A molecule of the Drug: N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC)!
Most of the studies about glutathione (GSH) have been done using pharmaceutical drugs; many of these drugs have been around for years. The most common drug used is called: N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). You may have even seen it at the health food store. An ‘acetyl’ molecule is added to enable the cysteine to travel through your digestive system.
Doctors use NAC to treat diseases like cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema because it breaks up mucus in the lungs. Emergency room doctors reach for NAC when they treat an acetaminophen overdose. This is the drug most commonly used in glutathione (GSH) studies on people.
Cancer research has shown that NAC has the ability to substantially raise glutathione (GSH) levels. Even more exciting is the fact that NAC shows promise as an anti-carcinogen because it elevates glutathione levels (GSH). Good news for all you smokers out there! NAC also has an anti-tumour effect and we already know that elevated glutathione (GSH) is a detoxifier that can counteract the side effects of chemotherapy. If you are a cancer patient considering NAC, be sure to talk to your oncologist. He or she will probably recommend a more natural, non-drug, non-toxic alternative.
In the 1990’s it was found that HIV patients were seriously glutathione (GSH) deficient. Since then, NAC has been used in many AIDS studies and the data about the effectiveness of glutathione (GSH) continues to grow.
There are drawbacks to NAC therapy. It is a pharmaceutical drug so it carries a certain amount of toxicity. Another problem is that NAC elevates glutathione (GSH) levels quickly but they decline quickly too, often below normal levels. This means that NAC has to be swallowed or injected several times a day to maintain glutathione (GSH) levels and that is very hard on the body. Other side effects from taking NAC by mouth include rash, wheezing, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. Despite these problems NAC remains the standard drug treatment for low glutathione (GSH) levels.
Again, stay tuned because I will reveal a well studied, natural, non-drug, non-toxic alternative.
Steps to Improve Your Health
Dr. Steven Dell
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