Re: Glutathione building (update)

[Guest guest]

Hi,.

I see that I lied. Your troches are there, but you aren't! Well, I

apologize, and let me just say to everyone else that supplied

the troche information. Mea culpa.

Rich

>

> Hi, all.

>

> This is an update of my earlier summaries of ways of building

> glutathione.

>

> Rich

>

> January 10, 2006

>

> Augmenting glutathione in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

>

> I have recently become convinced that the genetic predisposition

and

> much of the biochemistry of CFS is similar to that of autism. In

> autism, researchers associated with the DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!)

> project have found that as a result of a combination of genetic

> variations and environmental factors there are blocks in the

sulfur

> metabolism (including the methylation cycle and/or the

> transsulfuration pathway) in many autistic children. They have

> further found that lifting these blocks by means of certain

> supplements allows the glutathione level to come up. I refer you

to

> the book " Autism: Effective Biomedical Treatments, " by Jon

Pangborn

> and Sydney Baker (Sept. 2005, www.autismresearchinstitute.com) for

> the details of these treatments. At present, I suspect that many

> PWCs will be unable to raise their glutathione levels if these

> blocks are not first lifted.

>

> Provided such blocks are not present or are not dominant in a

given

> case, there are several ways to augment one's glutathione in CFS.

> It is a good idea to proceed slowly at first if glutathione has

been

> depleted for an extended period of time (months to years), because

> toxins and infections may have been allowed to build up in the

> absence of sufficient glutathione to keep them under control. If

> glutathione is then brought up rapidly, the mobilization of toxins

> can produce a Jarisch Herxheimer reaction, which is an

exacerbation

> of symptoms that can make a person feel very unpleasant. Also,

see

> the particular comments about mercury below.

>

> Here are some approaches for building glutathione (Note that names

> of products, laboratories and suppliers are given for information

> only, not as recommendations. There may be others not mentioned

> that are satisfactory):

>

> 1. Oral supplements, such as the " nondenatured " or " native " whey

> protein products (e.g. ImmunoPro Rx or RenewPro),

the " undenatured "

> whey protein products (e.g. Immunocal, ImuPlus, etc.), such as

from

> http.//www.immunesupport.com or http://www.needs.com or

> http://www.iherb.com, the fermented goat-milk-based version of

whey

> protein, Goatein, available from www.gardenoflifeusa.com, amino

acid

> precursors including N-acetylcysteine, glycine and glutamic acid

> (such as from Jeff at http://www.cfsn.com), N-acetylcysteine

> together with dietary protein, or reduced glutathione supplements

> per se, both available from health food stores. One supplier of

> oral reduced glutathione is http://www.theranaturals.com.

>

> A relatively new type of oral glutathione supplement is liposomal

> glutathione, which is reduced glutathione encapsulated in tiny

> liposomes made from soy-based phosphatidylcholine. There are

> currently three of these products on the market of which I am

> aware: Essential GSH (http://www.essentialgsh.com), Lipoceutical

> Glutathione (http://www.gshnow.com), and LipoFlow Glutathione

> (http://www.lipoflow.com) The liposomal form is relatively

> expensive, but more of the glutathione is absorbed intact and

> appears to be carried to various cells of the body encapsulated in

> the liposomes.

>

> No prescription is required for the above oral supplements.

>

> ImmunoPro Rx and RenewPro are actually " native " or " nondenatured, "

> being made from whey that has not been heated to high temperatures

> or treated with acid as in cheese making, which the " undenatured "

> products' starting material have undergone, so that they have more

> cysteine present as actual cysteine per se rather than the

oxidized

> form cystine, and cysteine is more useable by the liver for making

> glutathione, probably particularly in a person who is depleted in

> glutathione.

>

> The " undenatured " and " nondenatured " whey protein products can be

> problematical for those with allergies to whey proteins (or

perhaps

> to casein, which may be present in small quantities in the whey

> protein products), and the goat-milk based version Goatein may be

> helpful in such cases, even though the fermentation process likely

> converts much of the cysteine to cystine.

>

> The amino acid precursors should not present problems of allergic

> reactions, but should be taken with high quality dietary protein

to

> ensure that they are used effectively and that if mercury is

> present, its transport into the brain is not encouraged. Some

PWCs

> do not tolerate glutamic acid well. In such cases, glutamine (or

> better yet, a product called Glutimmune, available from

> http://www.wellwisdom.com) can be substituted for the glutamic

acid,

> and taken together with N-acetylcysteine and glycine.

