of lipids is in constant motion, fed by electrolytes. A strong membrane is a cell's first line of defense – the front-line of the immune system. Without electrolytes, this barrier can not be sustained, weakens, and a virus or bacteria can invade the cell.
Electrolytes are key catalysts in thousands of enzymes needed by the cells to make amino acids, proteins, and other organic molecules. When electrolytes form, they generate more electro-chemical activity, attract more minerals, capture more charge. Charge control is the key to enzymes that allow biochemical reactions to occur rapidly, selectively, precisely. Zinc, for one, is used in over 20 enzyme systems.
For example, the pancreas produces enzymes and acids to break food down in digestion. Drinking electrolytes 30 minutes before a meal moistens and recharges soft tissues lining the digestive tract. Then, when you eat, membranes and micro-organisms are ready to digest and absorb food. But further, electrolytes supply the pancreas new ions to make more digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid.
Electrolytes are also critical to nerves-both individually, and collective coordination of the entire nervous system. Nerve impulses are transmitted as an exchange of sodium and potassium ions at the nerve membrane and through the nerve synapse centers. Nerve membrane is encased in long tendrils of protein with a calcium ion attached at the end of each strand. Without this impulse of ion fire, there can be no taste, no smell, no sight, no sensation, no awareness.
Hormones, vitamins and enzymes which activate, regulate and synchronize nerve action all require a mineral ion as key element in their reactive structure, and for their synthesis. For one, cobalt is needed by the pineal gland to make melatonin, the hormone which regulates neurologic function to determine the level of sleep or wakefulness.
This touches only a few of the many profound, essential roles of electrolytes in blood chemistry, cell biology, human physiology, and brain psychology. Electrolytes are the key to unlock energy flow in a cell. They strike the sparks of electric fire that make life happen.
Old-time American ranchers used to drink batches of switchel - a mixture of water, molasses, and vinegar – during haying season. Workouts have changed since then, and, thankfully, so have the energy drinks. The water is still there, but the molasses and vinegar have been replaced with some form of sugar, minerals such as potassium and sodium, and ever-mysterious “natural flavors.” The end result is basically the same: a double shot of water and high fructose corn syrup.
Most people believe a balance of 1 sodium and 2 potassium ratio can help the intake of water when in sports drinks but if you get enough of them in your diet they may not be any help for the first couple hours of a work out.
During prolonged exercise in the heat, people can become dehydrated at a rate of 1-2 L every hour (about 2-4 lbs of body weight loss per hour). Even a slight amount of dehydration causes physiological consequences. For example, every liter (2.2 lbs) of water lost will cause heart rate to be elevated by about eight beats per minute, cardiac output to decline by 1 L/min, and core temperature to rise by 0.3 C when an individual participates in prolonged exercise in the heat. Sweating is the way in which the body maintains its’ core temperature at 37 degrees centigrade. This results in the loss of body fluid and electrolytes and if unchecked will lead to dehydration and eventually circulatory collapse and heat stroke. To minimize disturbances in cardiovascular function and body temperature and to reduce the perceived difficulty of exercise, people should attempt to drink fluids at close to the same rate that they are losing body water by sweating.
The decision as to how much fluid to ingest should be based upon a risk-benefit analysis. Undoubtedly, the most serious consequence of inadequate fluid replacement, i.e., dehydration, hyperthermia, which when severe will cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and even death. The risks of too much fluid ingestion are gastrointestinal discomfort and physical difficulty of drinking large volumes of fluid.
There are three types of drinks all of which contain various levels of fluid and electrolytes: Isotonic, Hypotonic, and Hypertonic. Isotonic quickly replaces fluids lost by sweating and supplies a boost of carbohydrate. Glucose is the body’s preferred source of energy.
Hypotonic quickly replaces fluids lost by sweating, suitable for those who need fluid without the boost of carbohydrates.
Hypertonic use is to supplement daily carbohydrate intake to top up muscle glycogen stores. If used during exercise Hypertonic drinks need to be used in conjunction with isotonic drinks to replace fluids.
