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Healing depends on many factors, including chronic inflammation and neuroplasticity.

Low-dose nutritional lithium orotate is an emerging therapy.

Individualized treatment is the most effective.

Traumatic brain injury is a lot more common than you might think. According to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 29 percent of American adults report having a concussion or TBI at some point in their lives. That’s one in five of us. Among children and adolescents, the incidence is one in 10.

Of course, symptoms of TBI depend on injury severity. Common symptoms include headache, dizziness, fatigue, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood and behavior.

To heal, we can reduce inflammation and cellular stress; support mitochondrial function—the energy generators inside your neurons; ensure healthy signaling between neurons; boost neuroplasticity—the brain's natural ability to repair, adapt, and regenerate.

Low-dose lithium is a therapeutic agent that can address all these issues in healing. While lithium is best-known as a pharmaceutical for bipolar disorder, it is also a trace mineral found naturally in low amounts in soil, water, and some foods. At these nutritional doses, research shows lithium can help reduce inflammation, improve mitochondrial function, and restore neuroplasticity. (For more on low-dose nutritional lithium orotate, please see my blog, Nutritional Lithium Orotate: A Mineral for Better Mood and Memory.)

Regulating Inflammation

Inflammation is one of the body’s first responses to injury. After a TBI, microglia—immune cells in the brain—activate, remove damaged tissue, coordinate the healing response, and........

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