Here’s what you need to know about the must-have supplement for patients with Hashimoto’s low thyroid

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CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Antioxidants are a buzzword in health circles that sometimes deliver empty promises. But when it comes to autoimmune Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, one antioxidant is a must-have in your protocol kit: Glutathione. Stock image | Photo by Inside Creative House/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News Glutathione is considered the body’s master antioxidant, and at RedRiver Health and Wellness Center , it’s the supplement we tell our patients they need it to dampen autoimmune response and lower the risk of developing new autoimmune diseases.

Glutathione protects cells from damage, supports general detoxification, acts as a natural chelator for toxic heavy metals and environmental toxins and supports healthy immune system function. Glutathione works by protecting energy-producing factories inside cells called mitochondria.

Antioxidants are molecules that inhibit other molecules from going through oxidation, a chemical reaction that produces toxins called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that occur naturally but also enter our bodies through toxins in food, air, water and even medications. Left unchecked, free radicals damage cells, destabilize the immune system and contribute to the development of serious health problems.

Glutathione is a compound made by the body that protects cells and tissues from damage by free radicals. While the body makes glutathione, it can also be supplemented in absorbable forms or via nutrients that boost glutathione production.

Normally, our bodies should make enough glutathione to protect us. However, it’s common for glutathione to drop too low in our modern world. Even if we lead a very clean, nontoxic life, we cope with thousands of toxic chemicals in our daily environment, our food and our water. Sugary diets full of processed foods, food intolerances, leaky gut and undiagnosed infections are other examples of things that can deplete glutathione due to chronic inflammatory assaults on the cells.

Glutathione levels also decrease as we age, and our need for supplemental glutathione increases significantly. When glutathione production drops, you’re more vulnerable to developing autoimmune disease , chronic pain, chemical sensitivities, leaky gut and other immune-related disorders.

In fact, glutathione depletion is linked with a number of disease states and groups including the following: Aging.

Athletic overtraining.

Major injuries and trauma.

Patients with wasting diseases such as HIV /AIDS.

Lung cancer.

Gut-based diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Alcoholism and fatty liver disease.

Diabetes and low glucose tolerance.

Cancer.

One of the most important things you can do to improve glutathione status is to remove or mitigate stressors that deplete glutathione. These may include lack of sleep, smoking, food intolerances, diets high in sugars and processed foods, excess alcohol intake and hormone or immune imbalances.

If you have Hashimoto’s , this typically also means going on a gluten-free diet, as many studies show a connection between Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and a gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

Additionally, research shows a link between poor glutathione status and autoimmune Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism .

Recycle glutathione to manage Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

One of the most effective approaches to dampen autoimmune-related inflammation is to support your body’s ability to recycle glutathione. Recycling glutathione means your body takes existing glutathione that has already been used in self-defense and rebuilds it so it can work again to protect the body.

For glutathione to be recycled, it must be reduced. There are two main forms of glutathione in the body: reduced glutathione and oxidized glutathione.

When there is sufficient reduced glutathione in the cells, they sacrifice themselves to free radicals to protect cellular mitochondria. An enzyme called glutathione peroxidase then sparks the conversion of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione, a free radical itself.

If there is sufficient glutathione in the cell, the newly unstable oxidized glutathione pairs with available glutathione with the help of an enzyme called glutathione reductase. This sends it back to reduced glutathione status and gets it ready to return to service protecting cells.

Glutathione recycling helps balance immune function and shield thyroid tissue from inflammation and autoimmune attacks. Glutathione also helps repair damaged tissues, such as in the case of leaky gut. Supplementing to increase glutathione levels – the RedRiver clinical research observations Between all of our clinics, we see several hundred patients each day, which puts us at an unparalleled advantage when it comes to honing in on the best support for patients. Below is an overview of what’s available to boost glutathione levels and what we have seen work the best for our patients. Glutathione recycling Glutathione recycling is a good place to start to increase glutathione activity inside of cells. A variety of nutritional and botanical compounds have been shown to support glutathione recycling, such as the following: N-acetyl-cysteine, which quickly metabolizes into intracellular glutathione. L-glutamine, which helps generate glutathione. Alpha-lipoic acid, which recycles and extends the life span of vitamin C, glutathione and coenzyme Q10, all of which are needed for glutathione recycling. Selenium, which is a cofactor for the enzyme glutathione peroxidase that converts reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione to protect cells. Milk thistle, which significantly increases glutathione and improves the ratios of reduced and oxidized glutathione. Gotu kola, which increases glutathione peroxidase and glutathione in general. Cordyceps, which supports glutathione synthesis and activates the glutathione enzyme cycle. Taken together, these botanicals and compounds activate the glutathione peroxidase and reductase enzymes to promote a healthy glutathione recycling system.I use a stand-alone product to support glutathione recycling containing all of these ingredients called Glutathione Recycler by Apex Energetics. This product was developed by Dr. Datis Kharrazian, who pioneered our modern understanding of Hashimoto’s and glutathione.We have found this product works best when used in conjunction with a liposomal glutathione blend, which I discuss below. Liposomal glutathione Stock image | Photo by Shidlovski/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News We are very impressed with patients’ results from a liquid liposomal glutathione blend called Trizomal Glutathione by Apex Energetics, also formulated by Kharrazian. Trizomal Glutathione provides both bioactive glutathione and the glutathione precursor N-acetyl-cysteine, meaning it’s for comprehensive glutathione support.Although dosages vary depending on the degree of inflammation, we generally start people […]

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