>

> The reduced glutathione supplements are a more expensive approach

> than the whey or NAC-based approaches. Free reduced glutathione

> appears to be largely broken down in the gut into amino acids, so

> there is probably not an advantage to taking regular capsules of

> reduced glutathione per se except for the cells of the intestines

> themselves. Liposomal glutathione is likely not significantly

> broken down in the gut and is able to enter cells in its intact

form

> more easily. Liposomal glutathione may actually be absorbed

through

> the wall of the stomach.

>

> Oral supplements are probably the best way to raise the

glutathione

> level in the liver, since the liver gets first access to oral

> supplements via the portal vein, and it is normally the main

> producer of glutathione in the body and an exporter of glutathione

> to the systemic blood and the bile. The liver is probably not able

> to take glutathione from the blood for its own use, so approaches

> that put glutathione per se into the blood probably are not very

> helpful in directly building glutathione in the liver.

>

> If there is a high level of mercury in the body, such as can occur

> if glutathione has been low for an extended period of time (months

> to years) and the person has silver amalgam fillings in their

teeth

> or they have consumed a significant amount of large, predatory

fish,

> including tuna, or they are close to an environmental source of

> mercury, then caution should be exercised by limiting the dosages

of

> oral supplements that supply amino acids to the liver for making

> glutathione. There are two reasons for this:

>

> The first is that mercury can be moved into the brain from other

> parts of the body by cysteine or N-acetylcysteine if the dosages

are

> too high. Dr. Quig of Doctors Data Laboratories recommends

> limiting the dosage of NAC to 300 mg per day and taking it with a

> high protein diet if heavy metals are elevated. The ability of

NAC

> to transport mercury into the brain was confirmed in rats in

recent

> experiments by Aposhian et al.

>

> The second reason is that mercury can block the utilization of

> cysteine, and if cysteine rises too high, it can act as a

> neurotoxin. (This last is also the reason L-cysteine is not

> recommended as a supplement for building glutathione.) It's a good

> idea to measure the blood plasma level of cysteine periodically

when

> building glutathione, to make sure it is not rising too high.

>

> If elevated mercury is suspected, it is a good idea to test for

> mercury and detox it carefully if it is present, with the help of

a

> doctor experienced in doing this. The best test is a collection

of

> urine for 6 hours, preceded by a challenge with the chelator DMSA

> (succimer). A very small dosage of DMSA should be tried first, to

> make sure there is not an allergic reaction to it. A test of this

> type is offered by http://www.doctorsdata.com.

>

> If there is elevated mercury, it may also be wise to begin

building

> glutathione using one of the approaches below, which put

glutathione

> per se into the blood, rather than one of the oral approaches that

> help the liver to make glutathione. This may help to remove the

> mercury more " gently, " starting with the kidneys, which absorb

most

> of the glutathione put directly into the blood.

>

> 2. Intramuscular injections, as pioneered by Dr. Salvato

in

> Houston. She injects 100 mg of glutathione with 1 mg of ATP,

> intramuscularly, 2 times per week. One source of IM glutathione

is

> McGuff Compounding Pharmacy in Santa Ana, CA (phone: (877)444-

1133,

> fax: (877)444-1155). This probably benefits most the muscle into

> which it is injected, but it also has systemic effects.

>

> 3. Intravenous injections, and particularly fast I.V. pushes, as

> advocated and used by Dr. Kane and her co-authors of The

> Detoxx Book (www.detoxxbook.com) as part of their overall detox

> protocol. The book says they do an I.V. push over 3 to 5 minutes

> starting with 1,500 mg of glutathione in 12 cc of sterile water

for

> adults, and going as high as 2,500 mg in 15 cc of sterile water,

one

> to two time per week for 3 to 6 months or more. They suggest

> Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals in Birmingham, AL as the

source

> for injectable reduced glutathione (phone: (800)227-2627, fax:

(205)

> 879-6551).

>

> Intravenous glutathione injections seem to be becoming more

> prevalent. I think they were pioneered in the U.S. by Dr.

> Perlmutter (after initial work in Italy by Dr. Secchi) for the

> treatment of Parkinson's disease, but they are being used in other

> disorders as well. Several cell types are able to extract

> glutathione from the blood, break it down, import the pieces, and

> resynthesize it inside the cell, via the gamma glutamyl cycle.

> Other types of cells can import glutathione intact from the

blood.

> This approach requires a prescription and repeated visits to a

> doctor's office, and it is relatively expensive to get these

> injections repeatedly.

