Re: More cool stuff on the list: Follow-up for Rich on Glutathione

[Guest guest]

Hi, .

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm glad you got something out of my

paper.

The connection between glutathione depletion in CFS and the

neurological aspects of the disorder is one that I haven't got a

clear idea of yet. There are a number of possibilities for how

glutathione depletion in the body as a whole could be impacting the

brain.

First is the direct one, which is what I think you are referring

to. That is, the cells in the brain go low in glutathione

themselves, leading to mischief directly in these cells.

Then there are the more indirect ones. First, we know that

glutathione depletion can lead to damage to the blood-brain barrier,

and we know that toxins build up in the body when the detox system

doesn't have enough glutathione. Therefore, it isn't hard to

believe that glutathione depletion in the body will lead to toxins

in general getting into the brain. Dr. Cheney suggested this quite

a few years ago. One of the biggies among the toxins is mercury.

Without glutathione to take it out of the body, it builds up from

exposure to amalgams and dietary fish, and more gets into the brain,

acting as a neurotoxin.

Next is infections in the brain. We know that glutathione depletion

hurts the cellular immunity, enabling viruses and intracellular

bacteria to produce infections. There is no question that some PWCs

have viral encephalitides. Dr. Dan 's work is good evidence

for that.

Next is decreased blood perfusion in the brain. We know this is a

problem in CFS from the SPECT, PET and MRS work that has been done.

What causes the decreased perfusion? Byron Hyde says it's

vasculitis in the small arterioles serving the brain. I think

glutathione depletion could cause that, since there would be no

protection for the epithelial cells in these vessels from oxidizing

free radicals. The resulting inflammation would amount to

vasculitis, and the flow of blood to the brain would be diminished

by the resulting swelling and disruption of the vessel walls.

Lately, Dr. Cheney has been finding low cardiac output in his CFS

patients due to cardiomyopathy. Low cardiac output could certainly

lower the blood flow to the brain. And cardiomyopathy, whether

mediated by viral infection, or buildup of heavy metals, or rise in

peroxynitrite in the heart muscle, can be traced back to glutathione

depletion, because it's known to give rise to all three of those

things.

I guess that what I'm saying, , is that I think that there are a

bewildering number of ways that glutathione depletion in the body as

a whole could affect the brain in a deleterious manner. I suspect

that more than one of them could be going on in the same person.

They all seem pretty plausible to me, and they have some supporting

evidence. I find it hard to say which are more important.

To me, the message is that we have to get the glutathione back up if

we expect someone to get their health back. I'm not saying that's a

straightforward or easy thing to do in someone who has been ill for

an extended time, because there are a lot of vicious circles and

interactions that come into play, and some of them are pretty

tenacious. But at least I think this points in the direction we

should be trying to move. I don't doubt that dealing directly with

the infections that have become entrenched, as Tony emphasizes, has

to be done. I also think that taking special measures to remove

toxins, such as heavy metal chelation is probably necessary as well,

but it must be done very carefully to avoid moving more metal into

the brain. I don't know if you have seen my suggested general

outline for dealing with cases of CFS, which is a multifaceted

approach, including the things I just mentioned, but if not and if

you would like to, it's here:

SUGGESTED GENERAL OUTLINE FOR DEALING WITH CASES OF CFS

http://www.cfsresearch.org/cfs/research/treatment/13.htm

Rich

> Rich - That PDF of yours is one of the best reviews of a single

> factor in a disease process I've ever seen.

>

> You come away understanding more about BOTH glutathione and CFS

than

> you ever would have by looking at the two independently of one

> another. You have done a huge service there.

>

> The main area I'd like to hear more about - and feel free to just

> point me to messages where you've already done this - is the

> neuroprotective effects of glutathione, it's role in helping to

> prevent the death of critical brain and nervous system cells.

>

> I associate this with the lazarus-like effects that glutathione

> treatment has had on patients I know personally, who came to

> glutathione with incapacitating neurological symptoms and

diagnoses

> that include CFS, chronic neuro-lyme, MS, and early onset

> Alzheimers.

>

> I'd be especially grateful for your help in relating/comparing

> glutathione's role with what we've learned recently happens with

> ceftriaxone, the increase of glutamate transport, which is

impaired,

> with devestating consequences, in a whole long list of

neurological

> diseases (I think Rothstein et al, who published the finding, make

> particular mention of ALS).

>

> Thanks so much!

>

>