Glutathione is a small protein comprised of three amino acids - cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine. It helps to detoxify the body by removing heavy metals, solvents and other toxins, and also acts as an antioxidant.
Glutathione found in fruit and vegetables has been shown to protect against some forms of cancer in both test-tube and animal studies.
Although glutathione can be absorbed by the body, research has found that the human gastrointestinal tract contains an enzyme that breaks down glutathione before it can be fully absorbed. As a result, some practitioners suggest that patients take glutathione tablets, which may be absorbed in the mouth. Several substances, such as vitamin B6, riboflavin and selenium are necessary for the body to create glutathione. Glutathione levels in the body also appear to be linked to the presence of a variety of other substances, including alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C, methionine and SAMe.
While the effectiveness of oral glutathione supplements remains in questions, intravenous or intramuscular injections have been shown to be useful for a wide range of conditions, from reducing high blood pressure levels in people with diabetes, to reducing the side-effects of certain chemotherapy drugs, to increasing sperm counts in men with low sperm levels. In addition, glutathione nasal sprays may lessen symptoms in people with allergic rhinitis.
Because glutathione is produced naturally by the body, the exact amount that should be taken daily remains in question. Many studies of glutathione have used doses ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 mg per day. People who smoke may need larger doses of glutathione than normal, because cigarette smoking increases its utilization rate. Low glutathione levels have also been associated with diabetes, low sperm counts, live disease, cataracts, and some forms of cancer. Patients with these conditions may wish to speak with a licensed health care provider about increasing glutathione intake.
Glutathione is found in both fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish. Walnuts, asparagus and avacados are particularly good sources of glutathione. Glutathione tablets are also available, as are prescription injections and aerosol sprays.
As of this writing, there are no known adverse affects associated with oral glutathione supplements. However, glutathione may interact with some chemotherapy medications, such as cisplatin and cyclophosphamide. Patients taking those drugs should consult with a licensed health care provider before taking intravenous or intramuscular glutathione injections. As always, make sure to consult with a licensed health care provider before taking glutathione or any other dietary supplement or herbal remedy.
References
Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
When the body is going through a stressful event, the sympathetic system is activated. This activation will help the body with a life-threatening situation. If this state is activated for prolonged periods of time, it starts to consume energy. These traumatic events that generate stressors in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) will eventually become internalized.
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One of the things that makes acupuncture so difficult to measure is that the medicine actually does contain some esoteric aspects. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the neurochemical reasoning behind why acupuncture points stimulate the autonomic nervous system to enact change However, not all the benefits of TCM can easily be measured by randomized, controlled trials. But does that make them fundamentally and definitively untrue?
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