Re: Re: Irish Times Achilles Heel Probe For Deadly Fungus (As...

[Guest guest]

Ha! Jeanine,

I KNEW you would pick up on this. Seems kind of an important break thru

to me.

" Here we show that absence of GliT makes A. fumigatus highly sensitive to

added gliotoxin and inhibits fungal growth, both of which can be reversed

by restoring GliT. Neither can the fungus make or release its own gliotoxin

when GliT is missing. We also show that gliotoxin sensitivity can be

totally overcome by adding glutathione, which is an important anti-oxidant

within

cells. "

_http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.10

00952_

(http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000952)

" gliotoxin sensitivity can be totally overcome by adding glutathione,

important anti-oxidant within cells. "

_http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/glutathione-the-mother-of_b_530

494.html_

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/glutathione-the-mother-of_b_530494.\

html)

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/glutathione-the-mother-of_b_530494.\

html#)

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/glutathione-the-mother-of_b_530494.\

html#)

Huffington Post:

_Glutathione: The Mother of All Antioxidants_

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/glutathione-the-mother-of_b_530494.\

html)

It's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent

disease -- yet you've probably never heard of it. It's the secret to prevent

aging, _cancer_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/reducing-breast-cancer-risk) , _heart

disease_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/cholesterol-heart-disease) , _dementia_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/9-steps-to-reverse-dementia) and more, and

necessary to treat everything from _autism_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/current-thinking-about-autism) to

_Alzheimer's

disease_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/9-steps-to-reverse-dementia) .

There are more than 89,000 medical articles about it -- but your doctor

doesn't know how address the epidemic deficiency of this critical life-giving

molecule ...

What is it? I'm talking about the mother of all antioxidants, the master

detoxifier and maestro of the immune system: _GLUTATHIONE_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/glutathione) (pronounced

" gloota-thigh-own " ).

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news

is that _poor diet_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-1)

, _pollution_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-5) ,

_toxins_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-5) ,

medications, _stress_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-7) ,

trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione.

This leaves you susceptible to unrestrained cell disintegration from

_oxidative stress_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-6) ,

free

radicals, infections and cancer. And your liver gets overloaded and

damaged, making it unable to do its job of detoxification.

In treating chronically ill patients with _Functional Medicine_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/functional-medicine) for more than 10 years,

I have

discovered that glutathione deficiency is found in nearly all very ill

patients. These include people with chronic fatigue syndrome, _heart disease_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/cholesterol-heart-disease) , _cancer_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/reducing-breast-cancer-risk) , chronic

infections, _autoimmune disease_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/autoimmune-disease) , _diabetes_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/type-2-diabetes) ,

_autism_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/current-thinking-about-autism) ,

_Alzheimer's disease_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/9-steps-to-reverse-dementia) , Parkinson's

disease, _arthritis_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/9-simple-steps) , _asthma_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/9-simple-steps) , kidney problems, liver

disease and more.

At first I thought that this was just a coincidental finding, but over the

years I have come to realize that our ability to produce and maintain a

high level of glutathione is critical to recovery from nearly all chronic

illness -- and to preventing disease and maintaining optimal health and

performance. The authors of those 76,000 medical articles on glutathione I

mentioned earlier have found the same thing!

So in today's blog I want to explain what glutathione is, why it's

important and give you 9 tips that will help you optimize your glutathione

levels,

improve your detoxification system and protect help yourself from chronic

illness.

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the

time in your body. It is a combination of three simple building blocks of

protein or amino acids -- cysteine, glycine and glutamine.

The secret of its power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains.

Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad

things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like

_mercury_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/get-lethal-poison-out-of-your-body) and

other heavy metals.

Normally glutathione is recycled in the body -- except when the toxic load

becomes too great. And that explains why we are in such trouble ...

In my practice, I test the genes involved in glutathione metabolism. These

are the genes involved in producing enzymes that allow the body to create

and recycle glutathione in the body. These genes have many names, such as

GSTM1, GSTP1 and more.

These genes impaired in some people for a variety of important reasons. We

humans evolved in a time before the 80,000 toxic industrial chemicals

found in our environment today were introduced into our world, before

electromagnetic radiation was everywhere and before we polluted our skies,

lakes,

rivers, oceans and teeth with mercury and lead.

That is why most people survived with the basic version of the genetic

detoxification software encoded in our DNA, which is mediocre at ridding the

body of toxins. At the time humans evolved we just didn't need more. Who

knew we would be poisoning ourselves and eating a processed, nutrient-depleted

diet thousands of years later?

Because most of us didn't require additional detoxification software,

almost of half of the population now has a limited capacity to get rid of

toxins. These people are missing GSTM1 function -- one of the most important

genes needed in the process of creating and recycling glutathione in the body.

Nearly all my very sick patients are missing this function. The one-third

of our population that suffers from chronic disease is missing this

essential gene. That includes me. Twenty years ago I became mercury poisoned and

suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome due to this very problem. My GSTM1

function was inadequate and I didn't produce enough glutathione as a result.

Eventually, my body broke down and I became extremely ill ...

This is the same problem I see in so many of my patients. They are missing

this critical gene and they descend into disease as a result. Let me

explain how this happens ...

