Lithium: IMPORTANCE OF LITHIUM SUPPLEMENTATION
Think young into your 90s with this anti-aging secret for your brain. By Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. (www.wrightnewsletter.com) The biggest problem with lithium treatment is people's perception of it. Since its most well known use is for bi-polar disorder, lithium sometimes encounters the same stigma as mental illness itself. I've been taking a lithium supplement every day for several years. But I've never suffered from a mental disorder (although certain mainstream medical doctors and possibly a federal agency or two might disagree). Treating manic-depressive (bi-polar) illness is lithium's most widely known use but it isn't an anti-psychotic drug, as many people believe. In fact, lithium isn't a drug at all. It's actually a mineral part of the same family of minerals that includes sodium and potassium. You might remember reading several editions of Health e-Tips a few months ago that discussed various benefits of lithium. In addition to the benefits mentioned in the e-Tips, like controlling gout and relieving rashes caused by sebhorric dermatitis, lithium also has some great brain-boosting effects. In fact, I've reviewed both recent lithium research and the research spanning the past few decades, and I'm convinced that lithium is an anti-aging nutrient for human brains. And there are also some very strong reasons to believe that lithium therapy will slow the progression of serious degenerative mental problems, including Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia, and Parkinson's disease. So there are obviously quite a few "pros" to using lithium, but you're probably wondering about the "cons." In the 1930's and 1940's, lithium chloride was sold in stores as a salt substitute. But (as frequently happens) some people used way too much and suffered toxic overdoses, so it fell out of common use. Fortunately, lithium toxicity is entirely preventable, and It's also easily treatable if it ever does occur but more about that later. Right now, let's get into some of the specifics on just how you (and your brain) can benefit from lithium....
85 Percent Cluster Headache Relief In Just Two Weeks
Cluster headaches are another one of those inexplicable conditions that my patients tell me always seem to come on at exactly the wrong time. In fact, they might actually be one of the most "mysterious" of the conditions I've listed so far since, like fibromyalgia, the cause isn't known. They tend to attack relentlessly for weeks to months and then often go into remission for months or even years. But lithium (in relatively high doses) can significantly reduce both the severity and frequency.
One study examined lithium's effects on 19 men with cluster headaches. Eight had rapid improvement, an average 85 percent reduction in their "headache index" in just two weeks. Four individuals had both cluster headaches and psychiatric symptoms; these four had almost complete elimination of their headaches. The remaining seven had only a slight benefit.
Another research group tried lithium therapy (again, relatively high quantities) for 14 individuals with cluster headaches. Five individuals had complete disappearance of their headaches, four had significant improvement, and four had no change.
There's no guarantee that lithium will cure your cluster headaches, but there is a good chance that it might help. With so few other options available, It's at least worth a try.
http://www.alternative-health-group.org/lithium.html