Hi, I’m Dr. Jared Nielsen here in Heber city Utah. I’d like to mention an important nutritional supplement that our body already produces, but often times is in deficit and therefore requires some type of external introduction.
The supplement I’m referring to is acetyl Glutathione or simply Glutathione. Glutathione is the highest occurring natural anti‑oxidant in our bodies, but often times is impaired in its ability to reproduce. Many people use some of its precursors in the form of N‑acetylcysteine or NAC.
When we look at the utilization of Glutathione, the liver is where we primarily find Glutathione stores being consumed. It has a benefit in the liver because there are two phases or pathways the liver utilizes to eliminate toxins or waste by‑products.
Let me give you an analogy. Suppose you take a small cup down to a stream and you skim the stream and drop water into the cup. As you let the cup set, you notice there is a separation of the heavy sediment to the bottom of the cup. Yet, there’s still the water a precipitate that’s just hanging out.
Phase one detoxification of the liver can filter off that light sediment from the water or the fluid. Phase two detoxification of the liver is more of the heavy sediment that’s drawn out of the liver.
Glutathione assists both pathways, but especially for getting out the heavy sediment that may settle in our systems. For example, heavy metals, the detoxification pathways associated with metabolism, and also the presentation of auto‑immunities where we see antibodies or elevation of histamine and other neurotransmitters that stimulate or excite inflammation in the body.
When we take oral glutathione, the liver is so hungry for it, often times the glutathione is consumed in the liver.
Another means of delivery of glutathione to especially affect the brain, is the delivery system that Dr. David Perlmutter, a medical neurologist in Naples, Florida uses. This is either an intramuscular injection or an IV introduction of glutathione into the body.
In many cases, 800 to even 1200 milligrams of glutathione can be introduced by IV and a tremendous benefit for the brain is achieved, especially for patients with nerve degenerative diseases such as Parkinsonism or more advanced nerve degenerative diseases like Lou Gehrig’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis.
When we look at the benefits of the glutathione, the reason the person experiencing a nerve degeneration presentation, for example Parkinsonism, is benefitted by glutathione, is the fact that glutathione acts as a recycler of neurotransmitters.
When we look at a person with Parkinsonism who’s developed a decreased or diminished output of dopamine, we can actually recycle the amount of dopamine that’s present. We get a very, very rapid, in fact, within 5 to 15 minutes, an observable change in the person’s ability to walk, to turn or to feel like they’re stable on their feet. Their facial expressions increased just by using glutathione either as an IV or some type of intramuscular injection.
In our office we utilize a glutathione gel that actually is a transdermal delivery, or across the skin. You apply it to the skin and it will actually take up through the bloodstream and therefore be delivered to the brain before being consumed in the liver.
The only challenge is glutathione has a very strong sulfurous smell, because it has that ability to draw and to detoxify the sulfuric donors or the methyl donors have a very strong, pungent odor. Therefore the odor is sometimes a challenge for people to use.
If we’re trying to target the liver, an oral delivery system may be optimal through a capsule. The one drawback to the glutathione utilization is it does have a pungent odor, but the benefit is tremendous.
When we look at neurodegenerative diseases, when we look at auto‑immunities, particularly of Hashimoto’s thyroid, glutathione is essential to reduce the antibody response and you actually see the inflammation of the thyroid diminish over a period of weeks. This is very important for us, particularly for those experiencing the goiter or enlarged thyroid presentation of an autoimmune thyroid disease.
The benefit of that is not only cosmetic, meaning the appearance of the individual, but also the thyroid tissue can be preserved and therefore not have to experience the thyroidectomy or the surgical removal.
Patients who’ve utilized glutathione for a period of time note the benefit of healing, the benefit of change in the thyroid tissues and also their energy, because glutathione assists in recycling also the thyroid hormone production.
As we look at the body as a whole, glutathione is one of the most important and highest produced, but when the pathway is impaired, that antioxidant is unavailable. Utilizing a supplement that stimulates either thyroid activation or liver activation and the production of glutathione in the form of an acetylcysteine, or delivering glutathione directly to the system, can have a tremendous benefit.
Because it is a detoxifying agent or an antioxidant and detoxifying agent, remember that utilization of glutathione in some patients may develop an opposite effect. Meaning, for a period of time, they may feel a little bit worse. That’s to be expected, when we note a benefit. Remember, anything that has a potential effect, may also have a potential side‑effect. Again, I’m Dr. Nielsen. I hope this is a help to you.