One of my friends is in the hospital today as a result of low electrolyte levels. I was pretty familiar with this condition as my mother experienced it once. I knew it had something to do with imbalance of salt in the body, to get a clearer definition. Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD explains that “Electrolytes are substances that become ions in solution and acquire the capacity to conduct electricity. The balance of the electrolytes in our bodies is essential for normal function of our cells and our organs.”
My friend was told that she drank too much water and that pushed her over the edge. Exactly how did THAT happen, I wondered? I thought lots of water was good for you. The Electrolytes article notes that tests done to determine appropriate levels in your body measure sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate. As anyone who ever took high school chemistry knows, sodium (Na+) and chloride combine to form common table salt. Excessive salt intake is excreted in urine. Sodium, the major positive ion found in the fluid outside of cells helps regulate the total amount of water in the body as well as transmission of sodium into and out of each cell.
Additionally, sodium, being the major positive ion, plays a big role in critical body processes like the brain, nervous system, and muscles, because they require electrical signals for communication. If sodium levels become either too high or too low, things start going out of whack! Too little can even be fatal! Potassium is the major positive ion found inside the cell. So now we have a positive ion outside the cell (sodium) and a positive ion inside the cell. Nope, still no electricity!
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