Potassium Info

3 Different responses

Because of my recent experience with potassium, calcium & magnesium, I am becoming more and more convinced that trich is primarily caused by a chemical imbalance and is not purely a behavioral disorder. It seems that most of us with Trich are fairly normal except for the pulling. I recently read a book by Betty Kamen, PH.D. called "EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT POTASSIUM BUT WERE TOO TIRED TO ASK." According to Dr. Kamen, the following disorders commonly are caused by a deficiency in potassium:

Anorexia Chronic Fatigue Depression General FatigueHeadaches Hypertension Insomnia Muscle Tics & Twitching Nervousness Muscle Weakness Neurological Disorders Weakness & Lethargy

Knowing this, it makes a lot of sense to me that a deficiency in potassium could easily aggrivate or even cause such disorders as Trich, nail biting, skin picking and even OCD. Several weeks back someone posted about a parrot that plucked itself bald. Just out ofcuriosity I called half a dozen veterinarians and asked what should be done for a bird that is obsessively plucking all of its feathers out. Most all of the vets said that a vitamin supplement should be added to the poor birds water and that anything stressing the bird should be removed from its surroundings. Sound familiar??? I've read several posts from people wondering how much potassium can be safely taken in supplemental form. According to Dr. Kamen, it is safe to take 800 mg. of potassium daily (i.e. eight 99 mg. potassium tablets). This equals the amount of potassium commonly found in twobananas. It is most effective to take 1 to 3 tablets with each meal.Note: Anyone with kidney disease or using potassium sparing diuretics should not use potassium supplements. Otherwise, potassium supplements are considered to be very safe.

I had some ideas as to why the potassium may not be working for you, they are outlined below for your consideration:  (David S)

1. With regard to soothing the nerves and calming anxiety, Potassium Gluconate is the form of potassium that has worked best for me. If you are using another form of potassium, you may want to also consider the gluconate form.

2. The adrenal glands play a critical role in our ability to deal with stress. Potassium is considered to be one of the most important nutrients involved in supporting the adrenals. According to Michael T. Murray N.D., author of "Anxiety, Stress & Insomnia" and of "Natural Alternatives to Prozac", having too much salt in the diet can harm the adrenals and severely interfere with potassium's ability to support their function. If your diet consists of mostly boxed breakfast cereals, baked goods, pizza, fast food, TV Dinners and restaurant food, there's a 99% probability that you have way to much salt in your diet. To be healthy, medical experts recommend that we consume five times as much potassium as sodium (i.e. salt).  Most American consume two times as much salt as potassium. In other words, the ratio of potassium to sodium is off by ten times (in the wrong direction). If your diet is pretty healthy, you may want to also consider the following...

3. According to Dr. Murray, there are other nutritional deficiencies that can lead to depression and anxiety. These deficiencies involve the following nutrients: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, B6, B12, Folic Acid and Vitamin C. For this reason I also take a multiple vitamin. Dr. Murray recommends that anyone suffering from stress, anxiety, depression or a neurological disorder take a good quality multiple vitamin. He indicates that the multiple should have at least 200 to 500 mg. of potassium. I've never seen a multiple vitamin with more than 99 mg of potassium (thanks to our FDA). If you are not currently using a multiple vitamin, you may want to consider this in addition to taking extra potassium gluconate.

4. Essential Fatty Acids (i.e. Omega 3 oils) found in fish and flax seeds are also critical in protecting your nervous system. Udo Erasmus, author of "Fats That Heal - Fats That Kill" has stated that 95% of American are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids. Because of this, I also take one tablespoon of Barleans flax seed oil daily.  There are other cheaper brands, but Braleans works best for me. The cheapest and healthiest way to get your Omega 3 oils is to eat ground flax seeds. Most mornings I add ground glax seeds to a whole grain breakfast cereal. Another way to get a healthy dose of all your essential fatty acids is to eat fish at least three times a week.

5. Drinking a tea formulated to relax the nerves really helped me to effortlessly sail through the first month of being pull-free.   Drinking the tea during the times I was most likely to pull (i.e. watching TV or reading) was most effective. The best tea that I am aware of for soothing the nerves and calming anxiety is called Birthright Tea. It was formulated by Hanna Kroger who is an internationally known and respected homeopathic practitioner. Hanna has authored well over 50 books on health & nutrition. I spoke with Hanna about Trich and the best way to stop...she recommended drinking two cup of this tea daily. I used it, it worked well for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who is in their first month of trying to be pull free. The tea can be ordered from Hanna's Herb Shop in Boulder Colorado (303-443-0755). The cost is $3.00 per box. I recommend getting 3 boxes to get you through 1 month of drinking two cups per day.

6. The last thing you may want to consider adding more healthy foods to your diet and eliminating trigger foods. For me, chocolate and caffeine are BIG triggers. According to Dr. Murray, to calm your nerves and relieve anxiety you may want to...

A. Limit consumption of refined sugar

B. Limit consumption of refined carbohydrates

C. Decrease intake of saturated fats

D. Supplement diet with 1Tbs. of flaxseed oil daily

E. Increase fresh fruits and leafy green vegetables

F. Restrict alcohol and tobacco use

G. Restrict intake of caffeine (including chocolate and tea) Venice & Lee, for many years now I've been eating a fairly healthy diet and using a multiple vitamin in addition to taking flax seed oil and/or eating ground flax seeds. However, this did not help me to stop pulling. What finally made the difference for me was supplementing with potassium gluconate in addition to extra calcium and magnesium and using the soothing tea mentioned above. A nutritional shiboleth is "No Vitamin Or Mineral Works In Isolation." This may be particularly true of potassium and why it hasn't been effective in reducing your urge to pull. In providing these suggestions, I'm not presuming that either of you aren't already a health nut, however, just in case your not, you may want to give some of them a try.

Hope This Helps,

David S.

(Some info now from Keri)

When I read on the BB the first week of Jan. about Potassium I really didn't
think it would work. I never thought of Potassium as something that would help
me. I always thought of it as a heart regulator, which it is. Plus I had taken
St. John's Wort and it didn't do a thing for me, so I really wasn't to
optimistic about the Potassium.

I have had this problem for so long. Willpower is truly the answer to this
problem, but the Potassium really takes off the edge for me. When I'm on it I
really have no to desire to pull my hair at all. Still pull-free since Jan 8.
David S. seems to have all the infor on potassium. But I can tell you what I
take and what I have done and what works for me.

I started out taking three 99(550) mg Potassium tablets a day, one with each
meal. Now I take two a day one at mid morning and one at about 2:00pm. I don't
like to take too much of anything if possible. My doctor said this amount for
me is fine. I see my doctor at the end of Feb I'll tell you what she says
then. I think David S. says he takes two tablets with each meal.

Side effects can be dieahreaha, stomach upset. If you have kidney or heart
trouble you should see a doctor before using. I have had no side effects
except the reduction in want to pull my hair.

The tablets I take are way under the daily-recommended total dosage.

Everyone needs Potassium in their system, if you don't have Potassium in your
body you will die.  One way to lose potassium from your body is through laxatives, people have died this way.

Here's what I found on the web about Potassium:
Potassium deficiency may result in nervous disorders.
Potassium is an important mineral that plays a vital role in the transmission
of electrical impulses through the central nervous system.
Deficiency of Potassium resulting in mental confusion.