Can anyone tell me what causes a low potassium level?

Eat 2 or 3 bananas each day. Maybe that will help.

Because I have high blood pressure and the medication I am not supposed to eat bananas which I love... so maybe if you eat heeps of bananas they are a good sourse of potassium.

Well I went to a site and read up about this, I will sum up what I've read and just give the important details. Low potassium could be caused by the following: -Magnesium deficiency or kidney loss (disorders) -Leukemia -vomiting -using laxatives a lot -diarrhea -effects of certain medicines (such as water pills) -use of insulin -malnutrition I haven't included everything so if you'd like to read more about it you can do so here: Source: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/low_potassium/page2_em.htm

I am not sure what causes this one. I am not sure I have had mine Tested lately, but I know I was told that if you take a Diuretic like a water pill, or pain pill it can cause Low Potassium as well. But who knows unless you have Blood work done, and they can help come up with a solution for this.

I have a problem with something that causes cerebral edema, possibly in the glial cells. If my potassium is low and my sodium is high, the pressure in my head goes up. My blood pressure, though, is usually normal to low-normal. There are a lot of other diseases that can cause it, I hear, but I'm no expert. I hear if you sweat or urinate a lot, that can contribute to hypokalemia. I also have read that certain types of kidney or kidney-gland problems can also be a cause. I am not a doctor, so I hope that someone who is will respond to this and correct me. You're right, if you have hypokalemia, a couple of bananas are insuffienct. I try to have high potassium foods for every meal, especially if I also have something with more than 350mg of sodium. I'm still tracking those kinds of foods down.

I love detective stories, so I would ask "What changed between the procedure when your potassium levels were good and the procedure where your problem was discovered?" I am slightly familiar with some of the material in this discussion, but I will say I learned even more. I suspect that from time to time my hubby goes pretty low on potassium. So this may be enough for us to get some testing done.

I had that problem for awhile, too, but bananas helped me get past it. If your condition is so bad, you're lucky that you're still functioning normally. My mother-in-law had that problem, and she went completely senile. No one knew what was wrong with her. We finally had to put her in the county home (a beautiful new facility) where they discovered her postassium problem. They started giving her supplements, and she was completely herself again. Of course, she chose to stay in the home until Spring because she liked not having to go out in the bad weather. :O)

A deficiency of potassium in the blood is referred to as hypokalemia and manifests itself in many ways. Among the most serious are arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and even infertility, as potassium constitutes a vital element of seminal fluid. Potassium deficiency will increase acid levels in the body, lowering the natural pH, which will have far reaching effects. Lack of potassium can also aggravate problems caused by lack of protein. If potassium levels are down, the liver cannot operate normally, particularly regarding transformation of glucose to glycogen. A healthy liver should have about twice as much potassium as sodium. Potassium deficiency can cause problems with the formation of connective tissue, and can render normally strong body tissue vulnerable to all kinds of problems. The collagen of a healthy person is approximately as strong as steel, and the strength of bone tissue can be likened to that of cast iron. Lack of potassium may create a susceptibility to fractures, skin lesions that do not heal, or other connective tissue problems. So important is potassium for the protection of collagen that many natural health gurus claim that along with other vital nutrients, it constitutes an essential element of protection against premature aging. As long ago as the 1920s, Max Gerson was the first person ever to cure lupus lesions with a diet designed to reduce abnormally high sodium levels and raise potassium levels to normal, which was entirely raw fruit and vegetables. Potassium is essential to the efficient processing of foods in the body; without it they cannot be broken down into the proper compounds. This can lead to rheumatism, and is one reason why adequate potassium prevents rheumatism.

aids?

There are several things that can cause this. The most common conditions I know of have to deal with the pancreas and out of control glucose levels. I really can't think of the disease name right now but it is directly related to the pancreas and it will basically cause all your muscles to seize up when the potassium level drops. I know my hubby is diabetic and anytime his sugars get slightly out of control and there is any kind of ketoacidosis then we have to attend to the potassium level pretty quickly as it can cause more serious problems. Another thing might be to get your thyroid checked. Apparently that little thing controls alot of bodily functions. I am under the impression though that most severe potassium issues have to do with something upsetting the pancreas. I know potassium pills are so gross and huge, hope everything gets better for you.