Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~SOCIAL LIFE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Many people don’t think of having a social life as being part of a healthy lifestyle. I didn’t either for a long time. However, like many of us, my mind was …
Deep Dive into Fatty Liver Disease: NAFLD and NASH Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One of the most common concerns that people call about is fatty liver. Since NASH is a progression, or worsening of NAFLD I wanted to talk about them both in one …
Glutathione-The Antioxidant for Liver Health
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Glutathione drips or in other words IV glutathione is a well-known treatment in holistic medicine. However many people are afraid of needles. Invite Health’s Glutathione Lozenges are an easy to use form of glutathione. You may have heard of Gluta Hx, this is a powered form of glutathione support made by Invite! But what even is glutathione? What does it do? Well let’s get into it, shall we?
To start with what is glutathione? Well it is an antioxidant. In fact it is such a powerful antioxidant that it is often called the master antioxidant! Normally our bodies are able to make glutathione out of amino acids found in our diet. Foods that are high in Sulphur help to boost the body’s production of glutathione. The food can include broccoli, cauliflower and even things like garlic. Unexpectedly even eggs, nuts, beans, fish and chicken can all help produce glutathione. For more foods please see my sources for a link to foods that can increase glutathione. In addition to foods even some supplements such as Milk Thistle, Whey, Selenium and Vitamins C and E can help us produce glutathione. (1) And of course we mustn’t forget one of my favorite supplements, NAC! (2)
So now we know what it is but what does it do for us? Well one study found that glutathione may help us to treat the symptoms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. (3) But I bet that comes as no surprise. What may come as a shocker is that glutathione is also good for helping blood sugar, especially in those who have complications such as retinopathy. In one study glutathione levels in those with insulin resistance were found to be low. (4) In fact studies have found that increasing levels of glutathione may help with type 2 diabetes. (5)
In addition to helping with blood sugar studies have also found that increasing the body’s levels of glutathione levels may help improve symptoms in those with Parkinson’s Disease. (6)
Glutathione is also important for our digestive system. In fact studies have found it can help to reduce inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. This includes both Ulcerative Colitis and Chron’s Disease. (7)
Glutathione has also been found to help with our eye health. Glutathione has been found to help detox the fluid of the eye which means it may help to regulate fluid flow and thus help eye pressure in those with glaucoma. Glutathione has also been found to help reduce cataract formation. (8) Studies have also found that glutathione is able to protect against ROS and thus help with macular degeneration. (9)
Studies have even found that using glutathione may help reduce proinflammatory cytokines involved in COPD. (10)Other studies have found that using glutathione can help with overall lung function and health. (11)
I would also like to mention that while glutathione may have a strong smell that seems to attack the senses this is perfectly normal and even expected. This is true of both the lozenges and our powder Gluta Hx. Even though it may not be the best tasting nutrient glutathione is an amazing nutrient for many aspects of our overall health picture.
Our next topic will be NASH!
Sources:
Liver Function Tests Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND The Liver Basics! As an Invite health nutritionist one of the most important parts of my job is to help people understand their blood work. In general I find that when it comes to blood work liver …
From a Naturopath Point of View Part 5 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND You may have heard the saying that sleep and a good healthy diet are both the base of the pyramid of health. As a Naturopath I agree with this concept 100%! But …
PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~AN INTRODUCTION TO A NEW WELLNESS SERIES
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
Primary foods are an essential part of our health and wellness plan that is often overlooked and even misunderstood. While the topic of self-care in important, it definitely means something different to everyone. However, these twelve topics are lifestyle area that we can all agree can always be improved.
During the course of this series, we’ll discuss twelve topics related to lifestyle and how to incorporate tools to improve our wellness goals. These topics include Joy, General Health, Social Life, Home Environment, Spirituality, Home Cooking, Career, Movement and Exercise, Creativity, Relationships, Finance and Learning. With each topic we’ll do a deep dive to explore the topic, I’ll share what it means to me and tips on how to improve it each day. We’ll also review how to pair necessary supplements and nutrients to help enhance each topic. Some of these supplements will help address stress (L-Theanine), brain heath (Phosphatidylserine), sleep (Melatonin) and even the Immune System (Black Seed).
Studies, from such well respected institutes like Harvard and Berkeley, have shown the positive effect that healthy lifestyle choices can have on our lives. Healthy lifestyle can help improve mood, extend lifespan and even help reduce the risk of illness and disease.
One of my favorite exercises to do is to do The Circle of Life, which I learned for my alma mater The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I like to recommend doing this seasonally, as it can help you to see what areas need a little more focus, as well as to see how much you’ve changed and grown. The way this exercise to done is to go category by category and mark a small circle within the column as to where you’d rate your current grasp. The more you feel a particular category could us more attention, the closer to the middle you would put the mark. The more you feel comfortable and “mastering” a category, the closer to the outer edge would be your mark. Once you’ve evaluated and marked each category, play “connect the dots” to make your personal lifestyle circle. The wavier or smaller your circle, the more attention you may need to give to those topics. The larger and more concise your circle can show how you’ve grown with your healthy lifestyle and where certain topics come more smoothly to apply each day. This is a great guide to help with personal growth, goal setting and can serve as a resource to help you narrow your wellness areas of focus and supplement additions. As you widen your circle you may even notice such changes as better sleep, lower stress and over-all happiness, as I have over the years of doing my own circle of life.
I look forward to exploring these twelve important topics with you over the next month. Happy Healing!!
www.health.harvard.edu/blog/long-lasting-healthy-changes-doable-and-worthwhile-202109142594
www.berkeleywellbeing.com/healthy-lifestyle.html
www.integrativenutrition.com/circle-of-life
