From Stardust to Brain Health: The Forgotten Power of Lithium

If you’ve ever heard the word lithium and instantly thought of psychiatry, you’re not alone.
Most of us associate it with prescription medication — but there’s an important distinction to make right from the start: medical lithium and nutritional lithium are not the same thing.

Medical lithium is used in high doses under psychiatric supervision to treat bipolar disorder.
Nutritional lithium, on the other hand, is a trace mineral — something our bodies have quietly relied on for millennia in microgram amounts, naturally present in water and soil.

And it’s this gentler, nutritional side of lithium that has caught my attention.

A story that began in the stars

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be giving a talk about lithium, I would probably have smiled politely and changed the subject. Like many in healthcare, I once saw it purely through the psychiatric lens.

But the more I explored, the more compelling the evidence became. Lithium isn’t just a medicine — it’s one of the oldest elements in the universe, created moments after the Big Bang. Over time, it settled into the Earth’s crust, our soil, and our drinking water. For generations, humans consumed it naturally, without even realising.

Modern life, however — with filtered water, processed food, and depleted soils — has quietly lowered our exposure. And emerging research suggests that may matter more than we’ve realised.

What the science is showing

Across several population studies, researchers have found a striking pattern:
communities with slightly higher natural lithium levels in their drinking water often have lower rates of suicide and depression.

At first, I was sceptical — could such tiny amounts really influence mental health? But as more data emerged, including new research exploring lithium’s role in protecting the brain from inflammation and ageing, my perspective shifted.

Today, scientists are studying whether low-dose, natural lithium could support cognitive resilience and reduce risk factors for neurodegenerative conditions. It’s early science — but the results ar phenomenol, and deeply relevant to how we think about prevention.

I have been using lithium in my practice now for just over a year and the results are pretty impressive.

What you’ll learn in our lunchtime talk

Join me for an inspiring and accessible lunchtime session:

“From Stardust to Brain Health: The Untold Story of Lithium”

Date: 22/01/2026

Location: Online

Investement: £15

Time: 12:00–1p.m.

We’ll explore:

• The clear difference between medical and nutritional lithium
• How lithium became part of our evolutionary story
• What new research tells us about mood, cognition, and longevity
• How modern living may have shifted our natural lithium intake
• Practical ways to support brain resilience through functional medicine principles

I’ll also share my own journey — from scepticism to fascination — and why I now see lithium as a small but significant piece of the prevention puzzle.

Why this matters

Functional medicine begins with curiosity — asking why something is happening, not just what to do about it.

Lithium is a perfect example of this. It reminds us that even trace minerals can influence the brain’s chemistry of calm, connection, and clarity. Prevention isn’t about extremes; it’s about restoring what nature once provided in balance.

You’re invited!

If you’re curious about how a mineral born in the stars connects to modern mental wellbeing and cognitive longevity, join our lunchtime talk.

Bring your lunch, your questions, and perhaps a touch of healthy scepticism — the same place where my own exploration began.

Let’s rediscover how the smallest elements can play the biggest roles in keeping our brains resilient and our minds at peace.

Reserve your spot here

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