Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant. It protects our cells from damage and is a powerful agent in helping manage inflammation and tissue destruction. Making sure your glutathione status is strong and reducing glutathione depletion can play a profound role in immune resilience to viruses and in managing autoimmune disease, inflammation, chemical sensitivities, food sensitivities, and other chronic health issues.
Unfortunately, we are prone to depletion of glutathione from:
- Medications
- Chronic stress and anxiety
- Environmental toxins
- Unhealthy diets
- Inflammation
- Alcohol
- Aging
- And more
Unlike most antioxidants that come from food sources, glutathione is made in house by the liver. There are some foods that help boost production of glutathione by providing us with some of the building blocks that are needed to make it. Almost everyone can benefit from an extra dose of glutathione so here are some veggies to choose from:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Brussels sprouts
- Bok choy
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Spinach
- Okra
Dietary changes are amazing but as I pointed out, the stress culture we live in and the chemicals in the air, on our food and in household and beauty products, leave us depleted of glutathione over time. Insufficient glutathione can leave us unprotected and contribute to declining health.
Supplementing with Glutathione can be very beneficial.
How to supplement with Glutathione
Intravenous (IV Therapy):
This is a pretty popular method that is highly effective. Glutathione is not easily absorbed in the digestive tract and IV completely skips the digestive tract and gets Glutathione directly into the bloodstream. Dosing is easiest with IV therapy. Most of our patients love adding Glutathione to their IV therapy regime.
To book an IV, give us a call today or click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to find a time that works for you.
S-acetyl glutathione:
This is a newer and more accessible form of glutathione that the intestinal tract can efficiently absorb. S-acetyl glutathione may be effective in helping manage autoimmune disease.
This is the only oral glutathione I personally prefer. It has both bioactive glutathione (GSH) and glutathione recycling precursors. Hold tight, we will get to the business of recycling shortly. All brands are not created equally. Feel free to get in touch with us if you want to discuss this further.
Liposomal cream:
This is used as a topical cream on localized areas. If you have pain or inflammation in a particular area, just apply the cream directly on top of the area for relief. Consider using it on joints for joint pain or even directly on the thyroid if you have Hashimoto’s.
Glutathione recycling? Yep, it’s really a thing.
As important as glutathione is, when we supplement, it helps raise levels outside the cells. It is equally important that we are able to push available glutathione inside of the cells where our mitochondria live. Mitochondria use glutathione as their main antioxidant that converts all that food we eat into pure energy. This is where glutathione recycling comes in.
Glutathione recycling is different than glutathione. It actually takes existing glutathione and reuses it. We support this process with certain glutathione precursors such as selenium, N-acetyl L-cysteine, and standardized extracts of cordyceps and gotu kola that help raise levels of glutathione inside the cells.
This is especially important for anyone with an autoimmune disease because the degenerative process of autoimmune disease destroys the mitochondria in affected cells, such as the large intestines in Ulcerative Colitis.
So, be sure to supplement with both glutathione and a glutathione recycler for the full health benefits.
Reach out to find out more about how you could be protecting yourself from future health issues or if you are dealing with health concerns currently!