Electrolytes serve three general functions in the body: many are essential minerals, they control osmosis or water between body compartments and they help maintain the acid-base balance required for normal cellular activities. The sweat the evaporates from the skin contains a variety of electrolytes. The electrolyte composition of sweat is variable but comprises of the following components: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Bicarbonate, Phosphate and Sulphate.
Lactated Ringer’s Solution (LRS) is a balanced (electrolyte concentration similar to serum) and isotonic (osmolality similar to serum) solution. Na+=131, k+=4, Ca++=3, Cl-=110, Lactate-=28mEq/L. LRS is non-acidifying; and provides small amounts of K+, and large amounts of Na+ and Cl-.
Lactate- combines with H+ to form lactic acid, which is metabolized to CO2 and H2O by the liver. Lactated Ringers, therefore, yields HCO3- (or more correctly, consumes H+) over a period of time as a function of liver metabolism of lactic acid. LRS is an excellent ECF replacement fluid, also of use in Metabolic Acidosis. It is the most commonly used fluid for a multitude of disease processes in all species.
Polyionic R-148 is also balanced and isotonic. Na+=140, K+=5, Mg++=3, Cl-=98, Acetate-=27, Gluconate-=23 mEq/L. Acetate- and gluconate- consume H+ similar to Lactate-. This solution is interchangeable with LRS. Since acetate is metabolized by more tissues than the liver, it is a better bicarbonate precursor and thus has theoretical advantage.
Polyionic R-148D5 and D5LR are solutions of polyionic R-148, or lactated Ringers, which also have 50 grams of Dextrose added per 1000 ml of solution. They are balanced and hypertonic (approximately 550 mOSm/L). The only real problem with these solutions is that they are about 2 x hypertonic. The possibility of phlebitis is increased. They should be given through a central vein and should not be used is there is already hyperosmolar or hyperglycemic. The addition of glucose as an energy source and to prevent hypoglycemia can be very useful.
The knowledge about the fluids of the body during health and illness is still relatively meager. The composition of these fluids is well established, but the factors that influence their rate of movement are practically unknown. The soda pop companies and the sports drinks know what to add as ingredients to get you to drink more, more, more. But they do not know what to add to make you balanced and well, well, well. The latter are especially important because the rates of exchange of the reactants in the multitude of chemical reactions that proceed simultaneously in the living must be somewhat dependent on the rate of exchange of the fluids of the body.
The disturbances in fluid balance may be classified as: (1) disturbances in volume; (2) disturbances in electrolytic osmolar concentration; (3) disturbances in composition; (4) disturbances in distribution; (5) disturbances in the rate of internal exchange.
(John L. Kitkoski (the created of Taste Sensitive Electrolytes) took the mathematical development which dealt with the kinetics of conduction of electrons in biological solids and applied it to conduction of ions in cells because in some respects the cell resembles a solid rather than a liquid.)
For conventional ion transport, the cell is regarded as a semi-permeable bag containing a solution of ions in liquid water. However, the state of intracellular water has been shown to be nonliquid, and major fractions of intracellular Na+ and K+ have been shown to exist in a complexed state. Therefore, it seems more appropriate to consider the cell as an organized, nonliquid phase, consisting of macromolecules embedded in a matrix of crystalline water. Intracellular Na+ and K+ ions may then be supposed to locate themselves mostly in complexed form on sites on the macromolecules (analogous to a valence band), but to be capable of mobility by hopping from site to site through the crystalline water in which the Na+ and K+ are only sparingly soluble (analogous to a conduction band). Such a picture leads to the concept that the conduction and potential of Na+ and K+ in the cell conform to mathematical laws analogous to those governing electrons in semiconductor solids.
Cell water is organized in layer of polarized water molecules, arranged in 10-20 concentric layers around each individual protein molecule. Symmetry of cell water is spherical (or ellipsoidal) around each protein molecule, but with the different spherical arrays randomly positioned relative to each other.
