Lithium

Food Sources of Lithium:

• Dairy Products
• Eggs
• Lemons
• Natural brines
• Potatoes
• Sugar Cane
• Vegetables

Herb Sources of Lithium:

• Plant ash (shale)
• Seaweed
• Tobacco

Other Sources and Brand Names:

• Lithium Aspartate by Premier Labs
• Lithium Carbonate
• Lithium Citrate
• Lithium Orotate
• Oligo Lithium
• Some areas are high in lithium and therefore have very low levels of depressed people.  Areas low in lithium have a higher rate of mental disorders and higher violent crime rates.

Lithium Deficiency Signs:

• Joint pain
• Nervous disorders
• Paranoid Schizophrenia

What Lithium Does:

• Helps regulate nerve impulses by regulating sodium and potassium
• Increases lymphocytic production
• Influences distribution of sodium and potassium
• Influences sodium transport
• Possible cancer suppression
• Stabilizes serotonin transmission in the nervous system
• Suppresses some cells within the immune system thus enhancing the immune system
• Possibly helps increase brain matter (grey part)
• Possibly protects the brain and nerves against glutamates  

Health Concerns—What Lithium is Used For:

• Alcoholism treatment
• Augments anti-depressive drugs
• Bipolar disease
• Cluster headaches
• Manic depression
• Migraine headache prevention
• Mood stabilizer
• Rage and anger
• Used in the making of methamphetamine

Cautions and Comments about Lithium: 

• Because lithium is related to sodium, it is important to drink plenty of fluids (avoid caffeinated beverages) and have an adequate supply of dietary salt. Too little salt can cause the body to hoard lithium instead, and too little water will decrease urination, which again can lead to lithium buildup.
• Lithium is unsafe to take when you have kidney disease as it cannot be cleared from the system.
• Calcium lowers lithium.
• There is evidence that low levels of tap water and/or urine lithium correlate with higher mental hospital admissions due to diagnoses of psychosis, neurosis, schizophrenia, personality disorders and homicides.
• Use may cause metallic taste in the mouth.
• Experts recommend that lithium use be discontinued during the first trimester of pregnancy and throughout pregnancy if possible.
• Breast-feeding mothers should not take lithium.
• Older people do not do well with lithium, possibly because they don’t process water and minerals as efficiently.
• Our bodies contain only 2-3 mg. lithium total. Excess is excreted through the urine and feces.

Drug Interactions:

Some medications that can interact poorly with lithium include:

• Diuretics
• Halidol and Lithium don’t mix and can be very toxic
• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
• Naproxen (Aleve)
• SSRI Antidepressants (Prozac, Luvox)

Helpful Links and Resources regarding Lithium:

• About Lithium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium
• Natural sources of lithium and lithium articles: https://www.townsendletter.com/Nov_2002/dietarylithium1102.htm