No, it was never half a lemon--people often use that much in a glass of tea, Christina
(as in Arnold Palmer tea which is 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tea).

I lowered the water content because it dilutes the lemon juice too much at 8 oz when
acidic levels are high; if the person has only mild irritation, 6 to 8 oz will suffice.
You can tell by the problems someone's having if the acidity levels seem really bothersome
(under strong stress,--a strong builder of acids-- sleeplessness, irritability, etc.).

Not only can too much Omega 3 essential fatty acids cause some problems as you described, perhaps, but it can also raise blood pressure. So can vitamin E. But the essential fatty acids are best utilized by taking vitamin E with them to prevent oxidation. I think the major research on the diets of people who live in an area where fish is a major diet staple, is that there are fewer cases of bipolar illness eruption than in countries in which the diet is far more acidic--as in the Western countries. Research has proven its effectiveness in calming the brain. (I would never buy a product that did not list the kind of testing done to insure that metals, etc. were not part of the ingredients in the product. That's one reason that I use Nordic Omega 3; they are tested rigidly for quality--you pay for that
in the cost of the product; but the security is worth it, in my view.)

In addition, bipolar illness decreased strikingly during World War II in the areas that
were subjected to food rationing when grains were not part of the diet. One physician
noticed that he had far fewer patients with bipolar illness during the years of rationing.
Following the return of wheat to the diets of people, bipolar illness increased.

Many of these factual stories are ignored by industries and even the government
regarding the exorphins in gluten-containing grains that were re-engineered decades
ago to produce a higher-yielding grain for 3rd world foods. "Wheat Belly" is one major
work that refutes the Food Chart for American diets with regard to use of grains.
Dr. Williams' own studies of patients prove his points.

Everyone has to use his/her own judgment about how things are working for each.

There are no iron-clad rules about anything regarding self-care, except that those
who know their bodies well are most likely to use good judgment about what is helping
and what isn't.

(You should read "Manic-Depression Illness"; there are so many studies that counteract
findings regarding the illness that I seldom find something that isn't subject to contradictions in research results.)

One example of this acidic thing I'm going to describe as the orthomolecular physician
did with a young man who came in presenting with symptoms of bipolar illness. He
described his diet for the past month as having consisted solely of diet Coke and potato
chips. When the blood chemistry came back and the physician corrected the boy's diet, he could no longer be diagnosed as bipolar.

Here's another one:
At Duke University a long-term in-patient with schizophrenia had all grains removed from
her diet and she was released from Duke with a "complete recovery" reported.

Please note that these are exceptions; they are not the rule. And please avoid the
"all or nothing" or "black or white" evaluation. All of this is in its beginning stages of
work by researchers.

I don't think we can deny the effectiveness of some natural things that help with bipolar illness that may be related to medications or poor diets. At the same time, not everyone is going to react the same way, nor do people digest things the same way. That's the major reason that I always say "it works for some of us" And "give it a couple of days' use before you dismiss it as unhelpful."

Most reliable research that I've read seems to indicate that the gluten thing in grains that
contain it and sugar sensitivity can be problems for society in the 21st century. And
I'm sure I've mentioned many times before that I read years ago that bipolar patients
have an extreme allergy to grains. Both sugar sensitivity and grains can cause strong
mood swings, and both grains and sugar are addictive. The best treatment of the subject
of sugar sensitivity has been written about by Dr. Kathleen Desmaissons, a noted Phd
in healing in addictive nutrition. Her books "Potatoes, Not Prozac", "Radiant Recovery",
and others are very instructive about diet changing for health.

So much for this subject. I understand your concerns; we just have to do what we know
to be best for our own lives in the long run.