A friend of mine recommended this. What is it used for? Is it safe and BTD compliant?

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SW1311/ItemDetail

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_pharmacology

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Upon ingestion, lithium becomes widely distributed in the central nervous system and interacts with a number of neurotransmitters and receptors, decreasing norepinephrine release and increasing serotonin synthesis.

Lithium salts are most known for treating mood disorders. Read the whole article.

Quoted from Karma

A friend of mine recommended this. What is it used for? Is it safe and BTD compliant?

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SW1311/ItemDetail

If you do not have a specific goal in mind I would not take it.

Lithium is a psychoactive drug used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Also used to treat problems with impulse control and certain blood disorders.

Note on the page you linked to this comment: "Lithium aspartate should be used with care under the supervision of a qualified health professional."  That is for a product with a very low dosage. Larger dosages normally require a prescription.

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It is not rated for blood type - I presume this makes it neutral.

It is not included in the Encyclopedia which may indicate that Dr. D. does not commonly recommend it as a supplement to his patients. It is not a new drug so it is unlikely it was unaware of it when he published the encyclopedia.

Some of the claims for dose lithium include:

Helping to control glucose metabolism
Regulating the production of serotonin
Dissolving excess uric acid in the blood and/or kidneys
Facilitate the transmission of messages over neurons

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You link to Lithium Aspartate. I personally have problems
with any supplement with aspartate be it lithium, zinc, magnesium, or potassium.

Aspartate is a common amino acid, so I presume most other people should not have problems with it.

Aspartate is a part of aspartame which many people have problems with (including myself).

I don't know this stuff but normally lithium as a chemical compound is for mental disorders, btw it makes terribly fat and should only be used by docs. prescription....

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Combating goutic conditions

    Quoted Text
    Dr D
    Lithium and vitamin C (usually in the form of cherry juice)

http://www.bing.com/search?cp=1252&FORM=FREESS&q=Lithium&q1=site%3Adadamo.com

What are you trying to achieve by using this product?

My mother was a Manic-Depressive (Bi-Polar) and was prescribed Lithium.

Lithium, when used to treat bipolar disorder, is in MUCH higher doses than this supplement.  According to rxlist.com http://www.rxlist.com/eskalith-drug.htm it's available in 300 mg and 450 mg pills- as compared to the 5 mg pills Swanson's is selling. I can't beleive they'd have the same effect on the body.

Pharmaceutical doses of lithium have a powerful effect on the body, and I think they're linked to birth defects when taken by pregnant women. I have no clue what effects (good or bad) this low-dose product might have. It still might be a high enough dose to cause imbalances with other minerals.

Lithium is a mineral. It's probably present in things like sea salt and vegetables grown in mineral-rich soils. It's probably safest to consume it that way, as a component of mineral-rich foods, in proportion with other minerals as found in nature.

While the prescription form of lithium is at a higher diet it is in a compound that generally has lower absorption than lithium aspartate.

Sellers of the low dose supplements make psychological claims for their products.

AS a pointed out above, while the low dose product above does not require a prescription it includes a warning on the label:  "Lithium aspartate should be used with care under the supervision of a qualified health professional."  

Normal intake of Lithium from diet is 1 to 3 mg per day.

Quoted from Karma

A friend of mine recommended this. What is it used for? Is it safe and BTD compliant?

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SW1311/ItemDetail

Is your friend a Dr. or a Health care practitioner? Recommended it for what? If you have a particular issue you are dealing with I'd suggest either the Health Protocols under the drop-down menu on this page or find a qualified practitioner.

