Small dose, big benefits

Q: I recently subscribed to Nutrition & Healing and was surprised to see that you recommend lithium as something that everyone should take on a daily basis. I thought lithium was something that was only used in severe mental disorders. Also, isn’t it rather dangerous?

JVW: Most people only know lithium as something used to control manic-depression. And, at high doses it is very effective for this purpose. Someone with a bipolar disorder may take as much as 900-1,800 milligrams a day of lithium carbonate. At these levels, lithium is only available with a prescription, and patients must be monitored closely to guard against overdose and toxicity.

However, taking lithium as a brain-boosting supplement doesn’t require nearly that high of a dose. For over 30 years, I’ve been recommending low doses in the range of 10 to 20 milligrams from lithium aspartate or lithium orotate daily. For the first few years, I monitored my patients’ blood levels very closely, but when I never found any problems at these doses, I decided such testing was unnecessary. I do advise my patients to take extra quantities of essential fatty acids when they add a lithium supplement to their routine, however, just to be on the safe side.

Still, it is always a good idea to work with a natural medicine physician when starting something new — they may also be able to help you locate the low dose capsules or tablets to begin with. You can contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine (949-583-7666; www.acam.org) to find a skilled natural physician near you.