It’s summer! It’s hot!
In order to stay hydrated, people are wondering if there is more to it than drinking water. The more water I drink, the more I pee! Some of you want to avoid that.
For the water to go into your cells and not directly to your bladder, it needs to be able to pass through the cell membrane. Besides water with a low surface tension – see my blogs on structured water – the answer is electrolytes! You also need to replace the electrolytes you are losing from sweating.
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge in your body. They are the key to your cells’ communication system.
Most cells, like in your muscles, especially the heart, and brain use an electrical charge to create a signal to communicate. Muscles contract, nerve cells fire through the signals produced by positive and negative electrical charges.
This charge comes from electrolytes. They are dissolved in the water surrounding your cells and pass back and forth across cell membranes creating signals for cell function. The cells then coordinate beautifully with each other, allowing us to function.
Low electrolytes = low function. Symptoms include muscle cramps, headache, fatigue, in short, everything you don’t want.
We lose electrolytes through sweating when it is hot, or we are moving around a lot – like during exercise.
So let’s replace them!
Sure, you can put a pinch of salt in your water, but it turns out your body has a bit more sophisticated needs.
The human body needs five electrolytes in balanced proportions to function:
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Chloride
Table salt provides sodium and chloride. Sodium chloride is also the #1 ingredient in electrolyte drinks or powders, with a far greater quantity than other electrolyte salts.
The problem is that most of us don’t need more sodium. Most US adults (90%) in this study had sodium intakes greater than 2300 mg/day, which is the upper limit of the recommended amount.
Funny thing is that research shows that one of the benefits of exercise is that it removes excess sodium from your body! Replacing so much sodium can create more harm than good.
What most of us need are the other electrolyte minerals: potassium, magnesium, and calcium. In fact, potassium is the single most prevalent nutrient deficiency in America. What may be most important is the sodium to potassium ratio.
Only about one-tenth of US adults have a sodium to potassium ratio consistent with the WHO guidelines for reduced risk of mortality which is less than 1:1 sodium to potassium. That’s right! We need as much or more potassium than sodium! Most adults have sodium intakes >2300 mg/d, whereas <3% had potassium intakes >4700 mg/d. The main potassium sources include vegetables and fruits, not electrolyte drinks!
Check the label
Right now, let’s take a look at three labels of popular electrolyte replenishers.
You can see a wide range of sodium from 70 to 270 to 1000 mg, with the higher limit contributing almost half a day’s amount! Potassium ranges from 80 to 200 mg, a drop in the bucket of 4700 mg/day, and not even near equal the sodium amount. Plus from 0 to 60 mg of magnesium, which at the most is 15% of RDA.
If you have used any of the powders, you may have noticed that there are dregs at the bottom of your glass which did not dissolve, consisting of everything but the sodium and chloride. I usually ended up rinsing it out of my glass because I could not get it in my mouth. So perhaps I didn’t even get the potassium and magnesium or whatever else was in there.
In addition, magnesium and potassium salts are very bitter, so there is a reason they are not added in meaningful quantities or sugar is added to mask the taste.
The truth is these don’t give you the electrolytes you need to actually replenish your stores; they simply do not work very well.
What works?
It looks like what we really need in electrolyte replenishment is something that:
- is as close to as provided in Nature as possible
- provides the full spectrum of electrolytes
- is in a balanced ratio
- provides high bioavailability
- is rapidly absorbed
- is easy to take
I recommend Electrolyze by BEAM minerals because it is in an ionic form derived from ancient soil. You should know by now that I favor what comes directly from Nature for health and healing.
When I say ionic form, it means the minerals are in their electrolyte form with an electrical charge, as opposed to a salt. When two charged ions come together, like sodium and chloride, they make a salt. Most electrolyte replenishers are made from salts, which as I discussed, have to be dissolved in water. That is easy for sodium and chloride, but not for the other essential electrolyte minerals. The electrolytes in Electrolyze are already in their charged, ionic form.
The electrolyte-rich component of soil in Electrolyze is fulvic substance. The soil it comes from is from the era of the dinosaurs! After that last extinction, our soil has not come back as rich yet, so it is amazing that this soil from the past is available to us today to nourish us.
The fulvic substance in Electrolyze contains all five major electrolyte minerals in an ideal ratio. Instead of a massive amount of sodium without enough other electrolytes to compensate, fulvic offers balance.
So we now have three checked off this list of an ideal electrolyte replenishment.
The amazing thing about fulvic substance is that it actually enhances absorption. It binds to minerals and carries them in your bloodstream to deliver them to your cells. Then it easily passes through your cell membranes to deliver electrolytes straight to your cells. This happens within minutes. Among several similar studies, a 2018 study showed that fulvic acid improved the absorption of almost every essential mineral, including all electrolytes.
Fulvic just checked the boxes of highly bioavailable and rapid absorption.
And I can attest that it is easy to take: I just chug one-half ounce of the liquid in the morning. It doesn’t take like much, for most people it just tastes like water.
What exactly is in it?
Here is a certificate for analysis of what’s in it. Electrolyze is identified just as “Fulvic.”
It is a little misleading, because it is listed in ppm, parts per million. Still, you can see that the sodium to potassium ratio is 78.4/357, which is way less than 1.
While these look like tiny amounts, since they are in their ionic electrolyte form, they are completely available to the cells. Each cell will determine what, how much, and when they need it.
If you have special needs like a kidney disease diet, or low-sodium requirements, you can calculate exactly how much of each mineral you are getting in your dosage.
To convert parts per million to milligrams in one one ounce serving, you can use this formula:
X ppm/33.8 = Y mg/oz where X is the parts per million listed above, which you divide by 33.8 which is the milliliters per ounce. In this case, it turns out that parts per million is the same as parts per milliliter.
So for example: Potassium 357 ppm/33.8 oz = 10.6 mg/oz
Remember that RDA are not given for ionic forms of minerals, so although it looks tiny, it is significant on the cellular level.
How do I get these ionic electrolytes?
BEAM – “Best Electrolytes And Minerals” is the company that sells Electrolyze. It also makes MicroBoost which is larger humic complexes with minerals. See my blog Replenish Minerals for an explanation of the differences and why you might want both.
Electrolyze™ is the liquid product primarily composed of Fulvic Mineral Complexes, small molecules that transport nutritional elements into the cells and carry bio-waste out of the cells. Besides providing extraordinary electrolyte support, it:
• Boosts body’s innate energy production systems
• Supports nutrient assimilation
• Curbs sugar cravings
• Activates metabolism
• Replaces salts and powdered electrolytes
Now, if you tend to get muscle cramps or are an athlete, you might want to also get the form of Electrolyze which can easily be applied topically in a spray bottle.
Insta-Lytes™ is the Electrolyze in a 100% bioavailable misting spray, allowing you to apply it directly where you need it most. It is absorbed directly through the skin for an instant infusion of electrolytes for replenishment, hydration and detoxification.
• Resolves acute cramping symptoms (keep it by your bed at night if you get night cramps)
• After an intense workout with soreness related to lactic acid buildup
• Relief to acute sunburn.
• Spray on face for relief for tired eyes.
You can Download this instruction sheet for how I recommend that you use them.
Order with my discount code
You can get the Electrolyze, MicroBoost, and Instalytes from me in my office, or you can order with my link and code to get them delivered directly to your home.
When you order through this link, put in my discount code DRCHERYL. It gives you a 20% discount on anything not on special or subscriptions which are already discounted.
