Tuesday, May 26, 2009 HappyGraham asks

Q: Has anyone else seen how Salt ( Sodium ) effects mood in a undiagnosed teanager

Has anyone else seen how Salt ( Sodium) affects the mood of a undiagnosed BPD teenager?

Due to the high perpensitity of BPD and other mental disorders in my family (Both Myself and my brother, and Cousins on my fathers side), We have a high concern that our 12 yr old daughter has BPD, and we are trying to get a diagnosis, but due to the way the UK works this is providing hard, and we have to put our own coping mechanisms in place.

My own BPD means that I follow a regime which has a high level of ´mindfullness´in my personal treatment, this has meant that I am highly attuned to myself, and therefore others that I am in a close relationship.

Due to this my wife and I have noticed that when my daughter goes into very rapid mood swings a quick snack can sometimes improve things. The discovery that we have made is that foods which have a high salt content have a remarkable effect and we see a massive improvement in her mood and therefore her behaviour.

I do know that Sodium is in the same ´family´as Lithium on the periodic table, so the question is, is this related and has anyone else seen this ´behaviour?

Answers (3)

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knowthyself

5/26/09 4:38pm

HappyGraham,

In your observation are you eliminating all other factors, could it be the carbohydrates, protein, fat or the pleasurable, relaxing sensation of a no longer empty stomach? Have you denied her the snack on one of these occassions and let her have the salt alone?

The elements Lithium and Sodium are both alkali metals on the periodic table. Table salt (NaCl) and Lithum Carbonate (Li2Co3) are both reaction products of an acid and a base and thus consdered salts. The two chemical compounds vary greatly in their physical properties and their biologic actions. The latter would not be very pleasing on your food.

Recent research (using rats) indicates that table salt may act as an antidepressant.

A low salt level and the associated craving, resulted in a loss of pleasure in normally pleasing activities. This would mean it may be a mood booster.

If your daughter is energetic and slows down it may be like that saying, "There's nothing like relaxing after a good meal."

And you never know, she may have been spared the genes. Watch her mood and look for changes in her school work and social behavior. You know the symptoms.

gsm

10/13/09 9:18am

I have been using salt (NaCl) as an effective cure for my bipolar for the last three years. My guess as to how this works is that I'm deficient in a hormone that controls the reabsorbtion of sodium in the kidneys and I become hyponatremic (low sodium). The hyponatremia causes swelling of the brain which in turn causes some kind of damage that is reflected as bipolar disease. In addition to eating 16g (for a body weight of 186 lbs) of salt a day I limit my total water intake (including water in food) to 2 liters/day and I get as much exposure to sunlight or 5000K fluorescent light as possible. I noticed that my bipolar symptoms were seasonal and I believe the light boost hormone production. I also had frequent nocturnal urination with constipation. I believe this was the result of my body inefficiently trying to get salt from the water in my bowels. My blood pressure has not increased with all the extra salt I'm eating. In addition to curing my bipolar disorder, my nocturnal polyuria and constipation are gone. I also had a case of athlete's foot that is gone due to the higher salt content of my sweat.

Steve

4/ 3/10 9:51am

I think there is merit to this. I have been monitoring my salt intake and I think that adding extra salt does improve my mood and stabilizes my emotions.

According to this article calcium plays a role too.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223548.htm

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Q: Has anyone else seen how Salt ( Sodium ) effects mood in a undiagnosed teanager

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