Thyroid function threatened by bottled water containing lithium

(NaturalHealth365) Your total body weight is made up of nearly 60 percent water. Therefore, it’s important to hydrate yourself as water has many benefits for your body. In fact, pure water is an invaluable source for treating thyroid symptoms as it regulates body temperature, relieves dry skin, eliminates fatigue, boosts cognitive function, loosens hard stools, and aids in weight loss. Drinking pure water is also preferred over most city (tap) water containing fluoride and chlorine which block iodine receptors in the thyroid and cause malfunction.

Because municipal water contains hazardous chemicals, bottled water has become a choice for many people who are health conscious about their thyroids. There are many types of bottled water with the most popular being purified, spring, and mineral.

Yet, while opting for bottled water over tap water may seem to be the viable choice for many, they may not realize that they also contain chemicals that are just as dangerous (if not more) as fluoride and chlorine. Recently, the Environmental Health Perspectives journal reported high concentrations of lithium in drinking water that wreaks havoc on the body – especially the thyroid.

Lithium used for treating severe mental conditions

Present in trace amounts, lithium is a chemical element found in rocks. Since the 1950s, it has been used as a treatment of several mental conditions with high levels of mania. By slowing the uptake of chemicals to nerves used to communicate, lithium stabilizes periods of great excitation, over-activity, euphoria, or delusions – especially in people dealing with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression.

Here’s the problem: Thyroid function is severely affected by lithium found inside bottled water.

While lithium may have positive short-term effects for mental illness, it does not come without a price. It wasn’t long after its introduction that its toxic effects became known on the renal, digestive, skeletal, and neurological systems. Studies also show severe negative effects on the endocrine system that affect parathyroid and thyroid function.

Your thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. It produces thyroid hormone – which controls virtually every cell, tissue, and organ within your body. When damaged by invaders such as excess lithium, your body doesn’t function properly leaving it vulnerable to other chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, anemia, and autoimmune disease.

Could bottled water toxins actually cause higher suicide rates due to thyroid disorders?

Not only has lithium been proven to affect thyroid function, a very recent report in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry showed there may be an association with high concentrations of lithium in drinking water and risk of suicide. The British Journal of Psychiatry also reported the same association in a recent study. Studies were conducted on communities within Italy and Austria, and the inverse association between lithium levels in drinking water and suicide mortality rate was confirmed.

Yikes! High levels of lithium have been found in the ‘purest’ of waters used for bottling.

As reported by the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, high concentrations of lithium in drinking water was discovered in the Argentinean Andes Mountains which has been bottled and marketed as the “finest” water in the world by several brands. This is the same water used for scientific studies that claim high levels in drinking water negatively affecting thyroid function.

However, brands across the globe have bottled water with lithium. The New York Times once reported Cherry Valley Spring Water (based in New York) and Lithia Springs Mineral Water (based in Georgia) contain lithium. Communities across Texas and California are also known for lithium in the water of their natural springs. Despite the research, manufacturers boast about the element in their waters and rely on unreliable studies from years ago that tout lithium as being “useful” for the body.

Avoid wasting your money: Don’t buy bottled water

While some manufacturers of bottled water exploit their product as being beneficial due to lithium, others have hidden the element on their labels due to recent bad publicity. In addition to lithium, other impurities have also been found in bottled water.

Research has also shown that more than 40 percent of bottled water is actually tap water redefined. Due to the unreliable market for bottled water, you may want to check into a quality water purification system and bottle your own.

Remember, your thyroid is a crucial gland that plays a huge role in your body, so take care of it.

Editor’s note: NaturalHealth365 is proud to offer the Big Berkey Water Filter – the finest (non-electric) water purification system on the market. And, yes, this product offers a special fluoride filter.  Order today.

About the author: Abby Campbell is a medical, health, and nutrition research writer. She’s dedicated to helping people live a healthy lifestyle in all aspects – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Abby practices, writes, and coaches on natural preventive care, nutritional medicine, and complementary and alternative therapy.

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114818/pdf/ehp-119-827.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4456600
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)61842-0/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26230215
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/207/1/64.long
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/02/nyregion/spring-s-prospects-have-town-smiling-cherry-valley-water-source-has-story.html