Natural Low Dose Lithium May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Some alternative medicine practitioners have touted the benefits of low dose lithium supplements for a healthy brain. Dr. Jonathan V. Wright M.D. claims that lithium orotate or lithium aspartate can increase gray matter in the brain without the harmful side effects associated with high doses of lithium carbonate. Lithium carbonate is a prescription medication that is used to treat bipolar disorder by the psychiatric community. High doses of lithium carbonate need to be taken to see results. Typical doses are in the range of 300 mg to 900 mg. Lithium orotate and lithium aspartate are natural supplements that can be found in health food stores. Dr. Wright and other alternative health care practitioners claim that both lithium orotate and aspartate are harmless and free from side effects because only 5 to 20 milligrams are needed to produce results. They say that the natural supplements are utilized by the cells better than their prescription counterpart and high doses are not needed.
Scientific studies may back up Dr.Wright’s claims that lithium can help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. A study conducted by Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit showed that lithium carbonate increases gray matter in the brain. The small study tested ten subjects who were taking lithium carbonate for bipolar disorder. MRI brain scans were taken of patients before they started taking lithium and again four weeks after they took lithium daily. The MRI images showed that all of the tested patients had a significant increase of gray matter in their brain.
The research at Wayne State University used lithium carbonate. It is possible that the two natural forms of lithium could also be beneficial in increasing gray matter. There is not a lot of documented research on the use of low dose lithium orotate and lithium aspartate. Dr Wright and other alternative medical practitioners have claimed that they have treated patients with positive results, but research needs to be done to back up these claims.
It is known that the prescription form of lithium (lithium carbonate) can cause serious side effects, including death. Patients taking lithium carbonate undergo regular blood testing to make sure that they do not unsafe levels of lithium in their system. Alternative practitioners claim that natural lithium supplements are safe because they are taken in low doses and that blood testing is not necessary. The effectiveness and safety of the low dose lithium orotate and lithium aspartate is still considered controversial. A doctor should always be consulted before starting a regiment of natural lithium from the health food store.
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