>

> 4. Glutathione suppositories from a compounding pharmacy. One

source

> is Hopewell Pharmacy in New Jersey (phone: (800)792-6670). One

> person told me they use suppositories containing 250 mg of

> glutathione. Another told me that they are also available in 500

mg

> doses from http://www.wellnesshealth.com. I don't know how much

> gets into the blood with this method, but I suspect that it is

> substantial. This is a relatively inexpensive way to put

> glutathione into the blood. I think a prescription is required

for

> this form.

>

> 5. Glutathione nasal spray. I've heard of people formulating

their

> own by mixing glutathione solution from compounding pharmacies

with

> saline solution. I don't know how much glutathione is absorbed

into

> the blood this way, but I suspect it is less than with the

> suppositories. It's important to keep the solution refrigerated

and

> to use it soon after it is mixed, because the reduced glutathione

> undergoes chemical changes over time in solution.

>

> 6. Glutathione transdermal skin creams (available from

> http://www.kirkmanlabs.com) (no prescription required). Lotions

are

> also sold. These may have a strong smell. A stabilized reduced

> glutathione transdermal gel is available from

> http://www.leesilsby.com. I don't know how much of the

glutathione

> gets into the blood with these products.

>

> 7. Glutathione sublingual troches from a compounding pharmacy.

One

> source is Lionville Natural Pharmacy in Lionville, PA (phone: (877)

> 363-7474, fax: (610)363-5707) These are made in orange and

blueberry

> flavors, and are composed of a very firm gel. There are also hard

> troches in orange flavor. I don't know how much gets into the

> blood.

>

> 8. Nebulizer application to the lungs, as pioneered by Dr. Buhl et

> al. at the NIH and as described by Dr. n Whitaker in his

> newsletter Health and Healing. Dr. Buhl used 600 mg in a few

> milliliters of water per application. Dr. Whitaker uses 300 mg,

two

> times per day, applied over 5 to 10 minutes with a nebulizer,

> available from a medical supply company. He recommends Wellness

> Health and Pharmaceuticals (numbers given above) and California

> Pharmacy and Compounding Center

(http://www.californiapharmacy.com)

> as sources for the glutathione. Nebulized glutathione is being

used

> for a variety of lung diseases now, including chronic obstructive

> pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, interstitial pulmonary

> fibrosis and multiple chemical sensitivity. There are reports

that

> blood levels of glutathione rise when this method is used.

> Hudson, who has helped to pioneer use of aerosol glutathione in

> cystic fibrosis, suggests L-Glutathione Plus capsules from

> http://www.theranaturals.com, mixed with boiled water, applied

with

> a nebulizer. No prescription is required for the capsules, or to

> buy a nebulizer on the internet. suggests one capsule

> containing 200 mg of reduced glutathione mixed into 3 or 4 ml of

> boiled water. An important feature of this source of glutathione

> (available without a prescription) is that it is buffered with

> sodium bicarbonate. Bishop, M.D., wrote me that this

> buffering is important, because if the pH is too acid, it can lead

> to bronchospasm when nebulizing. People who are subject to

> asthmatic attacks should not use nebulized glutathione, as it can

> result in bronchospasm, thought to be caused by the sulfites that

> form when glutathione is mixed with water. It's also very

important

> in nebulizing to use pure, boiled or sterile water, and a clean

> nebulizer in order to prevent introducing infections or insoluble

> respirable particulates into the lungs. Because of these issues,

> nebulizing is best done under the supervision of a doctor or a

> respiratory therapist.

>

> 9. Take turmeric (the yellow spice in mustard and in food eaten

in

> India). The curcumin in this spice has been shown to stimulate

> glutathione production.

>

> Some people are using more than one of these modes

simultaneously.

> My current opinion is that it is a good idea first to deal with

> possible blocks in the sulfur metabolism, as discussed above, then

> to start at low dosages of glutathione or precursors or protein

> supplements, to see how well they are tolerated, and then work up

as

> they are tolerated. I think that a combination of an oral

approach

> to build the liver's ability to make glutathione combined with one

> or more of the approaches that puts intact glutathione into the

> blood is probably the optimum way to build glutathione, once the

> sulfur metabolism blocks, if present, have been lifted.

