Too Much of a Good Thing -- Potassium -- Can be Fatal

   Too much of a good thing, they say, can bad. So, let's talk potassium. If you are a heart patient, your doctor -- realizing you aren't getting enough -- might prescribe it. It seems potassium is a chemical critical to nerve and muscle cells -- including those in the heart.

   But -- listen to this -- you can get too much potassium. Hyperkalemia, they call it, and it's when your potassium level gets a little too high. Too much, and you can die.

  When you are in the hospital, they can monitor your potassium levels. But, what of the heart patient once he is home? He can't monitor his own levels, as home health suppliers sell no such product.

   Now -- reminder here -- potassium levels are critical to the life of a heart patient. One wonders if he should be getting his potassium checked weekly or maybe even more often. How much do potassium levels vary? If we junk up on potatoes on some days -- which are full of potassium -- are we endangering our lives? 

  Yes, we are: "Eating too much food that is high in potassium can cause hyperkalemia, especially in people with advanced kidney disease. Food such as melons, orange juice, and bananas are high in potassium." (Healthline.com) 

  Keep that Internet going. What it says will shake you some more. "It can be difficult to diagnose hyperkalemia. Often there are no symptoms."  No symptoms, you say? That would seem to make monitoring it all the more important.