> > From: Bob & Joy Graham <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Possible Lithium us... > It is my understanding that over many years of use, lithium actually causes > parkinson's like symptoms and other nasty side effects. Certainly I have > seen this first hand. It is also on the list of drugs (Our Australian > list, anyway) which have the potential to worsen pd symptoms. > So don't even give it a thought....unless you need it for bipolar illness > (and even then there may be better alternatives.) I dont want to seem to rude about lithium treatement but it seems to control hypermania by depressing mental function . Once I was on it for a few days before I got out of hospital and stopped taking it . It caused me severe constipation which is also a problem with my PD so I suggest the opposite to lithium and that is potasium as a medication for PD. The only references to potasium use I have found are:- 1 ) Anita Freeman 2 ) An aternative remedy suggested by a friend that was called something like kalphos ( potasium phosphate ) that was meant to be good for the nerves . I dismissed it at the time as I thought we were dealing in trace element deficiency and since there was no evidence of deficient diet on my part I ignored it . 3) Dr Iocono's suggestion about eating bananas , which are high in potasium . This seems to to have been met with a lot of ribald humor about monkeys recently on this list . Theory The human body is cells in a sodium chloride ( salt) solution .More accurately a solution of Na+ and Cl - ions . The sodium ion ( Na+ ) in the lithium treatement is replaced partly by the lithium ion Li+ . If one takes alot of potasium the potasium ion ( K+ ) partly replaces the sodium ion in the body . All three elements are alkaline metals a behave similarly chemicaly . One of the main differences is the size .Lithium is smaller that than sodium while potasium is larger . The size of the ion has important effects in chemical reactions . One sees a similar situation when one starts replacing the clorine ion with other halides . The larger bromine ion has traditionally been used to suppress sexual drive . Like lithium it seems a very negative effect. This leaves the tantalizing question , does the repacement of the chlorine ion by the smaller halide ion of fluorine help PD symptoms . There is little evidence of the use of fluorine except to help teeth enamel and the concequent fluoridization of drinking water . Could this be a possible explanation of why well water produces more PD than city water ? The replacemnt of the halide ion with other negative ions like phosphate might have even greater beneficial effects . This is not intended as a detailed explanation of what is going on in the brain chemistry . But the beggings of an explanation as to why altering the bodies ion balance may inprove PD symptoms . Yesterday I was reading in Nature magazine how calcium in th brain alter the brain pattern ( I did not understand any detail again ) . But put this together with following quote from Judiths quote from Reuter on lithium . . "investigators found that lithium had an effect on glutamate receptors, specific sites at which the glutamate attaches itself to the neuron. These glutamate receptors regulate the amount of calcium that enters the neurons. By controlling the glutamate receptors, lithium affects the extent to which calcium can enter the cells." and a picture although extremely lacking in detail and might be completely wrong is emerging . This picture suggest that altering the alkaline metal ions and halide ions in the body has an effect on the calcium uptake by the brain . This in turn has an effect on the neuron firing pattern . this would have a great effect on PD if one accepts my proposition that PD is basically a neuron firing pattern spasm and not directly a dopamine deficiency . ( 75 % of PD neural firing pattern spasm is caused by a lack of dopamine and exess dopamine in the brain can often help the spasm caused by something else other than dopamine deficiency ) Magnesium that also features on Anita Freeman's list has a different chemitry to potasium the ion being bivalent Mg++ and so will affect the ion exchange differently . Calcium is also bivalent so there might be a more direct effect on the calcium by the magnesium but there is not even the beginnings of a picture here with so little data on my part .( a line for future enquiry ) . I have started my high potasium of tablets and bananas ! and because it takes time to build up the ion concentration change I do not expect to see much effect for weeks . ( I am assuming the same timescale as for lithium medication ) . I will post again in about 3 weeks on results . This is quite a cheap experiment . I tend to look on my PD as a great opportunity to do experiments and maybe find out how the brain works . Why destroy chimp brains with MPTP ? I am told that high potasium levels can cause high blood pressure and heart attacks . I shall be moderating my intake therefore . peace Alastair ( [log in to unmask] )