>

> It is a good idea to measure the glutathione level before starting

> to try to build glutathione to see if it is low, and then, if it

is

> low, to measure again after trying to build it for a few months,

to

> see how your approach is working. There are several ways to do

> this. Probably the cheapest is to measure the red blood cell

> glutathione. Two labs that offer this test are Immunosciences Lab

> (www.immuno-sci-lab.com) and Amscot Medical Labs

> (midwest5@f...). Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab (www.gsdl.com)

> offers an assessment of the glutathione detoxification pathway as

> well as plasma reduced glutathione in its Comprehensive Detox

> panel. An analysis of urinary organic acids by either

> www.greatplainslaboratory.com or www.metametrix.com will give an

> indirect assessment of glutathione status, particularly in the

> skeletal muscles (via citric acid and alpha ketoglutaric acid

> measurements) and the kidneys (via pyroglutamic acid aka 5-oxo-

> proline measurement). A measurement of glutathione function in

the

> lymphocytes is offered by www.spectracell.com. I favor the

> Spectracell test if a person can afford it, because the

lymphocytes

> are heavily affected in CFS. Otherwise, the red blood cell test

is

> still useful.

>

> It's also a good idea to measure the blood plasma level of

cysteine

> periodically when building glutathione, to make sure it is not

> rising too high. If a person is high in mercury, this can block

the

> pathways that use cysteine, and it can build up.

> If anyone reading this finds errors or knows of things that have

> been left out, please let me know at richvank@a... Thank you.

>

> Rich Van Konynenburg

>

[Guest guest]

Same to you, nice summary Rich.

Just to note:

Nasal glutathione had no effect on me.

Nebulized was irritating and I didn't like the smell (nasal also

smelled) and didn't feel better from it.

ATP plus glutathione shots had a HORRIBLE effect on me. I got a killer

headache and felt very weird like I'd been revved up way beyond

capacity and I ended up throwing up finally in the middle of the

nigght. I took half the recommneded dose btw and will never inject

that combo again.

IV glutathione works for me.

I have wellness but haven't used it.

I think one should, rather than test for cysteine, use the Genovations

tests for errors in the methylation cycle, and then supplement

appropriately with their recommended nutrients where you might have

blocks, starting as they recommend with taurine, and trying one by one

to be sure there are no adverse reactions. They recommend folinic acid

(garry gordon also recommends that highly), methylb12, tmg, dmg,

magnesium, b6 etc.

>

> Hi, all.

>

> This is an update of my earlier summaries of ways of building

> glutathione.

>

> Rich

>

> January 10, 2006

>

> Augmenting glutathione in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

>

> I have recently become convinced that the genetic predisposition and

> much of the biochemistry of CFS is similar to that of autism. In

> autism, researchers associated with the DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!)

> project have found that as a result of a combination of genetic

> variations and environmental factors there are blocks in the sulfur

> metabolism (including the methylation cycle and/or the

> transsulfuration pathway) in many autistic children. They have

> further found that lifting these blocks by means of certain

> supplements allows the glutathione level to come up. I refer you to

> the book " Autism: Effective Biomedical Treatments, " by Jon Pangborn

> and Sydney Baker (Sept. 2005, www.autismresearchinstitute.com) for

> the details of these treatments. At present, I suspect that many

> PWCs will be unable to raise their glutathione levels if these

> blocks are not first lifted.

>

> Provided such blocks are not present or are not dominant in a given

> case, there are several ways to augment one's glutathione in CFS.

> It is a good idea to proceed slowly at first if glutathione has been

> depleted for an extended period of time (months to years), because

> toxins and infections may have been allowed to build up in the

> absence of sufficient glutathione to keep them under control. If

> glutathione is then brought up rapidly, the mobilization of toxins

> can produce a Jarisch Herxheimer reaction, which is an exacerbation

> of symptoms that can make a person feel very unpleasant. Also, see

> the particular comments about mercury below.

>

> Here are some approaches for building glutathione (Note that names

> of products, laboratories and suppliers are given for information

> only, not as recommendations. There may be others not mentioned

> that are satisfactory):

>

> 1. Oral supplements, such as the " nondenatured " or " native " whey

> protein products (e.g. ImmunoPro Rx or RenewPro), the " undenatured "

> whey protein products (e.g. Immunocal, ImuPlus, etc.), such as from

> http.//www.immunesupport.com or http://www.needs.com or

> http://www.iherb.com, the fermented goat-milk-based version of whey

> protein, Goatein, available from www.gardenoflifeusa.com, amino acid

> precursors including N-acetylcysteine, glycine and glutamic acid

> (such as from Jeff at http://www.cfsn.com), N-acetylcysteine

> together with dietary protein, or reduced glutathione supplements

> per se, both available from health food stores. One supplier of

> oral reduced glutathione is http://www.theranaturals.com.

