Having a good mood has, in the past, been an informal piece of advice if you want to stay healthy. Recent studies by medical researchers, however, have verified that this is much more than an old wives’ tale. In fact, your good mood can be both a trigger for good health, and a sign that you’re not as healthy as you
think.
Mood enhancement
The fact is, our moods can be governed, in part, by biochemical reactions in our brains, and the state of our body’s metabolic reactions. That’s the reason why, in essence, we feel good when we are in peak condition, and why sickness gives us the blues.
Apparently, it’s not only in the obvious stuff that this is true, because if we become affected by stress or emotional issues, even if we are perfectly healthy, our health will somehow deteriorate to match our emotional and mental state.
The lithium connection
Lithium has been used historically for treating mental illness. It is found as a trace element in virtually all rocks. It is a highly reactive element, being of the alkali family. As such, it reacts and synergizes with different elements, drugs, and enzymes in the body, in many different ways.
In high doses, lithium is used for treating bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses. It has also been prescribed for anorexia, bulimia, and, surprisingly, anemia.
Lithium’s ability to ease headaches, alcoholic addiction, and epilepsy made it a “fashionable” medicine of choice in the past centuries, and it is now known to affect liver, kidney, and pancreatic disorders (i.e., diabetes).
How does it work?
It’s not known precisely how it works, but it is known to trigger increased activity for the chemical messengers in our brains. This increased efficiency for thinking processes enhances memory, thinking processes, and certain neural linkages that probably minimize certain mental disorders (think of these disorders as being the product of weak or incomplete neural connections or
activity).
Chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are positively affected by lithium, and so is the production of natural detoxification chemicals in the brain, such as glutathione-s-transferase, or GST.
Lithium is so powerful that it is known as a micronutrient, in that you only need so much for it to work properly.
How much of it should I take?
The recommended dose for a lithium supplement, preferably to be taken with a major meal. However, if you are already under prescription drugs for the likes of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, you should make sure that your use of this supplement is monitored by your doctor. If you taking any other sort of
prescription drug, you should still confer with your doctor, as lithium can react with a wide range of medicines.
Otherwise, you should only take the recommended dosage as
a maximum. Anything more will also require the advice of a doctor.
Guidelines for staying in a positive mood
Even if you are lithium supplements, if you do not make some lifestyle changes, then you will still be prone to having an overall negative mood. Here are some suggestions to make sure that you won’t be so depressed or stressed out.
Do make some time for yourself– Even if it’s simply to do nothing, an hour or two every day of “me” time does wonders for your mental and physical health. It can be as simple as strictly-set gym time, or as relaxed as an hour to watch your favorite TV show. What is important is that you can de-stress and allow your
brain to “clear out” many of the pressing issues that happened in the day itself.
Time and stress management– Do learn to subdivide your time between your work and your private life. For some, it could be as simple as having the weekends to yourself and your family. It could also be done by having periodic vacations where you should leave your work phone in the office.
Exercise– As strange as it may sound, a regular exercise routine
may be effective in removing stress.
