Lithium (in supplemental form) for mental and cognitive health: Lab tests vs lab panels: Information you need to know before blood work; Best water filters
Lab panels you need to know; mental health supplement; best water filters++++
Lithium Orotate and its Benefits for Mental-Wellbeing
Two weeks ago, a reader pointed out the term lactium was replaced with lithium in one of my sentences in the lactium benefits post. I thought I should post on Lithium Orotate and its benefits.
Lithium carbonate is a drug used at high doses, which require close monitoring since the drug can reach toxic levels and cause a host of side effects, but naturally sourced lithium can be found in our soil, water, and food. The naturally sourced supplement form, lithium orotate, may benefit mental health and cognitive issues.
To read more about Lithium orotate, dosing, safety considerations, benefits, and more, read this post
https://trufoodsnutrition.com/lithium-the-trace-mineral-for-depression-bi-polar-and-more/
Lab Test versus Lab Panel
Some health tests should be run as a panel to make a health determination rather than a test in isolation. Two that come to mind are iron and thyroid panels, which should be run if you are experiencing ongoing fatigue. Yet, often times a healthcare professional may only order serum iron and TSH. If you have health issues such as ongoing fatigue, you may miss underlying causes by not seeing a full panel.
It is like if I gave you a 1000-piece puzzle but only gave you 100 of the pieces, and I want you to tell me what the picture looks like. You would be making guesses and assumptions based on the partial picture.
If you have heavy periods or are an endurance athlete, you may be at risk for low iron levels. Men and post-menopausal women may be at greater risk for elevated iron levels. Read your multivitamin/mineral bottle label. Does it contain iron? You should not supplement with iron if you do not know your iron levels.
The full iron panel includes Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC).
For anyone with a family history of thyroid disorders, including AI thyroiditis, and anyone who is experiencing signs and symptoms of either hypo or hyper thyroid activity such as hair loss, fatigue, weight gain, constipation (hypo), or weight loss, bulging eyes, ADHD-like s/s, loose bowels (hyper) should have a full panel done.
A full thyroid panel includes TSH, Free T3 and Free T4, TPO and TgAB (antibodies for AI thyroiditis), and reverse T3.
Look at your recent lab work: does it include an iron and thyroid panel?
Always ask for a copy of your labs if you do not have them in a patient portal you can access.
Best Counter Top and Bottle Filtration For Drinking Water
Water quality is a concern whether you use city water, community, or personal well water. Countertop water filtration is a cost-effective solution.
First, enter your zip code to the Environmental Working Group site. I entered my zip code and then clicked on the information for my subdivision, indicating that 8 detected contaminants exceeded the EWG health guidelines, and 12 total contaminants were found. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CO0104533
My first preference is the Berkey filtration system, berkeyfilters.com. The website for Berkeys may differ depending on what country you live in. The Berkey was originally made for disaster situations that did not have clean drinking water.
If you want to know what the Berkey system removes from your water, go to
https://www.berkeyfilters.com/blogs/berkey-blog/what-does-berkey-filter
Other good options include:
AquaTru has several reverse osmosis filter options. If you opt for a RO system, you should purchase liquid minerals and add them to your drinking water since RO will remove everything. https://aquatruwater.com/
Another option is https://zerowater.com. They have several options, including a faucet mount, making using water for cooking and food prep easier. Currently, the faucet mount is out of stock.
Both the Berkey and Zero Water have shower head options too.
For water bottle options, the Berkey or the Epic Water bottle (https://www.epicwaterfilters.com/collections/bottles
The Berkey is a plastic bottle; the Epic has a stainless steel option. I suggest having the bottle and the at-home system for a clean source when you are out or traveling.
Recently, on a trip, the water at our place had such a strong chlorine smell and taste. The Epic removed this, but unfortunately, I left the bottle in a restaurant and, on the last day, had to resort to plastic water bottles. Water in plastic bottles has its own issues besides plastic waste. The toxins from the plastic leach into the water, adding to the other unknown potential contaminants.
The Epic also has two filter options-one for tap water and one for backpacking. I have used the Berkey and Epic water bottles for tap water in countries where we were told to only drink bottled water (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) without any issues.
Do you use a water filtration system? If so, please share which one you use and why you prefer it.