Cancer is so prevalent that either you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer. As a result, most people are familiar with the various types of cancer treatments. Surgery, drugs, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are probably the most well-known cancer treatments.
Studies have shown that glutathione attacks cancer cells and even reduces the adverse effects of other cancer treatments. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer showed the effects of exogenous glutathione in ovarian cancer cells.¹ The study’s findings show that extracellular glutathione triggers DNA damage in cancer cells resulting in apoptosis (cell death). In my practice, IV glutathione is part of the tailored treatments for patients with cancer and other medical conditions.
What is glutathione?
Glutathione is a powerful, abundant nutrient that is plentiful throughout the body, and it’s highly concentrated in the liver. The liver is an amazing multitasking organ that performs hundreds of functions in the body—one being detoxification. The body is constantly under assault from toxic exposures in the environment to normal physiological processes like metabolism. During metabolism, food is broken down to produce energy, which also creates dangerous byproducts called free radicals. These free radicals frantically search for other molecules in the body to latch onto in an effort to stabilize itself—basically, one free radical begets another free radical. In doing so, a cascade of free radicals is generated that results in damaged tissues.
To neutralize these toxins, the liver is equipped with protective antioxidants that eliminate these harmful substances via a two-step process. In the liver, the first step involves enzymes that target the chemical bonds of specific toxins. The second step involves a different set of enzymes (glutathione being one of them) that attaches to the toxins broken up in the first phase. Of the enzymes involved in the liver’s two-step detoxification process, glutathione is critical in stopping foreign substances from causing harm in the body. The liver is a breeding ground for toxic chemicals, which is why glutathione and other enzymes work hard to protect it.
Are There Glutathione Food Sources?
Absolutely! People can consume a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that contain glutathione: grapefruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, and potatoes. While the list goes on, it’s hard to maintain the adequate stores of glutathione through food alone. Consider the daily exposures the body undergoes from the air we breathe to the processed foods we eat—toxins are inescapable. As a result, supplements help to boost the body’s stores of important nutrients. And this is where the administration of IV glutathione can help bolster the body’s antioxidant stores.
Intravenous glutathione has been shown to trigger cancer cell death (making it a phenomenal therapy to use since cancer cells are known to grow uncontrollably). The administration of IV glutathione has been found to significantly reduce the neurotoxic effects associated with chemotherapy, without diminishing the efficacy of chemotherapy. It also binds and removes heavy metal toxins like lead and mercury from the body. With so many important functions in the body, it surprising that this potent antioxidant doesn’t take center stage in discussions of disease prevention and treatment.
In my practice, IV glutathione infusions are used to treat patients with cancer as well as other medical conditions, such as heavy metal exposures, neurodegenerative diseases, and poor immune function.
Reference:
1. Perego P, Gatti L, Carenini N, Dal Bo L, Zunino F. Apoptosis induced by extracellular glutathione is mediated by H2O2 production and DNA damage.International Journal of Cancer. 2000;87(3):343-348.
No comments:
Post a Comment