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[RC] Chloride and electrical neutrality - Eleanor Kellon

If I remember the electronics of the body correctly Na+ (sodium) is the charge that generates the current. Potassiums (K+) is the ion that establishes the threshold voltage required for a muscle to detect the current and respond by firing. Such thing as heart arrhythmia is associated with K+ unbalance - in fact KCL is a component in the drug cocktail used in executions in many states because arrhythmia is a flaw in the resting threshold potential. Good things horses evolved to dump excess K+. Too bad we humans didn't.

Truman
 
That's right, but the role of chloride, an anion present in concentrations almost equal to those of sodium, is becoming more well understood. Detailed review here:
 
http://physrev.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/82/2/503

Eleanor

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Eleanor M. Kellon, V.M.D.
Equine Nutritional Solutions
58 Maple Farm Road
Ephrata, PA 17522