COMPENDIUM ON FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE - Flipbook - Page 248
Sodium
Sodium is the body’s primary extracellular mineral and plays a
central role in maintaining fluid balance, pH, and osmotic
pressure. It’s essential for nerve transmission, muscle function, and
cellular transport through its role in the sodium-potassium pump.
Sodium also supports kidney, heart, and adrenal health and helps
regulate urine acidity. While blood sodium reflects overall
balance, urinary sodium is often a more sensitive marker of shifts in
sodium and salt regulation.
When to run this test:
● To assess adrenal function
● To evaluate acid-base balance
Range
Units
Conventional
134 - 144 mEq/L
Optimal / Functional
135 - 142 mEq/L
Alarm
155 mEq/L
Potassium
Potassium is the body’s primary intracellular electrolyte, essential
for pH regulation, nerve transmission, muscle function, and cellular
transport via the sodium-potassium pump. Potassium helps
regulate cardiac output along with calcium and magnesium.
Daily dietary intake is necessary because the kidneys don’t
maintain a reserve of potassium. Because it works in coordination
with other electrolytes, imbalances may not simply be due to
dietary intake and should always be looked at in the broader
context of other electrolytes.
When to run this test:
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