>

> A relatively new type of oral glutathione supplement is liposomal

> glutathione, which is reduced glutathione encapsulated in tiny

> liposomes made from soy-based phosphatidylcholine. There are

> currently three of these products on the market of which I am

> aware: Essential GSH (http://www.essentialgsh.com), Lipoceutical

> Glutathione (http://www.gshnow.com), and LipoFlow Glutathione

> (http://www.lipoflow.com) The liposomal form is relatively

> expensive, but more of the glutathione is absorbed intact and

> appears to be carried to various cells of the body encapsulated in

> the liposomes.

>

> No prescription is required for the above oral supplements.

>

> ImmunoPro Rx and RenewPro are actually " native " or " nondenatured, "

> being made from whey that has not been heated to high temperatures

> or treated with acid as in cheese making, which the " undenatured "

> products' starting material have undergone, so that they have more

> cysteine present as actual cysteine per se rather than the oxidized

> form cystine, and cysteine is more useable by the liver for making

> glutathione, probably particularly in a person who is depleted in

> glutathione.

>

> The " undenatured " and " nondenatured " whey protein products can be

> problematical for those with allergies to whey proteins (or perhaps

> to casein, which may be present in small quantities in the whey

> protein products), and the goat-milk based version Goatein may be

> helpful in such cases, even though the fermentation process likely

> converts much of the cysteine to cystine.

>

> The amino acid precursors should not present problems of allergic

> reactions, but should be taken with high quality dietary protein to

> ensure that they are used effectively and that if mercury is

> present, its transport into the brain is not encouraged. Some PWCs

> do not tolerate glutamic acid well. In such cases, glutamine (or

> better yet, a product called Glutimmune, available from

> http://www.wellwisdom.com) can be substituted for the glutamic acid,

> and taken together with N-acetylcysteine and glycine.

>

> The reduced glutathione supplements are a more expensive approach

> than the whey or NAC-based approaches. Free reduced glutathione

> appears to be largely broken down in the gut into amino acids, so

> there is probably not an advantage to taking regular capsules of

> reduced glutathione per se except for the cells of the intestines

> themselves. Liposomal glutathione is likely not significantly

> broken down in the gut and is able to enter cells in its intact form

> more easily. Liposomal glutathione may actually be absorbed through

> the wall of the stomach.

>

> Oral supplements are probably the best way to raise the glutathione

> level in the liver, since the liver gets first access to oral

> supplements via the portal vein, and it is normally the main

> producer of glutathione in the body and an exporter of glutathione

> to the systemic blood and the bile. The liver is probably not able

> to take glutathione from the blood for its own use, so approaches

> that put glutathione per se into the blood probably are not very

> helpful in directly building glutathione in the liver.

>

> If there is a high level of mercury in the body, such as can occur

> if glutathione has been low for an extended period of time (months

> to years) and the person has silver amalgam fillings in their teeth

> or they have consumed a significant amount of large, predatory fish,

> including tuna, or they are close to an environmental source of

> mercury, then caution should be exercised by limiting the dosages of

> oral supplements that supply amino acids to the liver for making

> glutathione. There are two reasons for this:

>

> The first is that mercury can be moved into the brain from other

> parts of the body by cysteine or N-acetylcysteine if the dosages are

> too high. Dr. Quig of Doctors Data Laboratories recommends

> limiting the dosage of NAC to 300 mg per day and taking it with a

> high protein diet if heavy metals are elevated. The ability of NAC

> to transport mercury into the brain was confirmed in rats in recent

> experiments by Aposhian et al.

>

> The second reason is that mercury can block the utilization of

> cysteine, and if cysteine rises too high, it can act as a

> neurotoxin. (This last is also the reason L-cysteine is not

> recommended as a supplement for building glutathione.) It's a good

> idea to measure the blood plasma level of cysteine periodically when

> building glutathione, to make sure it is not rising too high.

>

> If elevated mercury is suspected, it is a good idea to test for

> mercury and detox it carefully if it is present, with the help of a

> doctor experienced in doing this. The best test is a collection of

> urine for 6 hours, preceded by a challenge with the chelator DMSA

> (succimer). A very small dosage of DMSA should be tried first, to

> make sure there is not an allergic reaction to it. A test of this

> type is offered by http://www.doctorsdata.com.

>

> If there is elevated mercury, it may also be wise to begin building

> glutathione using one of the approaches below, which put glutathione

> per se into the blood, rather than one of the oral approaches that

> help the liver to make glutathione. This may help to remove the

> mercury more " gently, " starting with the kidneys, which absorb most

> of the glutathione put directly into the blood.

