A lot people don’t realize though that lithium is actually a nutritional element that we get through our diet, not in really high amounts but it is important to help stabilize brain chemistry. There have been studies where they have looked at various communities and one thing they have recognized is that as the lower the rate of lithium in the water supply in particular communities, the higher the rate of crime, sometimes violent crime. So in this study, it has been repeated in various communities around the United States as well as around the world.

One thing lithium helps to do is stabilize a particular receptor in the brain called NMDA. NMDA is very much associated with the electrical or excitatory activity within the brain and certain substances like glutamate, glutamate is amino acid and helps to stimulate NMDA receptors, and lithium helps to stabilize that receptor. Which basically means lithium helps make that receptor site not so sensitive, not so easy to activate. That is very important because in a lot of neurological disorders, Alzheimer’s for example or other types of neurological conditions, and for Autism as well, NMDA receptor activity or over excitability of the NMDA receptor can lead to premature cellular damage and can lead to many neurological problems.

So lithium as a particular nutritional supplement, in low doses, we are talking sometimes 500 mcg to 1000 mcg maybe upwards of 5000 mcg in some individuals, can be very helpful for brain support and I have seen lithium be very helpful to stabilize their mood, decrease some of the irritability and agitation that kids can have. We also know this can be helpful in adults as well. So think about nutritional lithium as a potential supplement for your child if they deal with mood disorders, irritability, agitation, even aggression as well. New Beginnings Nutritionals, www.nbnus.com, carries a very good form of nutritional lithium.