What is electrolyte imbalance?
Electrolytes are pieces of chemicals that your body uses for various processes like nerve trasmission, muscle contraction, etc. They include salt, potassium, calcium and the broader term may also include carbonates and chlorides, things that your body uses to regulate “acid / base” balance. Your body is always trying to keep itself in a state of sameness, and does this by regulating electrolytes and the “acid and baseness” of your body, simplistically. Your body is designed to accomodate for the normal state of digestion, but making accomodations for chlorides, potassium, etc. that would occur and be absorbed during the process. When someone vomits, or overuses laxatives, they throw that normal balance out of whack by speeding up the process of digestion (eg. by taking laxatives and not allowing water to be absorbed in the large intestine) or by vomiting (and not allowing for the acids in the stomach to contribute to acidity later on). Also, key electrolytes are absorbed at different s
When you vomit, as in bulimia, you do not only lose water, but also electrolytes, especially potassium and sodium. These electrolytes play a major part in homoeostasis (keeping the body in balance). Therefore, an electrolyte imbalance, if not corrected, can cause serious illness and can even be fatal. For example someone with severe diarrhoea and vomiting would be given dioralyte, which is a re-hydration drink designed to replace lost electrolytes.
electrolytes are certain nutrients that dissolve in the water within your cells and help transmit signals along and thru your muscles and nerves. An imbalance is when you either have too much or too little, or have too much in one part of your body and not enough in another. In either situation, this means your muscles and nervous system don’t work as well as they could. You will be weaker and slower, and your reflexes will suffer. More severe cases can cause dizziness, fainting, fatigue, even seizures. Truly bad cases can cause death, as your heart doesn’t get the signal to beat properly, or your lungs don’t get the signals too breath.