>

> 2. Intramuscular injections, as pioneered by Dr. Salvato in

> Houston. She injects 100 mg of glutathione with 1 mg of ATP,

> intramuscularly, 2 times per week. One source of IM glutathione is

> McGuff Compounding Pharmacy in Santa Ana, CA (phone: (877)444-1133,

> fax: (877)444-1155). This probably benefits most the muscle into

> which it is injected, but it also has systemic effects.

>

> 3. Intravenous injections, and particularly fast I.V. pushes, as

> advocated and used by Dr. Kane and her co-authors of The

> Detoxx Book (www.detoxxbook.com) as part of their overall detox

> protocol. The book says they do an I.V. push over 3 to 5 minutes

> starting with 1,500 mg of glutathione in 12 cc of sterile water for

> adults, and going as high as 2,500 mg in 15 cc of sterile water, one

> to two time per week for 3 to 6 months or more. They suggest

> Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals in Birmingham, AL as the source

> for injectable reduced glutathione (phone: (800)227-2627, fax: (205)

> 879-6551).

>

> Intravenous glutathione injections seem to be becoming more

> prevalent. I think they were pioneered in the U.S. by Dr.

> Perlmutter (after initial work in Italy by Dr. Secchi) for the

> treatment of Parkinson's disease, but they are being used in other

> disorders as well. Several cell types are able to extract

> glutathione from the blood, break it down, import the pieces, and

> resynthesize it inside the cell, via the gamma glutamyl cycle.

> Other types of cells can import glutathione intact from the blood.

> This approach requires a prescription and repeated visits to a

> doctor's office, and it is relatively expensive to get these

> injections repeatedly.

>

> 4. Glutathione suppositories from a compounding pharmacy. One source

> is Hopewell Pharmacy in New Jersey (phone: (800)792-6670). One

> person told me they use suppositories containing 250 mg of

> glutathione. Another told me that they are also available in 500 mg

> doses from http://www.wellnesshealth.com. I don't know how much

> gets into the blood with this method, but I suspect that it is

> substantial. This is a relatively inexpensive way to put

> glutathione into the blood. I think a prescription is required for

> this form.

>

> 5. Glutathione nasal spray. I've heard of people formulating their

> own by mixing glutathione solution from compounding pharmacies with

> saline solution. I don't know how much glutathione is absorbed into

> the blood this way, but I suspect it is less than with the

> suppositories. It's important to keep the solution refrigerated and

> to use it soon after it is mixed, because the reduced glutathione

> undergoes chemical changes over time in solution.

>

> 6. Glutathione transdermal skin creams (available from

> http://www.kirkmanlabs.com) (no prescription required). Lotions are

> also sold. These may have a strong smell. A stabilized reduced

> glutathione transdermal gel is available from

> http://www.leesilsby.com. I don't know how much of the glutathione

> gets into the blood with these products.

>

> 7. Glutathione sublingual troches from a compounding pharmacy. One

> source is Lionville Natural Pharmacy in Lionville, PA (phone: (877)

> 363-7474, fax: (610)363-5707) These are made in orange and blueberry

> flavors, and are composed of a very firm gel. There are also hard

> troches in orange flavor. I don't know how much gets into the

> blood.

>

> 8. Nebulizer application to the lungs, as pioneered by Dr. Buhl et

> al. at the NIH and as described by Dr. n Whitaker in his

> newsletter Health and Healing. Dr. Buhl used 600 mg in a few

> milliliters of water per application. Dr. Whitaker uses 300 mg, two

> times per day, applied over 5 to 10 minutes with a nebulizer,

> available from a medical supply company. He recommends Wellness

> Health and Pharmaceuticals (numbers given above) and California

> Pharmacy and Compounding Center (http://www.californiapharmacy.com)

> as sources for the glutathione. Nebulized glutathione is being used

> for a variety of lung diseases now, including chronic obstructive

> pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, interstitial pulmonary

> fibrosis and multiple chemical sensitivity. There are reports that

> blood levels of glutathione rise when this method is used.

> Hudson, who has helped to pioneer use of aerosol glutathione in

> cystic fibrosis, suggests L-Glutathione Plus capsules from

> http://www.theranaturals.com, mixed with boiled water, applied with

> a nebulizer. No prescription is required for the capsules, or to

> buy a nebulizer on the internet. suggests one capsule

> containing 200 mg of reduced glutathione mixed into 3 or 4 ml of

> boiled water. An important feature of this source of glutathione

> (available without a prescription) is that it is buffered with

> sodium bicarbonate. Bishop, M.D., wrote me that this

> buffering is important, because if the pH is too acid, it can lead

> to bronchospasm when nebulizing. People who are subject to

> asthmatic attacks should not use nebulized glutathione, as it can

> result in bronchospasm, thought to be caused by the sulfites that

> form when glutathione is mixed with water. It's also very important

> in nebulizing to use pure, boiled or sterile water, and a clean

> nebulizer in order to prevent introducing infections or insoluble

> respirable particulates into the lungs. Because of these issues,

> nebulizing is best done under the supervision of a doctor or a

> respiratory therapist.