The Importance of Glutathione in Protecting Against Chronic Illness

Glutathione is critical for one simple reason: It recycles _antioxidants_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-6) . You see, dealing

with free radicals is like handing off a hot potato. They get passed around

from vitamin C to vitamin E to lipoic acid and then finally to glutathione

which cools off the free radicals and recycles other antioxidants. After

this happens, the body can " reduce " or regenerate another protective

glutathione molecule and we are back in business.

However, problems occur when we are overwhelmed with too much _oxidative

stress_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-6) or too many

_toxins_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-5) . Then the

glutathione becomes depleted and we can no longer protect ourselves against

free radicals, infections, or cancer and we can't get rid of toxins. This

leads to further sickness and soon we are in the downward spiral of chronic

illness.

But that's not all. Glutathione is also critical in helping your _immune

system_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-3) do its job

of fighting infections and preventing _cancer_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/reducing-breast-cancer-risk) . That's why

studies show that it can

help in the treatment of AIDS.(_i_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11029607) )

Glutathione is also the most critical and integral part of your

_detoxification system_ (http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-5)

.. All

the toxins stick onto glutathione, which then carries them into the bile and

the stool -- and out of your body.

And lastly, it also helps us reach peak mental and physical function.

Research has shown that raised glutathione levels decrease muscle damage,

reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance and shift metabolism from

fat production to muscle development.

If you are sick or old or are just not in peak shape, you likely have

glutathione deficiency.

In fact, the top British medical journal, the Lancet, found the highest

glutathione levels in healthy young people, lower levels in healthy elderly,

lower still in sick elderly and the lowest of all in the hospitalized

elderly. (_ii_ (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11271724) )

Keeping yourself healthy, boosting your performance, preventing disease

and aging well depends on keeping your glutathione levels high. I'll say it

again ... Glutathione is so important because it is responsible for keeping

so many of the _keys to UltraWellness_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/7-keys-to-ultrawellness) optimized.

It is critical for immune function and controlling inflammation. It is the

master detoxifier and the body's main antioxidant, protecting our cells

and making our energy metabolism run well.

And the good news is that you can do many things to increase this natural

and critical molecule in your body. You can eat glutathione-boosting foods.

You can exercise. And you can take glutathione-boosting supplements. Let's

review more specifics about each.

9 Tips to Optimize your Glutathione Levels

These 9 tips will help you improve your glutathione levels, improve your

health, optimize your performance and live a long, healthy life.

Eat Foods that Support Glutathione Production

1. Consume sulfur-rich foods. The main ones in the diet are garlic, onions

and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage,

cauliflower, watercress, etc.).

2. Try bioactive whey protein. This is great source of cysteine and the

amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis. As you know, I am not a

big fan of _dairy_ (http://www.ul

trawellness.com/blog/why-you-should-avoid-milk) . But this is an exception --

with a few warnings. The whey protein

MUST be bioactive and made from non-denatured proteins ( " denaturing " refers

to the breakdown of the normal protein structure). Choose non-pasteurized

and non-industrially produced milk that contains no pesticides, hormones, or

antibiotics. Immunocal is a prescription bioactive non-denatured whey

protein that is even listed in the Physician's Desk Reference.

Exercise for Your Way to More Glutathione

3. Exercise boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your

immune system, improve detoxification and enhance your body's own antioxidant

defenses. Start slow and build up to 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic

exercise like walking or jogging, or play various sports. Strength training

for 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.

Take Glutathione Supporting Supplements

One would think it would be easy just to take glutathione as a pill, but

the body digests protein -- so you wouldn't get the benefits if you did it

this way. However, the production and recycling of glutathione in the body

requires many different nutrients and you CAN take these. Here are the main

supplements that need to be taken consistently to boost glutathione. Besides

taking a multivitamin and fish oil, supporting my glutathione levels with

these supplements is the most important thing I do every day for my

personal health.

4. N-acetyl-cysteine. This has been used for years to help treat asthma

and lung disease and to treat people with life-threatening liver failure from

Tylenol overdose. In fact, I first learned about it in medical school while

working in the emergency room. It is even given to prevent kidney damage

from dyes used during x-ray studies.

5. Alpha lipoic acid. This is a close second to glutathione in importance

in our cells and is involved in _energy production_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-6) , _blood sugar control_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/insulin-resistance) , _brain health_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/the-ultramind-solution-broken-brain) and

_detoxification_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/ultrawellness-key-5) . The body usually makes

it, but given all the stresses we are under, we often become depleted.

6. _Methylation nutrients_

(http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/maximizing-methylation) (folate and vitamins

B6 and B12). These are perhaps the most

critical to keep the body producing glutathione. Methylation and the

production and recycling of glutathione are the two most important biochemical

functions in your body. Take folate (especially in the active form of 5

methyltetrahydrofolate), B6 (in active form of P5P) and B12 (in the active form

of

methylcobalamin).

7. Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce

more glutathione.

8. A family of antioxidants including vitamins C and E (in the form of

mixed tocopherols), work together to recycle glutathione.

9. Milk thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps

boost glutathione levels.

So use these nine tips and see how they work to help you optimzie your

glutathione levels. When you do, you will take one more step to _lifelong

vibrant health_ (http://newsletter.ultrawellness.com/eo/signup/1015) .

Now I'd like to hear from you...

Had you ever heard of this important nutrient before?

Have you tried any of the advice in this article?

What effects have you noticed on your health?

Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Sharon Noonan Kramer