During the past couple of years I continued my investigations into taming autoimmune disease and addressing the mechanisms that underlie it (and will always continue to do so). I found some approaches that looked promising and began experimenting with them with my patients, as well as recruiting other practitioners I know to work with the same principles. I came across a few discoveries that have produced profound results. One is the concept of glutathione recycling.

Glutathione and stress

In the thyroid book I introduced glutathione, our body’s most powerful antioxidant, and how integral it is to modulating the immune system. Ideally the body makes sufficient glutathione to help keep everything running smoothly, however it becomes depleted in the face of extreme or chronic stress.

Modern life bombards us with stressors, the most common being ongoing insulin surges from sugary, high-carb diets, immune aggravation from food intolerances, chronic gut infections (too much bad bacteria or parasites), hormonal imbalances, lack of sleep, and of course our hectic, information-overloaded lifestyles.

Many people suffer from all of the above on a daily basis and also may smoke, drink too much, or even overtrain athletically, compounding an already precarious situation. Of course autoimmune disease itself is a significant stressor, further depleting the body’s precious supply of glutathione.

In fact, I might go so far as to say it is difficult for the body to produce an autoimmune attack if the glutathione system is functioning properly.

Boosting glutathione levels though a liposomal cream or intravenously—as glutathione taken orally is ineffective—is a key strategy in combating the damage of stress. However these levels can be quickly depleted if the body cannot recycle glutathione to keep the supply on hand to meet the many stressors.

Glutathione’s job is to take the bullet

Before I can explain how glutathione recycling works, I first need to explain more about how specifically glutathione protects us. Glutathione is like the bodyguard or Secret Service agent whose loyalty is so deep that she will jump in front of a bullet to save the life of the one she protects. When there is enough of the proper form of glutathione in the body to “take the bullet”, no inflammatory response occurs. However when glutathione becomes depleted it triggers a destructive inflammatory process.

Glutathione recycling explained

Glutathione recycling is a separate function from just boosting glutathione levels through a liposomal cream, intravenously, a nebulizer, a suppository, or other means. These forms of glutathione delivery will help one’s antioxidant status but they do not raise levels of glutathione inside the cells. Glutathione is the main antioxidant for mitochondria, the little factories inside each cell that convert nutrients into energy. Some cells have more mitochondria than others depending on the cell’s function. This is important because an autoimmune disease destroys the mitochondria in the affected cells, thus causing tissue destruction, and glutathione protects these mitochondria.

Reduced glutathione versus oxidized glutathione

But not just any form of glutathione does this—it needs to be reduced glutathione. There are two main forms of glutathione in the body: reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG).

Reduced glutathione, or GSH, is the bodyguard who “takes the hit” from free radicals that damage cells. Free radicals are molecules that are unstable because they have unpaired electrons and are looking for another electron to steal in order to become stable They steal electrons from the mitochondria, thus destroying them and causing inflammation and degeneration.

However when there’s plenty of GSH in the cell, the GSH sacrifice themselves to the free radicals—throwing themselves in front of the bullet—in order to protect the mitochondria. Thus the GSH ends up with an unpaired electron and becomes unstable, at which point it becomes GSSG, or oxidized glutathione, which is technically a free radical itself.

Doesn’t this make GSSG dangerous to the cell then? When there is sufficient glutathione in the cell, the unstable GSSG naturally pairs with available glutathione in the cell with the help of an enzyme called glutathione reductase, returning back to its reduced glutathione state so it’s ready for action once again.

The key thing to remember is that two enzymes play important roles in these processes:

• Glutathione peroxidase triggers the reaction of GSH to GSSG, which is when glutathione “takes the hit” to spare the cell
• Glutathione reductase triggers the conversion of GSSG back to useable GSH.

These enzymes come into consideration when we look at how to support the glutathione system nutritionally.

The link between poor glutathione recycling and autoimmune disease

Studies show a direct correlation between a breakdown in the glutathione system and autoimmune disease. The ability to constantly take oxidized glutathione and recycle it back to reduced glutathione is critical for managing autoimmunity.

Fortunately studies also show various botanicals, nutritional compounds, and their cofactors have been shown to activate glutathione reductase and the synthesis of reduced glutathione. By boosting this enzyme and supplementing glutathione levels we can increase glutathione levels and glutathione recycling to quench inflammation once it starts, or, even better, to prevent inflammation in the first place.

Studies have also shown that efficient glutathione recycling helps boost the TH-3 system, the branch of the immune system that helps balance the TH-1 and TH-2 systems and prevent autoimmune reactivity. (I explain TH-1 and TH-2 systems of immunity in my book.) Proper glutathione activity not only helps protect cells, research shows it also modulates cell proliferation and immunity, and helps tissues recover from damage.

Glutathione recycling helps repair leaky gut

Good glutathione recycling helps tame autoimmune diseases in another way. One thing I have found universal in all my autoimmune patients is poor gut integrity. They all suffer from some degree of leaky gut and repairing the gut is vital to the recovery process. Studies show glutathione may play an important role in gut barrier function and the prevention of intestinal inflammation.

A compromised glutathione recycling system can worsen intestinal destruction—the person with multiple food sensitivities and a gut that never heals may be victim of this mechanism. Although repairing a leaky gut is vital to taming an autoimmune response, we can see now glutathione recycling is another vital piece to the puzzle of restoring gut health.

• 2 bunches chopped kale leaves
• 1 bunch chopped collard greens
• 1 large chopped butternut squash
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• Coconut oil to taste
• Water for boiling

1.  Add kale, collards, garlic and squash to a 4 qt pot. Cover with water and boil.

2.  Reduce heat and add herbs, nutmeg and sea salt.

3.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes then turn off heat.

