LITHIUM

Open Access - latest publication 

Markert B, Wünschmann S, Rinklebe J, Fränzle S, Ammari T (2018) The Biological System of the Chemical Elements (BSCE) and the role of Lithium for mental health care. Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease, 1(1): 1-15.

Lecture was given at Harvard Medical School Sep. 2017.

Public image of toxic, beneficial, essential and super-essential effects of lithium in the human body

(Markert 2018)

The idea to create a human-oriented and didactically valuable graphic was already implemented 1994 for the element selenium by L.N. Vernie, Selenium in Carcinogenesis, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 738, 203-217.

References related to the lithium-figure above:

Aral H, Vecchio-Sadus A: Toxicity of Lithium to Humans and the Environment - A Literature

     Review. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2008, 70, 349-356.

Cade J: Lithium Salts in the Treatment of Psychotic Excitement. In: Medical Journal of Australia

     1949, Vol. 2, No. 36, 3, 349-352.

Kapusta N, Mossaheb N, Etzersdorfer E, Hlavin G, Thau K, Willeit M, Praschak-Rieder N,

     Sonneck G, Leithner-Dziubas K: Lithium in Drinking Water and Suicide Mortality. Br. J.

     Psychiatry 2011, 198:346–350. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.110.091041.

Kessing L, Gerds T, Knudsen N, Jorgenson L, Kristiansen A, Voutchkova D, Ernsten V,

     Schullehner J, Hansen B, Andersen P, Ersboll A, Kjær A: Association of Lithium in Drinking

     Water with the Incidence of Dementia. JAMA Psychiatry 2017, 74 (10), 1005-1010.

Lewitzka U, Severus E, Bauer R, Ritter P, Müller-Oerlinghausen B, Bauer M: The Suicide

     Prevention Effect of Lithium: More than 20 Years of Evidence – a Narrative Review.

     International Journal of Bipolar Disorder: 3: 1-15. Doi 10.1186/s40345-015-0032-2

     (2015).

Markert B, Wünschmann S, Rinklebe J, Fränzle S, Ammari T: The Biological System of the

     Chemical Elements (BSCE) - The Role of Lithium for Mental Health Care. Bioactive

     Compounds in Health and Disease, 2018, 1(1): 1-15.

Markert B et al.: The Biological System of Elements - Lithium as phase stabilizer for

     neurological diseases / effects on reduction of suicide rates, bipolar disorders, dementis,

     Alzheimer, and other mental related diseases. Abstract for ICHMET Conference in Athens,

     Georgia, USA, July 2018.

Ohgami H, Terao T, Shiotsuki I, Ishii N, Iwata N: Lithium Levels in Drinking Water and Risk of

     Suicide. Br. J. Psychiatry 2009, 194:464-465. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055798.

Sugawara N, Yasui-Furukori N, Ishii N, Iwata N, Terao T: Lithium in Tap Water and Suicide

     Mortality in Japan. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2013, 10(11): 6044-6048.

Lecture given at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Sep 2017

Journal of Functional Foods in Health and Disease (FFHD),

paper submitted 2018:

The Biological System of the Chemical Elements (BSCE) 

- The Role of Lithium for Mental Health Care -

Part I

Bernd Markert, Simone Wünschmann, Jörg Rinklebe, Stefan Fränzle

Tarek Ammari

ABSTRACT

          In order to account for physiological effects of chemical elements in living beings using some Biological System of Elements (BSE) by Markert 1994, the familiar Periodic Chemical System of Elements (PSE) according to Mendelejew and Meyer (1869) had to be completed and modified also using the Geochemical System of Elements (GSE) by Railsback (2003). The BSE goes beyond accumulating essentiality investigations which have obvious technical and analytical limitations. In correlation among abundances of elements in different samples of biological origins, there are deep-rooted biochemical factors and relationships which these authors started to study and describe in more detail already in the late 1990´s. Until the end of 2017, the BSCE was referred to as the Biological System of Elements (BSE).

          Lithium is not regarded as a vital, essential trace element. However, it occurs in our body and has some important functions, especially for the psyche. It is important for mental health. The application of Li as pharmaceutical therapeutic equivalent to bipolar disorders (formerly called manic depressive disorders) is a well-known example in use of a monovalent cation on neurological therapy. One of the main scientific objectives of this review and for future research is the use of functional food in supporting and balancing the therapeutic dose of Li in the human body. In order to describe a possible application of a "functional food therapy by Li” and to meet its “scientific philosophy", first look is given to Li-accumulating plants. The subsequent use of highly Li-containing plants as regular food of humans is explained and possible effects on increased Li concentrations in the human body is given.

          Finally, an answer should be found, if such a "natural food therapy” (for instance “green pills”) positively support mental human health care benefits by fitting the ratio of Li / neurological diseases - as chronic bipolar disorders, for example. The BSCE will continue to identify and to investigate other chemical elements for using them in an effective Functional Food Therapy (FFT) of chronic neurological diseases and possibly other diseases.

Keywords: Biological System of Chemical Elements (BSCE), Lithium (Li), Bipolar Disorders, Neurology, Functional Food Therapy (FFT), Chronic diseases

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