WHY LITHIUM WORKS
Lithium, Na & Fluid Dynamics
What if Lithium is effective in treating mood disorders because it helps to rectify fluid regulatory issues? You see Sodium (Na) is an electrolyte and mineral that plays a vital role in fluid balance in the human body - and much more. If certain cases of mental illness begin with a fluid dynamic issue (i.e. lymph flow becomes altered) then sodium would need to work overtime, in turn, becoming scarce or unbalanced and, eventually unable to fulfill it’s other vital roles such as being a unique ‘on/off’ switch for particular neurotransmitters in the brain - fundamental for normal cerebral function. By taking Lithium (the closest alkali metal - therefore, the most chemically compatible to Sodium) it supplements Sodium’s role in processes like fluid regulation so there is enough Sodium to perform necessary brain function… or Lithium substitutes directly into brain receptors. If this is the case, then the typical ‘weight gain’ side-effects of Lithium might instead be uniform interstitial fluid retention due to a ‘2nd best’ electrolyte (Lithium) trying to fulfill the role of Sodium.