>

> 9. Take turmeric (the yellow spice in mustard and in food eaten in

> India). The curcumin in this spice has been shown to stimulate

> glutathione production.

>

> Some people are using more than one of these modes simultaneously.

> My current opinion is that it is a good idea first to deal with

> possible blocks in the sulfur metabolism, as discussed above, then

> to start at low dosages of glutathione or precursors or protein

> supplements, to see how well they are tolerated, and then work up as

> they are tolerated. I think that a combination of an oral approach

> to build the liver's ability to make glutathione combined with one

> or more of the approaches that puts intact glutathione into the

> blood is probably the optimum way to build glutathione, once the

> sulfur metabolism blocks, if present, have been lifted.

>

> It is a good idea to measure the glutathione level before starting

> to try to build glutathione to see if it is low, and then, if it is

> low, to measure again after trying to build it for a few months, to

> see how your approach is working. There are several ways to do

> this. Probably the cheapest is to measure the red blood cell

> glutathione. Two labs that offer this test are Immunosciences Lab

> (www.immuno-sci-lab.com) and Amscot Medical Labs

> (midwest5@f...). Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab (www.gsdl.com)

> offers an assessment of the glutathione detoxification pathway as

> well as plasma reduced glutathione in its Comprehensive Detox

> panel. An analysis of urinary organic acids by either

> www.greatplainslaboratory.com or www.metametrix.com will give an

> indirect assessment of glutathione status, particularly in the

> skeletal muscles (via citric acid and alpha ketoglutaric acid

> measurements) and the kidneys (via pyroglutamic acid aka 5-oxo-

> proline measurement). A measurement of glutathione function in the

> lymphocytes is offered by www.spectracell.com. I favor the

> Spectracell test if a person can afford it, because the lymphocytes

> are heavily affected in CFS. Otherwise, the red blood cell test is

> still useful.

>

> It's also a good idea to measure the blood plasma level of cysteine

> periodically when building glutathione, to make sure it is not

> rising too high. If a person is high in mercury, this can block the

> pathways that use cysteine, and it can build up.

> If anyone reading this finds errors or knows of things that have

> been left out, please let me know at richvank@a... Thank you.

>

> Rich Van Konynenburg

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Rich,

> 3. Intravenous injections, and particularly fast I.V. pushes, as

> advocated and used by Dr. Kane and her co-authors of The

> Detoxx Book (www.detoxxbook.com) as part of their overall detox

> protocol. The book says they do an I.V. push over 3 to 5 minutes

> starting with 1,500 mg of glutathione in 12 cc of sterile water for

> adults, and going as high as 2,500 mg in 15 cc of sterile water, one

> to two time per week for 3 to 6 months or more. They suggest

> Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals in Birmingham, AL as the source

> for injectable reduced glutathione (phone: (800)227-2627, fax: (205)

> 879-6551).

I've just learned of another source for IV glutathione fast pushes:

www.Infuserveamerica.com/index.htm

I talked to them yesterday, and I think there are several good things

about this company, Infuserve America:

1.) They are cheaper. A pre-loaded syringe containing 2000 mg of

glutathione is $12.50. (This is the wholesale price, and they explain

on the website how they can sell it so cheap.)

2.) A pre-loaded syringe is easier to use. With Wellness, I had to

pay for and use four separate items--a 30 ml syringe, a disposable

needle, a vial of glutathione and a vial of normal saline. Then I had

to draw the two liquids into the syringe.

3.) The president of the company, a pharmacist, answered the phone

himself, and was astonishingly nice. He said he has a soft spot for

people with Lyme. (People at Wellness are nice also, but I never

talked to the company's president.)

Shipping costs are high, as are those from Wellness, for overnight

express. Wellness ships four days a week and Infuserve ships only on

Tuesday afternoon (FedEx Priority). Infuserve makes up a new batch of

gsh once a week--the fresher the better, he said. I don't know how

often Wellness does it.

Prefilled saline flushes and prefilled heparin flushes are 95 cents

each at Infuserv. I think they were more at Wellness, but could be

wrong (as usual!).

Sue ,

Upstate New York

[Guest guest]

Sue thats great info. I'm going to brin git to my doc.

