Learn more about the most important mineral—potassium! Understand the signs, symptoms, and causes of low potassium, and find out what to do for low potassium.
Check out Dr. Berg Electrolyte Powder here: 🛒
More videos on potassium:
▶️
▶️
▶️
0:00 Introduction: Symptoms and causes of low potassium
0:17 Why do we need potassium?
2:08 Understanding hypokalemia
2:49 Low potassium symptoms
6:16 What causes low potassium
9:25 Foods rich in potassium
10:35 Learn more about potassium and other electrolytes!
Today I want to cover the signs, symptoms, and causes of low potassium. I’m also going to share the best sources of potassium.
Potassium is one of the most important minerals. Potassium is involved in the power of the cells. This power generates energy for your nervous system and muscular system. Potassium is also involved in pH and works with other minerals in your body.
Symptoms of low potassium:
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty breathing
• Constipation
• Cramps and twitching
• Arrhythmias
• Hypertension
• Fatigue
• Alkalosis
• Insomnia
• High pulse rate
• Pulsatile tinnitus
Top potassium deficiency causes:
• A lack of potassium in the diet
• Junk food
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Diuretics
• Stress or Cushing’s syndrome
• Sugar and refined carbs
• The keto diet (initially)
• Drinking too much water
• Fasting
• Low magnesium
• Laxatives
• Injuries or surgery
The best sources of potassium:
1. Beet leaves
2. Leafy greens
3. Avocados
4. Squash
5. Lima beans
6. Salmon
ADD YOUR SUCCESS STORY HERE:
FREE COURSE➜ ➜
Talk to a Product Advisor to find the best product for you!
Call 1-540-299-1556 with your questions about Dr. Berg's products. Product Advisors are available Monday through Friday 8am-6pm and Saturday 9am-5pm EST.
* At this time, we no longer offer Keto Consulting and our Product Advisors will only be advising on which product is best for you and advise on how to take them.
Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 57, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.
Follow Me On Social Media:
Facebook:
Instagram:
Anchor:
TikTok:
Send a Message to his team:
ABOUT DR. BERG:
Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
#keto #ketodiet #weightloss #ketolifestyle
Thanks for watching! I hope this helps you better understand the signs, symptoms, and causes of low potassium and what to do for low potassium. I’ll see you in the next video.
56 responses to “Low Potassium: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment”
Thank you once again for keeping me so well informed and above all, sane!
You’re welcome. Glad you liked the information here.
Thanks for all the information Dr Berg !! It has made our lives a lot more healthier. Currently i m doing only IF and trying to stick to low carb diet.. 😊
I’ve heard my pulse in my head before.. people looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to explain what was happening. Now I know what it’s called and the most likely cause. Than you Dr. Berg!
Me too. Have to move so I don’t hear it
@Christine Famiglietti
Apparently your comment is gone. 😁
I’ve also heard my heartbeat in my head. And I n my eyes I see it flash with every heartbeat
Me too 😂
I have it almost all the time. I’m a cyclist, fit and healthy and I eat well. I don’t mind the tinnitus but it makes me concentrate on my heartbeat, which makes me anxious and then my heart races or adds in ectopic beats. And i can hear it, which makes me worry…and then it’s a vicious cycle. I’m so glad I found this video!
Thank you, Dr. Berg, for all your efforts. Can you do another video on foods to cleanse the liver, please? As always, be healthy, be safe.
He’s done a bunch of them already, but the best thing is can do is to limit/ cut out sugar, alcohol and carbs in general
Second best thing is to eat a lot of (lightly steamed) cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, etc) seasoned only with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vineger (if you like), a pinch of salt and some minced raw garlic cloves (which will help in the detoxification process); as for the protein, make sure to include eggs, fatty fish (salmon, sardines, etc) and some organ meats (liver, heart, etc)
Already happened: https://www.youtube.com/@DrEricBergDC/search?query=clean%20liver%20
Here’s some videos that may help!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcS9x01gB18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-soyOq_bU
Dr. Berg’s Support Team.
OMG!!! This is why I love this channel. I spent 13 months going to my doctor and he could not find what was wrong with me. After watching DR Berg I started feeling awesome, my body was missing Potassium, Magnisium, and other minerals. Thank you so much, thank you. I learned so much from you.
It’s Minerals!!! Or minirolls if you fancy a little snack from England 🤣🤣
Almost afraid to ask the age of your GP… then again not surprised given the nutrition courses are reported to be below minimal. I advise my GP now thanks to Dr Berg. I’m almost completely off diabetic meds after only 6 months
@Seattle Six Congrats on being able to reduce your meds! Keep it up! 👍
Ok, i corrected it for the nerds..thanks
Eat your bananas and fruit and excerise simple
Symptoms of low potassium:
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty breathing
• Constipation
• Cramps and twitching
• Arrhythmias
• Hypertension
• Fatigue
• Alkalosis
• Insomnia
• High pulse rate
• Pulsatile tinnitus
Top potassium deficiency causes:
• A lack of potassium in the diet
• Junk food
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Diuretics
• Stress or Cushing’s syndrome
• Sugar and refined carbs
• The keto diet (initially)
• Drinking too much water
• Fasting
• Low magnesium
• Laxatives
• Injuries or surgery
The best sources of potassium:
1. Beet leaves
2. Leafy greens
3. Avocados
4. Squash
5. Lima beans
6. Salmon
Thank you Dr Berg! 🐱👍🏿
Thank you for this too🎉
And wait, I always heard bananas were loaded with potassium, but didn’t make the list?