The driving potential for a current across the cell wall of a single species of ion what a single positive charge is the difference in chemical potentials of that type of ion between the inside and outside of the cell. Counter-ions are assumed able to move freely to maintain macroscopic charge neutrality. Interaction of potentials or of currents with other species of ions are assumed not to exist.
The essential chemical difference between the plasma and intercellular compartments relates solely to protein, with concentration of 16 mEq/L and 1 mEq/L per liter, respectively, (For body electrolyte purposes, proteins are considered to be anions.) Otherwise the ionic patterns of the two compartments are so close that they are generally considered to be one in most clinical situations elating to electrolyte balance. The chief extracellular cation is by far Na+ with an average of 142 mE/L. The concentration of K+ and Ca++ may each be taken as 5 mEq/L and that of Mg++ as 2 mEq/L. Hardly as a surprise, CL-, with a concentration of 103 mEq/L, is the chief anion. The average concentrations of HCO3- and HPO4= are 27 and 2 respectively. The total concentration of cation and total concentration of anion hover, in health, close to the value of 155 mEq/L.
Life Balances electrolytes are a melt-emulsion reaction, potentized ionic formula with a free floating orbital. Based on the Gustatory (taste) pathways an individual can determine how much electrolyte fluid replacement is needed at that time. If an individual is deficient, the electrolyte fluid replacement will taste thick and bad. If an individual has good fluid level, the electrolyte fluid replacement will have a thinner texture and a milder taste. If the individual has excesses, the electrolyte fluid replacement will be thin and bitter tasting.
There are many factors that affect electrolyte balance. Every second of every day, our bodies rely on electrolytes just to support normal physiological functions, and as a result, we experience small, daily losses of electrolytes. For instance, the average loss of fluids and electrolytes through perspiration can total 600 milliliters (ml) per day. In respiration, this amount is 400 ml; in feces, 200 ml and in urination,1300 ml.
Other factors such as pregnancy, poor diet, dehydration, use of diuretics, disease, exertion, vomiting, diarrhea, trauma and excessive perspiration significantly increase one’s need for electrolytes.
UNDERSTANDING ELECTROLYTES Electrolyte is a substance whose molecules split into individual ions when dissolved thus allowing it to conduct electrical energies. But we must go back further to understand how to make an electrolyte replacement drink…
Step 1. Minerals: Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic elements having a characteristic crystalline structure and chemical composition. Minerals or macro-minerals are those minerals which the body requires more than 100 milligrams of per day for proper maintenance of health. Macro or trace minerals are those minerals which the body requires more than 100 milligrams of per day.
Some of the most essential minerals and trace minerals have shown a dependency upon being ionic in order to be absorbed in the intestinal lumen and/or to be physiologically valid.
Step 2. Ionic: Of, containing, or relating to an ion or ions. Through digestive processes, some of which are dependent upon sufficient stomach acid, the body is able to break down some other forms of organic or inorganic bound minerals and trace minerals to their ionic form so they can be absorbed. The Life Balances formulation of melt-emulsion breaks down the bound minerals and trace minerals to their ionic form so as to be capable of remaining in free-flowing, non-bound ionic form in a balanced solution.
An ion is an atom or group of atoms that are inherently either positively or negatively charged due to either additional or missing electron(s). This charge causes the ions to interact, attracting or repelling each other in a search for another ion to join with or to give up an electron in order to make the charge neutral.
Inversion vortexing allows for orbitals of atoms to become free floating in a matrix of solution as fluids of the body are largely ionic solutions. The body uses the movement of ions through these fluids and across cell membranes as an intricate part of vital body processes. For example, ions regulate acid-base balance and water balance. Ions also serve essential roles in nerve conduction, muscle contraction, bone and tooth formation, and enzyme activation. In fact, every body process is dependant on ions.
Step:3 Consume Life Balances Electrolytes- The ONLY ionic electrolyte on the market!
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