Contents

Page 1
A bunch of scary studies.
Page 2
Big brother to the rescue (sort of).
Dieters, athletes, and ECA.
Page 3
Diuretics and magnesium.
Page 4
The turf war.
Page 5
Safety & bioavailability.

Warning: The nutrients discussed in this section can greatly improve the health of people with heart failure, hypertension, etc. But before taking these supplements, you should talk with your doctor so that he can monitor you and adjust the dosage of your prescription drugs.

Diuretics And Magnesium

My mother has congestive heart failure. Although I told her (many times) about the benefits of supplements, she did not want to take them: "I have to take a handful of drugs everyday and I don't want to take ANY more pills" was her usual response. Trips to the emergency room occurred frequently. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, the diuretics (water pills) that she was getting from her doctor were depleting her potassium and endangering her life.

The best that several doctors and a heart specialist could do was to give her potassium-sparing diuretics and higher doses of potassium. This did no good because she was not retaining the potassium. Eventually, her potassium got so low that she almost died -- I found her on the floor unable to move. Another trip to the emergency room.

This traumatic experience convinced my mother that the doctors were unable to get a handle on this potassium problem. She didn't want to end up paralyzed again, so she agreed to take whatever I thought would help this potassium problem -- as long as it involved a "reasonable" amount of pills (I take a LOT of supplements).

That night I did a MEDLINE computer search of the medical literature. For the life of me, I can't imagine why the doctors and the specialist (expensivist?) couldn't figure the problem out -- the reason why my mother was unable to retain potassium was easy to find. In fact, there is so much research on this that it's hard not to trip over it. You do NOT have to be Sherlock Holmes, dig? Here are a few clues:

Written
Aug 2000
Last Update
Aug 2000

A medical article titled "Refractory potassium repletion. A consequence of magnesium deficiency" explains how diuretics flush a lot more than potassium out of your system -- and if (when) you get low in magnesium, you will be unable to retain potassium:

"Patients with hypertension and with congestive heart failure appear to be at special risk for magnesium depletion because diuretics are commonly prescribed in treatment . . .  Experimental and clinical observations support the view that uncorrected magnesium deficiency impairs repletion of cellular potassium . . . consideration should be given to treating hypokalemic [low potassium] patients with both magnesium as well as potassium to avoid the problem of refractory potassium repletion due to coexisting magnesium deficiency" (19). [emphasis added]

Consideration???  I nominate that for the understatement of the year award. Lets see . . . hmm . . . If the patient doesn't take magnesium supplements, she will die. Hmm . . . Maybe we should give them thar suppulments some "consideration." What do you think, Jethro?

I realize that medical professionals are busy and abstracts contain up to 250 words, but just the TITLE of this article should have given the doctors and the highly paid specialist a clue: "Potassium/magnesium depletion in patients with cardiovascular disease" explains how 43% of heart patients are at risk of dying (sudden death) from magnesium deficiency:

"below normal muscle magnesium levels have been found in 43 percent of congestive heart failure patients receiving diuretics. Magnesium is important for maintenance of cell potassium . . . an increased risk of sudden death demands that potassium and magnesium deficiencies be treated promptly and that repletion of both electrolytes be considered" (21). [emphasis added]

They said "demands." Right on! Oops, just as I was about to say that it's nice to see scientists with the guts to say it straight, they wimp out and use the word "considered." Hey guys, get real -- it's death or magnesium. What's to consider?

"Introduction: magnesium -- coming of age" discusses how the patients serum magnesium level can be misleading. Do the research scientists have to hit doctors over the head with sledgehammers? Every heart patient with sound kidneys should be taking magnesium supplements:

"Clinical and research evidence continues to accumulate that magnesium deficiency likewise contributes to triggering ventricular ectopic activity and sudden cardiac death ... magnesium depletion can coexist with a low-normal to normal serum magnesium level ... The most frequent causes of magnesium depletion in cardiovascular medicine are diuretic drugs" (22-NA).

So, obviously, I gave my mother magnesium supplements and (SURPRISE, SURPRISE) her potassium level went up and the problem was solved. This has over a decade of documentation in the medical literature. Why is magnesium STILL underutilized? If I were not self-educated, my mother probably would not have survived. In addition to fixing her potassium problem, the magnesium supplements also made my mother feel better -- which is not too surprising since magnesium also improves left ventricular function and exercise tolerance (28).

Fortunately, this experience changed her attitude about pill taking and supplements and she asked me what else she should take. I showed her TWO DECADES of research in medical journals about supplements that are extremely safe and effective for her heart problems. Based on the medical literature, in addition to her prescription drugs, she began taking Coenzyme Q10, Carnitine, Taurine, etc. (I will discuss these supplements in a separate post.) Before this she was in the emergency room several times a year. Since the addition of the supplements more than FIVE YEARS AGO, she has never had to go to the emergency room.

   
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1.) Durlach J, Bara M, Guiet-Bara A "Magnesium level in drinking water and cardiovascular risk factor: a hypothesis" Magnesium 1985, Vol 4 (1), Pg 5-15. PMID: 0004033205.

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