Diuretics cause the body to lose the minerals, potassium and magnesium.  Potassium and magnesium are both essential for normal heart function, so the drugs many people take for high blood pressure they believe are saving their life will quite literally be putting their lives at risk.  Additionally, low potassium or magnesium can be the actual cause of high blood pressure in the first place. 

Potassium is part of the electrical system that allows the cells of the heart work and function normally.  Among the common causes of high blood pressure and other heart conditions is spasming of the muscles and blood vessels caused by low magnesium.  The average U.S. diet only supplies approximately one-tenth of the magnesium people require for good health (Nielsen).  Many drugs can cause you to lose magnesium and as a result, the drug prescribed for treatment actually causes the problem to get worse.

Important note about magnesium testing: Your Lab result must say RBC (red blood cell) or erythrocyte magnesium.  If it just says “magnesium”, it is the incorrect test and it can look “normal.”  Normal magnesium can be low enough to give you a heart attack.