My only question is, is it preservative free? This is very important.

I tolerate Wellness great, and I could not handle College Pharmacy

glutathione. I figure either it was oxidized or the preservatives.

>

> Hi Rich,

>

> > 3. Intravenous injections, and particularly fast I.V. pushes, as

> > advocated and used by Dr. Kane and her co-authors of The

> > Detoxx Book (www.detoxxbook.com) as part of their overall detox

> > protocol. The book says they do an I.V. push over 3 to 5 minutes

> > starting with 1,500 mg of glutathione in 12 cc of sterile water for

> > adults, and going as high as 2,500 mg in 15 cc of sterile water, one

> > to two time per week for 3 to 6 months or more. They suggest

> > Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals in Birmingham, AL as the source

> > for injectable reduced glutathione (phone: (800)227-2627, fax: (205)

> > 879-6551).

>

> I've just learned of another source for IV glutathione fast pushes:

>

> www.Infuserveamerica.com/index.htm

>

> I talked to them yesterday, and I think there are several good things

> about this company, Infuserve America:

>

> 1.) They are cheaper. A pre-loaded syringe containing 2000 mg of

> glutathione is $12.50. (This is the wholesale price, and they explain

> on the website how they can sell it so cheap.)

>

> 2.) A pre-loaded syringe is easier to use. With Wellness, I had to

> pay for and use four separate items--a 30 ml syringe, a disposable

> needle, a vial of glutathione and a vial of normal saline. Then I had

> to draw the two liquids into the syringe.

>

> 3.) The president of the company, a pharmacist, answered the phone

> himself, and was astonishingly nice. He said he has a soft spot for

> people with Lyme. (People at Wellness are nice also, but I never

> talked to the company's president.)

>

> Shipping costs are high, as are those from Wellness, for overnight

> express. Wellness ships four days a week and Infuserve ships only on

> Tuesday afternoon (FedEx Priority). Infuserve makes up a new batch of

> gsh once a week--the fresher the better, he said. I don't know how

> often Wellness does it.

>

> Prefilled saline flushes and prefilled heparin flushes are 95 cents

> each at Infuserv. I think they were more at Wellness, but could be

> wrong (as usual!).

>

> Sue ,

> Upstate New York

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Sue.

Thanks for the information. Looks like the competition continues to

grow in the glutathione business. Somebody must be finding it to be

useful stuff! It will be interesting to see whether the prices of

the other suppliers come down.

Rich

>

> Hi Rich,

>

> > 3. Intravenous injections, and particularly fast I.V. pushes, as

> > advocated and used by Dr. Kane and her co-authors of The

> > Detoxx Book (www.detoxxbook.com) as part of their overall detox

> > protocol. The book says they do an I.V. push over 3 to 5 minutes

> > starting with 1,500 mg of glutathione in 12 cc of sterile water

for

> > adults, and going as high as 2,500 mg in 15 cc of sterile water,

one

> > to two time per week for 3 to 6 months or more. They suggest

> > Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals in Birmingham, AL as the

source

> > for injectable reduced glutathione (phone: (800)227-2627, fax:

(205)

> > 879-6551).

>

> I've just learned of another source for IV glutathione fast pushes:

>

> www.Infuserveamerica.com/index.htm

>

> I talked to them yesterday, and I think there are several good

things

> about this company, Infuserve America:

>

> 1.) They are cheaper. A pre-loaded syringe containing 2000 mg of

> glutathione is $12.50. (This is the wholesale price, and they

explain

> on the website how they can sell it so cheap.)

>

> 2.) A pre-loaded syringe is easier to use. With Wellness, I had

to

> pay for and use four separate items--a 30 ml syringe, a

disposable

> needle, a vial of glutathione and a vial of normal saline. Then I

had

> to draw the two liquids into the syringe.

>

> 3.) The president of the company, a pharmacist, answered the phone

> himself, and was astonishingly nice. He said he has a soft spot

for

> people with Lyme. (People at Wellness are nice also, but I never

> talked to the company's president.)

>

> Shipping costs are high, as are those from Wellness, for overnight

> express. Wellness ships four days a week and Infuserve ships only

on

> Tuesday afternoon (FedEx Priority). Infuserve makes up a new

batch of

> gsh once a week--the fresher the better, he said. I don't know

how

> often Wellness does it.

>

> Prefilled saline flushes and prefilled heparin flushes are 95

cents

> each at Infuserv. I think they were more at Wellness, but could

be

> wrong (as usual!).

>

> Sue ,

> Upstate New York

>