Potassium and Sodium (from alkalizeforhealth.net)

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Info source: http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/freshjuices.htm

Potassium and Sodium

Potassium is an essential element that acts in many ways to improve cell structure, assists the kidneys to detoxify blood and maintains the alkaline/acid ratio in the blood and body tissues.

The ratio of potassium/sodium is now generating great interest. As early as 1920 a German physician, Dr. Max Gerson, was claiming that many chronic illnesses could be related to an imbalance between potassium and sodium.

We should, according to Gerson, have a potassium to sodium intake of about 4:1.

His theory was that potassium rich foods would generate and activate the white cells within the body - these are the cells that attack and destroy cancer and other illness related cells.

Being interested by Gerson's work and conclusions, I decided to seek out other expert views. Through my friend in Singapore, Robert Yam, I was to contact Dr. Lai Chiu-Nan, who now resides in America, but is still highly recognized within Asia for her research and knowledge about cancer and its treatment. Dr. Lai holds a PhD in chemistry and has written a book, 'The Pursuit of Life'. I was fascinated with what Dr Lai had to say about potassium and sodium:

"Let me emphasize the importance of the potassium/sodium ratio. In our research it was found that increasing the potassium level in the growth media can revert cancer cells to normal cells. The best potassium source in food is vegetables. The high potassium foods are vegetables and fruits. The poor potassium sources are animal or processed food."

Dr Lai went on to say:

"For cells to perform normally, they need to concentrate potassium and expel sodium. In the cells, potassium to sodium ratio is about 10 times. When cell membranes are damaged, potassium is leaked and the cells start to divide. Dividing cells and cancer cells have a lower ratio of potassium to sodium compared to normal cells. That cancer cells grow in an uncontrolled manner is probably related to the lowered potassium-sodium ratio...

...Why am I emphasizing the ratio of potassium and sodium in food? Because it plays a role not only in cancer but also in high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes."

Dr Lai also found during her research that in the U.S. the average intake of potassium over sodium is about 0.7; less than the body constitution, which is around 2:1. Cancer, heart disease and diabetes are common in the U.S., and can be attributed to this factor in the diet. Chinese in general eat more rice and vegetables, and it appears their risk of getting  these diseases is less.

If you think your family regularly has a food balance of 4:1 of potassium over sodium, just read the ingredients section on almost any packaged food (including cereals) in your pantry, but this time don't look just for cholesterol and fat content, but examine the ratio between potassium and sodium. The findings will shock you.

In fact, one of the world's leading brands of corn flakes boasts a ratio of 29mg potassium to 280mg sodium for every serving!

- Ross Taylor, Living Simply With Cancer, pages 38 - 39. 

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"The problem for those with high blood pressure isn't sodium, it's a lack of balance between sodium and potassium levels. More than 25 separate studies show how increasing potassium intake (without decreasing the sodium) is an effective way to lower blood pressure. One of those studies demonstrated that with just one daily serving of a potassium-rich food the risk of death by stroke may be cut by as much as half." - Robert C. Atkins, M.D., author of Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution.

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Other ways to help the arteries are described on our Healthy Heart page.