I’ve written before about a nutrient that can prevent cataracts, migraines, and peripheral neuropathy. Alpha lipoic acid is crucial for fighting these health challenges and many others.
But there was one thing I didn’t mention: alpha lipoic acid’s ability to produce another nutrient that your body desperately needs to prevent heart attacks and preserve brain function. And this second nutrient may be the miracle you’re looking for to keep your memory. Let me explain…
With many nutrients, the older we get, the less our bodies produce of them. This is part of the aging process. Fortunately, we’re finding out how to reverse many of these deficiencies. And these findings are helping us age slower and live longer.
One of the nutrients we really need as we age is glutathione. Glutathione is a naturally occurring protein that acts as a protective antioxidant, detoxification compound, and an anti-inflammatory.
I don’t write a lot about glutathione because you can’t just take it directly. Stomach acid destroys most glutathione supplements before your body can absorb them. So we have to use supplements that create glutathione. That’s why alpha lipoic acid is so important. It’s part of the glutathione synthesis (creation) process in the body.
There’s a War Going on Inside Your Body
You may not realize it, but there’s a war going on inside your body. There are toxins in your system that are destroying your cells, your mitochondria, your energy levels, and your ability to create nutrients.
Glutathione has the ability to remove these toxins from your body, but it’s a vicious cycle. Your liver needs glutathione to neutralize and remove toxins, and you need it to protect yourself from free radical damage. But many toxic substances can’t be completely avoided, and they deplete your body’s stores of this invaluable nutrient. So, as the glutathione is trying to remove the toxins, the toxins are battling to get rid of the glutathione.
The lower your levels fall, the more likely you are to have heart disease, memory problems, or a compromised immune system. If you’re physically past your prime, getting more of this antioxidant can help you fight the damage to your cells that contribute to disease and aging.
Glutathione Removes Mercury From the Brain
It’s a well-known fact that mercury is a poison that causes many cases of memory loss. Unfortunately, many of our best chelation products don’t remove mercury from the body very well. That’s because mercury doesn’t stay in your blood long enough. It heads straight for your tissue, where it begins to cause damage on the cellular level.
There are products that will remove mercury from most tissues in the body. One of those is DMPS, a mercury chelator that works really well. DMPS is very hard to find. Most doctors who administer it give their patients 250 mg intravenously. Then, for the next four hours, they measure the mercury and any other metals that come out with it.
The bad news about DMPS is that it can’t take mercury out of your brain. The blood-brain barrier is just too fortified for it to work.
There are two other good mercury chelators that you can safely use on your own. One is chlorella – a nutrient dense algae that removes mercury. The other is modified citrus pectin, which you can find in PectaSol®.
In one study, researchers gave people 15 grams of PectaSol for only five days and 20 grams on day six. The scientists measured the amount of common heavy metals excreted in the participants’ urine before taking PectaSol and 24 hours after taking PectaSol.
The results? The amount of arsenic excreted in participants’ urine increased by 130%. The amount of mercury excreted increased by 150%. The amount of cadmium excreted increased by 230%. And the amount of lead excreted in participants’ urine increased by 560%.
While both of these products are very effective at removing mercury from the blood and tissues, we’re not sure yet if they remove mercury from the brain. As I said, this is very difficult. But we know that glutathione can.
In fact, the body’s only natural mechanism to remove heavy metals is through the glutathione pathway. So the best way to detoxify mercury and other metals is to improve this pathway. And, to do that, we have to increase our levels of glutathione.
What Causes a Deficiency?
There are several factors we can’t escape that contribute to our declining levels of glutathione: aging, ultraviolet and other radiation, and environmental toxins. That’s not all. Glutathione is also depleted by many household cleaning products, cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust, heavy metals, viruses, inflammation, and surgery. Obviously, it’s almost impossible to eliminate all these from our lives. But the more you can reduce your exposure, the better.
Another cause is medications. For instance, acetaminophen, the popular “non-aspirin” pain reliever (Tylenol) is found in more than 100 over-the-counter products. It greatly reduces glutathione and can cause liver toxicity. So it’s vital you avoid this pain reliever if at all possible and find other pain medications. Acetaminophen is downright dangerous!
Even when we’re careful and minimize our exposure to toxins, we’re still going to have less glutathione than we need to get and stay healthy. And to retain our memory.
Boost Your Levels
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to get this mercury out of your brain and stop the progression of memory loss. Most patients who use this concoction have found that it helps. Almost every single one of them finds some benefit to it. Most see the progression of memory loss stop. But many see their condition improve.
In addition to taking alpha lipoic acid (300 mg) daily, take N-acetyl cysteine or NAC (1,500 mg), vitamin C (1,000 mg), and selenium (200 mcg).
While this won’t stop advanced forms of Alzheimer’s, it can work wonders with early cases of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and even some cases of Parkinson’s benefit.
There’s More You Can Do
As I said earlier, you can’t take most glutathione supplements because your stomach acid will destroy it. But there are liposomal glutathione liquid supplements that help bypass the stomach acid. If you take liposomal glutathione along with this concoction of supplements, you can see even better results. More and more doctors are starting to use liposomal glutathione, and they’re finding that it’s incredibly effective. In fact, some are finding that it works almost as well as the intravenous form of glutathione.
One problem with liposomal glutathione – until recently – was that there weren’t many studies on it. But a few years ago, the prestigious journal Atherosclerosis published an animal study that confirmed what doctors are seeing. In this study, the researchers gave mice liposomal glutathione for two months. They found that the oral supplement significantly reduced cholesterol and atherosclerotic plaque in mice. It also inhibited LDL oxidation. This means that it kept the bad cholesterol from going rancid and becoming dangerous.
For many of us, glutathione might be all we need. But if you need more glutathione, then I suggest talking to an integrative doctor about a glutathione IV. Intravenous glutathione is the strongest and most effective way to increase your glutathione levels. Anyone with advancing mental disease should consider it.
IV and liposomal glutathione are effective against age-related memory loss, Parkinson’s, autism, Lyme disease, atherosclerosis, COPD, heavy metal toxicity, and chronic fatigue. Some clinics also use IV glutathione to successfully treat adverse reactions to medications like Cipro and any other detox reactions. Cipro, as you may know, is an antibiotic that can have severe side effects that include tendinitis, tendon rupture, peripheral neuropathy, central nervous system effects, and exacerbation of myasthenia gravis. If you don’t treat these reactions quickly and properly, the damage can become permanent.
How Much Glutathione Do You Need?
The amount of glutathione you need is very personal. Some people need one teaspoon of liposomal glutathione liquid a day. That’s about 420 mg (taken in the morning on an empty stomach). Others have experienced results with just one-quarter teaspoon a day. Start with the lower amount, then increase your amount to one-half teaspoon twice a day on an empty stomach. You can mix the liquid in a little juice or take it straight. Don’t be surprised if it has a sulfur smell. It’s not bad; this odor comes from one of the amino acids it contains.
How much liposomal glutathione can you take safely? Quite a bit. I know people who have taken more than five times the suggested daily amount intravenously for more than two months. Some of them saw their “senior moments” almost completely disappear, and they have more energy. But this can get expensive, and it’s not always needed.
Glutathione may be the most important antioxidant you can take to slow down the aging process of your brain and nervous system. If taking it or the supplements I suggested earlier is not an option for you, increase the foods that help increase glutathione levels. Asparagus is at the top of the list, followed by cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts). Avocados and spinach also boost glutathione levels a bit.
If you want to get an IV, which I highly recommend, you can find a doctor who offers it by going to the website of the American College for the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) at www.acam.org, or call them at 949-309-3520.
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