Since no one is presenting the other side, I thought I should point out some of the things that people take low dose lithium for (and that I have taken it):
            

• Lyme Disease
  
• Pain associated with migraine and cluster headaches
  
• Depression
  
• Mood disorders
  
• Regulating glucose metabolism
  
• Regulating the production of serotonin
  
• Brain Protection(lithium can rejuvenate and build the grey matter nerve cells in the brain)
  
• Assists in the absorption of folate and Vitamin B12
  
• Neuroprotection From Environmental Toxins
  
• Juvenile convulsive disease
  
• Facilitate the transmission of messages over neurons
  
• Alcoholism and liver disorders
  
• Hyperthyroidism and other thyroid diseases
  
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  
• Affects the way that salt is absorbed in the body
  
• Anti-Aging Effects
  
• Dissolving excess uric acid in the blood and/or kidneys
  
• Low white blood cell counts
  
• Reduce aggression
  
• Reduction of myopia (nearsightedness) and glaucoma
  
• Bipolar disorder
  

Quoted from C_sharp

Since no one is presenting the other side, I thought I should point out some of the things that people take low dose lithium for (and that I have taken it):
            

• Lyme Disease
  
• Pain associated with migraine and cluster headaches
  
• Depression
  
• Mood disorders
  
• Regulating glucose metabolism
  
• Regulating the production of serotonin
  
• Brain Protection(lithium can rejuvenate and build the grey matter nerve cells in the brain)
  
• Assists in the absorption of folate and Vitamin B12
  
• Neuroprotection From Environmental Toxins
  
• Juvenile convulsive disease
  
• Facilitate the transmission of messages over neurons
  
• Alcoholism and liver disorders
  
• Hyperthyroidism and other thyroid diseases
  
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  
• Affects the way that salt is absorbed in the body
  
• Anti-Aging Effects
  
• Dissolving excess uric acid in the blood and/or kidneys
  
• Low white blood cell counts
  
• Reduce aggression
  
• Reduction of myopia (nearsightedness) and glaucoma
  
• Bipolar disorder
  

Yes, I know of some people at LongeCity.org who take lithium, but I'm not sure why. I believe it was an orotate salt.

C_sharp thanx for sharing...very interesting....does it has any relevances with weight gain  

Several issues with weight:

1) One is if you are mentally depressed you may cope by eating.

2) Lithium effects sugar metabolism which directly effects weight.

3) Lithium affects salt balance in the body which affects how much water your body retains, which affects weight.

Typically taking lithium results in weight gain (probably mostly from point 3).

When I was on Lithium, I gained a lot of weight, and not just "water weight." Of course, I was on 4 other psych meds simultaneously, so it's hard to know which side effect came from which drug. I got up to 190 lbs; heavier than I was right before DD2 was born. The hospital WAY over-medicated me, along with mis-diagnosing me. I never had a manic episode in my life, so the meds for bipolar were completely unnecessary.

Had I known to cut out wheat and dairy, I could have avoided that whole nightmare.

ahem even as an aspartic form and not the true dirty stuff
yiikes I never would recommend this as an anti aging product   if you become fat instead   

My experience was with the high-dose pharmaceutical stuff, not the much lower dosed kind sold as a supplement. I don't know what side effects the supplement would have.

Lithium, according to Dr Batmanghelidj and his watercure, is a substitute for natural sea salt

I took lithium orotate 5mg for ages.  I would still be taking it now if it wasn't for the fact that I am pregnant.  It is very good for high norepinephrine types (me) as it lowers that and lifts serotonin.  I also found it great for social anxiety.  I took up to 2 tablets a day.  I didn't notice any huge weight gain.  At the time I was gaining from doing a dairy heavy very low carb diet, which didn't suit me.  I was still taking lithium orotate when I started to eat a lot more BTD friendly carbs, and I was losing weight then, so I don't think the lithium affected my weight.

A lot of people take it for stress and anxiety.  It does also seem to help me think more clearly and logically.  I found it one of the most helpful things I have taken.  It is a mineral by the way, not a chemical drug.  The only other supplements I ever found helpful were magnesium and zinc.  I would recommend lithium orotate over lithium aspartate any day.  Aspartic acid is an excito-toxin which is not good for your brain - from what I have read anyway.

Loops

I believe the government wanted to add lithium to the water supply a couple of years ago. Or they were considering it, just like fluoride (hexafluorosilicic acid, only a hair less toxic than arsenic).

Crazy people that run the world...