In order to remain alive it is necessary for the cells in our bodies to retain more potassium than is in the fluid which surrounds them. This situation is maintained by an enzyme which uses energy, in the form of adenosine troposphere (ATP), to continuously exchange potassium ions with sodium ions across cell membranes. The enzyme is known for short as the Na/K ATPase, and its activity produces much of the heat that maintains our body temperature.

Na/K ATPase activity in the kidneys is also responsible for preventing the loss of salt in our urine. When our bodies no longer contain sufficient sodium or potassium, or when they fail to generate sufficient ATP, we feel cold. When we are deficient in iodine we fail to produce sufficient thyroxin and we feel cold all over, but when we are deficient in selenium we fail to activate sufficient thyroxin by transforming it into T3, it is our feet in particular which become cold.

The availability of T3 determines the basal rate of ATP synthesis but in addition there are many factors which increase the rate at which it is synthesised. For example, the production of adenosine depends upon the availability of folic acid, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6, and ATP synthesis requires magnesium. Failure to eat sufficient green vegetables leads to vitamin deficiencies, which by restricting adenosine synthesis and ATP synthesis can cause dementia.

Normally the rate of ATP increases rapidly in response to many hormone and transmitters that are released from glands or from nerve endings. Most of these achieve their effect by activating an appropriate receptor upon the surface of cells within a particular tissue; this increases the flow of calcium into cells. This increase raises the rate of ATP synthesis and the energy stored within the ATP molecule can be used for increasing metabolism to above its basic rate.

Although cells have the capacity to store calcium the principle means of ATP regulation is either nerve stimulation which increases the rate at which calcium enters cells, or enzymatic activity which expels it to the exterior.

When calcium is expelled too slowly ATP is synthesised too rapidly and people become hyperactive. The situation is comparable to what happens to a water tank with a defective ball cock and an overflow pipe too small to take away the surplus. Most recreational drugs and some food additives with E numbers achieve their effect by increasing the flow of calcium into cells. Their influence is especially adverse in those whose capability to produce ATP is restricted by iodine or selenium deficiency or by an excessive loss of salt in their urine.

When people are hyperactive and producing an excess of ATP some of the excess is utilised in expelling calcium from their cells. Thus, hyperactivity is not a permanent condition but comes and goes as the ability to synthesise ATP above the basic rate increases and decreases. This is the basic condition underlying Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. Overproduction of ATP always results in hyperactivity and under production of ATP in depression. Raising the basic rate of ATP production by using selenium or an iodine supplement should redress the balance.

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First Punlished in 2009