Maria Choy, MD

10/17/2026

Lithium might be beneficial in Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are no multi center studies in the US yet. Therefore not approved for use. Chronic Lithium use may also cause hypothyroidism and close monitoring is indicates

A 2017 study investigated Alzheimer’s rates and natural lithium levels in the drinking water in Texas. Essentially, water samples from almost all of the counties in Texas were tested for their natural levels of the mineral lithium, which varies depending on the concentration in rock and soil.

Alzheimer’s rates have risen everywhere, but the researchers found that Texas counties with higher levels of lithium in the groundwater had less of an increase in Alzheimer’s rates compared with counties that had lower levels of lithium.

In other words, the epidemiology here points to lithium in the groundwater protecting against Alzheimer’s. At least slightly.

A number of studies have looked at the effect of very low doses of lithium as an Alzheimer’s treatment or prevention option.

A 2015 review in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease analyzed the data from three randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of lithium for treating Alzheimer’s patients. The trials found that lithium “significantly decreased cognitive decline as compared to placebo“.

An October 2017 article in JAMA Psychiatry details a nationwide study in Denmark on exposure to lithium in drinking water and the incidence of dementia. This was a large study, with 73,000+ dementia patients and 733,000+ people without dementia as the control. The study found a decreased rate of dementia in people with naturally higher levels of lithium in their water (measured since 1986).

A March 2018 animal study looked into the mechanisms of how lithium chloride lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s. It found that lithium increased the clearance of soluble β-amyloid from the brain. In mice genetically bred to be a model of human Alzheimer’s, lithium chloride restored the clearance of soluble β-amyloid to the levels of normal mice. One big thing to note from this study is that lithium chloride did not affect β-amyloid that had already formed plaques.

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This is just a short excerpt from my in-depth article on Lithium and Alzheimer's. Here is the link to my full article: https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/lithium-a-mineral-that-affects-mood-alzheimers-disease-obesity-and-telomeres/

With a Genetic Lifehacks membership, you can use your genetic raw data (from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, etc) to see your genotypes in over 400 articles, including my article on lithium and Alzheimer's. You will see research-backed solutions in the lifehacks section to help determine what pathway to target -- all based on your genetic variants. Personalize your health!

10/16/2026

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10/14/2026

https://youtu.be/aXereeuPN2g?si=F3HlSceFI6s3T33e

Looking for a neurologist in Central New Jersey? In this episode of...

10/11/2026

Exercise helps depression, anxiety, lowers sugars, lowers cholesterol, improves heart disease. Walking outside after supper is one of the most beneficial activities available. The weather is perfect for it right now. This is also a great time to learn an exercise for the dreary NJ winter coming up. Tai Chi does not need much space and can be done indoor. Start learning now!

Led by Master Fu Nengbin, students and coaches at the Yangshuo Tai ...

10/09/2026

The Soul of Healing is back from publishers. Hoping to release by Christmas but if not, we will aim for Easter.

10/07/2026

Many of my patients are on multiple self-prescribed supplements. I want reiterate here that they are drugs like anything else and should be taken with caution. For example, a 2026 study found That a popular joint supplement is significantly linked to Alzheimer’s progression.
People with mild cognitive impairment who used glucosamine were more likely to progress to dementia. Researchers also saw a link of this supplement with higher mortality among people already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-related dementia.
Important: this was an observational study, so it doesn’t prove glucosamine caused these outcomes. More research—including clinical trials—is needed.
If you or someone you care about takes glucosamine and has memory concerns or an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it’s worth discussing with a healthcare professional before making any changes.
Please comment below whether this applies to you. Also, let me know which other supplements you would like more information on.

Through spatial multiomics, spatial stable isotope tracing and retrospective cohort analyses, this study identifies hyperglycosylation as a driver of Alzheimer’s disease and a promising therapeutic target.

10/07/2026

Although this video post exaggerates, the current trend in artificial foods is alarming. The actual Israeli retail product is the Green Future (Atid Yarok) vegan salmon-style patty, manufactured by Bondor Foods using Steakholder Foods' formulation/3D-printing technology. It has actually been sold in Israeli vegan specialty stores since July 2025. The ingredient list is:

Water; plant proteins (19%) — rice and soy; refined vegetable oils (contains coconut); seasoning blend; methylcellulose; flavors; preserved lemon; E625; sodium alginate; soy-protein hydrolysate; beetroot powder; basil.

My biggest concern isn't the 3D printing. The printing itself is basically a manufacturing technique. The bigger issue is that the resulting food is a highly formulated, relatively low-protein, fairly high-sodium product with 3.1 g saturated fat/100 g, and we don't have a transparent quantitative omega-3 profile.

In other words, it's a clever vegan food technology, but I would not put it nutritionally in the same category as a piece of salmon. Our current refined foods has already been shown to be a huge source of chronic disease epidemic. I suspect printed food will likely be even worse.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Jex8b33iq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/07/2026

AI is being used to map the neural networks involved in consciousness and may be deployed, in the future, to awaken comatose patients. Many believe consciousness to be part of our soul, or even our spirit, that the body is only the TV screen and the DNA is the antennae. We might be able to fix the hardware that downloads the software in the future … i wonder what the ethical and religious ramifications of this might be. I am getting too old to ponder such new concepts. Please post your thought on this . I am curious. Is this the start of consciousness transfer?

Understanding disorders of consciousness (DOC) remains one of the most challenging problems in neuroscience, hindered by the lack of experimental models for probing mechanisms or testing interventions. Here, to address this, we introduce a generative adversarial artificial intelligence (AI) framewor...

10/05/2026

In animal studies, fig leaves lower sugar, lower cholesterol, is a good anti-inflammatory, and has various other beneficial applications noted in the chart below. If you are taking medications for diabetes, you need to monitor sugars to make sure they do not become too low. This is a good season to collect the leaves and dry them for tea. Chose the small tender ones. Be careful of the white sap (it can burn and itch). Soak them overnight in vinegar and water solution, drain and dry single layer in oven at 250 degrees, crush and enjou

10/04/2026

Here is the ChatGPT Summary of the 3 types of synthetic ‘meats’ on the market today or about to reach market. An educated consumer is a healthy consumer

ChatGPT helps you get answers, find inspiration, and be more productive.