Cheers!!🎉🎉🎉 Merry Christmas 🎄
Can i copy ot
Thanks a lot Doc Berg
@CCA Nick Bananas have a lot of sugar, that far out weighs the small amount of potassium they contain.
This needs to be pinned
Hi Dr. Berg – I was just diagnosed with RA. How do I know how much to take at one time. I know I get good sodium every day, but I definitely fall short in Potassium foods. I took half the daily dose in Potassium Citrate and I felt light headed, tingly, drop in blood pressure and had to lie down for an hour. What is an adequate dose of Potassium Citrate to ingest at one time to prevent this effect?
In my experience supplementing potassium, I usually do somewhere between 1000mg up to 1800mg mixed in water at a time and I do that 2-3 times a day depending on if I’m fasting all day or getting potassium from foods I’m eating.
@Deadbolthead Thank you!
My sister has RA and what helps her is taking omega 3 fish oil supplements and turmeric. These bring down the inflammation.
I have liquid potassium chloride, and it says the dosage is 99mg….is this a different type of potassium?
@Sharon Wilhelm I have Potassium Citrate in bulk (Bulk Supplements). I then weight out the appropriate mg/g. I sometimes fill the larger capsules. One capsule that I fill is about 1,000 mg.
Got your Electrolyte powder yesterday. Yay! Going to take it during my fasting period this morning. I’m following what You do, Keto ..with my meals at 3pm and 7pm. That’s been working well. I’m thin, and don’t want to loose more weight, and I’ve had full body burning pain for many years. It’s been extremely disabling. I sure hope that this mystery will resolve by putting into practice all I’m learning from your videos 😊
Elimination diet. Go strict carnivore for 30 days, you will feel better, then slowly transition back to Keto introducing 1 food at a time to gauge your body’s response.
Make your own electrolyte powder, much more cost effective.
3 Tablespoons sea salt
1 Tablespoon Potassium Chloride
2.5 Teaspoons Magnesium Glycinate
Single serve is 1 level teaspoon of this mixture.
I also add to my 8oz glass – 1 teaspoon xylitol and 5 drops natural water flavor (lemon/lime) and alternately use fresh lemon juice, with sparkling spring water to make it palatable.
Recipe can be multiplied for bulk amounts. Store with moisture absorber in an airtight container.
@Acidobay on strict carnivore, if I still have the burning pain, then what? I’m taking Thiamax, and low oxalates. I’ve lowered my pain level some, with brain retraining, to break pain signaling loops.
@He restores Test it out first. If pain persists, do a 10 day water fast with electrolytes.
@He restores try a “glycine” supplement for pain..Many with fibromyalgia body pain say this supplement is a miracle worker..pain gone!
@Lion Tribe of Judah I already take glycine.
Thanks Dr Berg. Definitely noticed a big difference in my health since I bumped my potassium intake up dramatically. It definitely took some time and effort to get turned around. Large salads, electrolytes (of course Dr Berg’s) and some time to tune it back in, but what a difference! Thanks for all you do!
Talk about a video being timely….this was it. I had leg cramps last night for the first time in a long time. I’ve also felt like my legs are heavy when I go up the stairs and my breathing is labored. Thank you Dr Berg.
Thank you doctor, I’m 25, My BP shot up to 160/100 last month, I was very scared till today, even my doctor couldn’t explain how it happened.. I finally have the answer. I was a pre-hypertensive, my BP was always 130/80. I was over a 116+ kgs. I decided to do Keto + (20-4) intermittent fasting. I’m familiar with IF so I could manage it. But the mistake I did during this was I increased my salt intake and drank too much water. This must have decreased the potassium levels in my body and increased BP. I had to take BP medication, but everything is fine now. I’m 104 kgs now, all my organs are fine. Always remember folks, never ever do what you don’t know. Consult your before trying anything new.
Thank you so much Dr. Berg for posting this video this morning bc you helped me figure out why I’ve recently been constipated out of the blue . I just started dry brushing my skin 2 days ago to move lymph and help detox . Whenever I dry brush I end up peeing A LOT more so I know it’s moving lymph fluid and I’m loosing a lot of extra fluid and along with it minerals like potassium! Had it not been for this video I would’ve probably never figured it out and then paranoid that my hormones were messed up again. It all happened pretty much immediately after dry brushing- within 24 hours the peeing extra and constipation with no change to my diet at all . Now I’m going to need to take some electrolyte powder if I’m going to continue to dry brush because it really does work and I don’t want to stop.
