Glutathione + NAC

Glutathione is one of the most abundant anti-oxidants in the body. We want to make ample amounts, but as we age and become exposed to poor diet, chronic disease, infections, external stressor, and toxins, it is likely our natural glutathione levels decrease. Yet, we need it — it is vitally important to our body’s ability to manage oxidative stress among other things. Glutathione is naturally found in foods like broccoli, avocado, okra, asparagus, melon, kale, and sweet potatoes.

Glutathione is known to protect against many diseases and conditions, in part due to its ability to reduce oxidative stress, such as alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, atherosclerosis, cataracts, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease, hepatitis, high cholesterol, liver disease, osteoarthritis, Lyme disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

Glutathione is especially known to support immune function as well as brain function. Patients with Parkinson’s show depleted levels of Glutathione and also show improvement in their symptoms and cognition when they take Glutathione. As an anti-oxidant it can reduce free radical and heavy metal damage in the body.

Glutathione is not simple to manufacture in a good bioavailable form. Many oral supplements on the market do not deliver enough glutathione to be effective unless the Glutathione is encapsulated in lipids or fat – allowing it to permeate the cell membrane. Administered, as an IV treatment becomes the top way to deliver highly absorbed, significant doses. Given after ozone IV treatment it can be especially productive since the two have a synergistic and balancing effect.

We often follow Glutathione IV with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), an amino acid, which takes the process a step further, allowing the effects of Glutathione to be active for up to, an additional 12 hours. Amino acids in general are crucial to the production of Glutathione and are important to consider when trying to increase Glutathione levels.

Glutathione is also known to “open up” Phase II detox pathways in the liver. Essential to our existence, is the ability to process and eliminate unwanted substances from the body – the liver is one of the body’s main elimination organs.

Research suggests that Glutathione plays a role in metabolizing alcohol and may protect the liver and kidneys by breaking down foreign substances such as drugs like acetaminophen into soluble forms more easily excreted.