Watching Dr.Berg for 3 years, this has made a huge difference in my strength, stamina, and eliminated my heart palpitations. I’m healthy by most measures like weight, blood pressure, fasting insulin and glucose so, because I’m active, I also eat sweet potato every mid-day (grow them myself). Recommended by my crossfit instructor, they’re very high in Fiber, Vits. C and A and Potassium – 542 mg. NET carbs are 12-27 depending on size so I eat a small one, raw and cut in wedges like carrot sticks 🙂 If I were obese or have chronic condition (diabetes, high BP, etc) I probably would not eat these. I also have a supplement that contains potassium, salt and magnesium all in one powder (LMNT is the brand) which really gives me a boost when I’m out working in the sun all afternoon. Even though I eat all the potassium foods, I suspect I have some absorption deficiency because the powder is more effective for a quick fix
I can’t thank you enough. I had experienced significant PVC/PAC since 2010. I’ve spent a few nights in the hospital for monitoring, wore heart monitors and have 3 different cardiologist from 2010 until last year when I heard you speak on potassium in another video.
Since that video my extra beats are gone!!! The doctors knew I’m type 2 and not one discussed my potassium intake.
wow
Shocking that the medical profession does not know the basics!
I literally got goosebumps watching this video. For about a year now I’ve had all these different symptoms from muscle twitching, problems sleeping, but mainly i feel my heartbeat throughout my body. Fingertips, neck, ear and more. I started doing Keto and fasting and so far went from 308 lb to 270. My glucose and blood pressure are basically perfect but for some reason the sensation of feeling random heartbeats and what I can only describe as hypersensitivity when it comes to my heartbeat and vibrations have persisted. Will definitely increase my potassium starting today and see what happens.
Magnesium too.
In Mexico, we often eat limes with salt on them. The complementarity of the flavours of the acid being offset by the salt is delicious! Limes have a tonne of K, and the salt (Himalayan) have Na. Amazing! Thanks, Doc Berg! <3
Here in the US we do that as well with limes & lemons…It is very delicious. Its moreso ppl of color who do it here though.
@Tasha Outstanding! Thank you for sharing! Be well! <3
I used to eat lemon wedge with salt 🧂.. I’ll try the lime mmmmm and a Pacifico 🍺
@jerry sanders Los carbohidratos will knock you out of ketosis, mi amigo! 🤣
🇲🇽 <-- ¡que viva!
I remember having many of these symptoms before getting chronically Ill with CFS, or more specifically it was more like ME (as the world Health Organization described it. I had the slow progression type that gradually got worse over the years. It took FOUR YEARS of dietary changes (similar to keto) for me to get back my health. I knew nothing about the keto diet then.. that was the very BEGINNING of me learning how important our diet is in health and wellness. I learned from Doug Kaufman how many dz’s are fungally based. I was at deaths door, after suffering for at least 15 years (if not longer) and had no quality of life.. going from the bed to the couch unable to even stand for 5minutes without feeling faint! It destroyed my ability to earn any kind of living, and I was of no use to anyone.. and had NO IDEA for years it was all due to diet. I wasn’t even a heavy sugar or junk food eater! I had done the “food pyramid “ and focused on “healthy whole grains” as I thought this was healthy! I’d been deceived into believing it was healthy.. because I’d always been interested in feeding my family a “healthy diet!!
Now I’m learning from Dr Berg what a truly healthy diet is! Thank you Dr. Berg for these wonderful teaching videos!
I took prednisolone for 2 years and 3 months without coming off it, I’m 22 (was 20 when I started it) and started to get hypertension, I had muscle weakness, the cramping in my feet and calves and my pulse was very high, it’s still pretty high even after everything and I think corticosteroids can impact potassium levels which would make a lot of sense, I also had chronic diarrhoea which is the reason I had to take them for so long anyway (I have UC) this video was very informative, thank you!!
Thanks to you Dr Berg I have realised that I was deficient in many minerals and vitamins because as a mum of seven, I had been neglecting myself for many years and looking after my family’s health not mine.
I have muscle weakness and cramps and extreme tiredness when exercising that would make me have to sit for a bit. I need to get some more potassium in my diet as I think I may not be having enough. I am on OMAD and the ketogenic lifestyle and am taking electrolytes which have helped immensely especially when working out. Almost at my goal weight and am feeling 100% better than I did before I embarked on this journey.
Thank you for all your work. You have saved my life 💕
Great update, Doc. I’ve never been able to get enough potassium from my foods. There’s just too much exposure to sodium in the American diet. I would also add coughing, outside of outright throat irritation, to the symptom list. I like potassium gluconate.
For those on the keto diet and using it as an excuse to eat lots of protein, you’re going to need extra potassium.
Runner’s symptoms include ‘side stiches’, ‘shin splints’ and ‘calf cramps’.
An observation: The kidneys are passive in that they can only clean the blood they come in contact with in circulation. So extra potassium (and less sodium) combined with aerobic exercise will see the most water weight loss.