4.  Add a few tablespoons of coconut oil.

5.  Use an immersion blender to puree your soup or add soup to your high-speed blender to make creamy.

In 2003, The Environmental Working Group (EWG), in partnership with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, released The Body Burden Study: The Pollution in People. The Study consisted of 9 individuals whose bodies were tested for 210 chemicals.

The Body Burden Study Found:

• Subjects contained an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the blood and urine.
• 76 chemicals were directly linked to cancer.
• Participants had a total of 48 PCBs, which were banned in the U.S. in 1976.
• The people tested do not work with chemicals on the job, and do not live near an industrial facility.

The Body Burden study clearly demonstrates how toxins in the environment (i.e. air, food, water and soil) wind up in our body.

It is important to keep in mind that this was a test for 210 chemicals and the subjects contained an average of 91 chemicals. There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the United States environment and approximately 700 more are introduced each year. People now carry within their bodies a modern-day chemical cocktail derived from industrial chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, food additives and heavy metals (e.g. lead, mercury), plus the residues of pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.

The result of the intake of these chemicals is what is called bio-accumulation, which is a buildup of toxins in the body over time. Bio-accumulation seriously compromises our physiological and psychological health. Over the last ten years, hundreds of studies have demonstrated the dangers to our health from toxic bio-accumulation.

The daily toxins that assault us in today’s environment have so overloaded the body’s systems and organs that they are no longer capable of detoxifying us on their own. In short, these systems need help.

Symptoms like excess weight, dull skin, persistent bloating and gas, constipation, fatigue, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, unexplained headaches, allergies and chronic insomnia are some of the ways in which your body reacts to toxic overload.

Completing a detoxification program makes you feel like a “different person” – and in fact you are different, because you have expelled toxins, congestive wastes and excess fat deposits from your body.  Our world today is overflowing with chemical toxins – with no decrease in sight.  This accumulation of toxins is unavoidable in today’s world, so it is essential to have a system to eliminate them.

Ingredients

• 3 large zucchini squash
• 3 large carrots
• ½ cup chopped green or red onion
• ½ cup fresh dill
• 2-3 tsp celery seed
• 1 T olive oil

1. Shred your zucchini and carrots in a food processor, add in chopped green or red onion, dill, celery seed and olive oil, and process for about 1 minute. Your mixture should be slightly sticky.
2. Raw Method: Spoon cracker sized servings onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for 5-6 hours. Flip your chips every two hours.
3. Baked Method: Spoon cracker sized servings onto a greased pan or pizza stone and bake on low for 2-3 hours or until crispy. Flip your chips after 1 hour.

Enjoy!

With this exercise, we breathe through only one nostril at a time. The logic behind this exercise is that normal breathing should alternate from one nostril to the other at various times during the day. In a healthy person the breath will alternate between nostrils about every two hours. Because most of us are not in optimum health, this time period varies considerably between people and further reduces our vitality. According to the yogis, when the breath continues to flow in one nostril for more than two hours, as it does with most of us, it will have an adverse effect on our health. If the right nostril is involved, the result can be mental and nervous disturbance. If the left nostril is involved, the result can be chronic fatigue and reduced brain function.

Benefits:

1. The exercise helps to produce optimum function to both sides of the brain: that is optimum creativity and optimum logical verbal activity. This creates a more balanced person, since both halves of the brain are functioning properly.
2. The yogis consider this to be the best technique to increase focus and to calm the mind and the nervous system.

How to do it:

In right hand, place the pointer finger and middle finger at base of thumb.  Keep ring finger and pinky together.  Your fingers in this position will almost form a “C”

1. Place thumb over right nostril and press so that right nostril is closed.
2. Breathe in easily through open left nostril for a count of four.  Then gently pinch both nostrils closed and hold breath for a count of 16.
3. Remove pressure off of right nostril and breathe out easily for a count of eight, then breathe in for a count of four.
4. Then gently pinch both nostrils closed and hold breath for a count of 16.
5. Switch back to previous position with thumb over right nostril.  Breathe out of your left nostril for a count of eight.  You are now back where you started.
6. Repeat whole process three more times.

This practice can be done one to two times a day, mornings upon rising and evenings before bed are best.

What Earthing does is to reunite you with the natural electrical signals from the Earth that govern all organisms dwelling upon it. It restores your body’s natural internal electrical stability and rhythms, which in turn promote normal functioning of body systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, nervous, and immune systems. It remedies an electron deficiency to reduce inflammation – the common cause of disease. It shifts the nervous system from a stress-dominated mode to one of calmness and you sleep better. By reconnecting, you enable your body to return to its normal electrical state, better able to self-regulate and self-heal.

Earthing restores and maintains the human body’s most natural state, which in turn promotes optimal health and functioning in daily life. The primordial and natural energy emanating from the earth is the ultimate anti-inflammatory and anti-aging medicine.

What is most profound about Earthing is that it is so natural and simple, and that it affects every aspect of human physiology. When you ground yourself, the entire body readjusts to a new level of functioning.

For ideal results connect your bare feet to the earth for a half hour or more each day, as often as you can.

Some fun places to practice Earthing are:
Your local park, the beach, your back yard, in the ocean or lake, or any place where your bare feet can touch the Earth. Swimming pools or walking barefoot at home will not give you the benefits of Earthing.

For more information on Earthing, visit EarthingInstitute.net

Source:
Ober, Clinton, Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., and Martin Zucker. Earthing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2010.

What You Need:
To dry brush, use a soft natural fiber brush with a long handle, so that you are able to reach all areas of your body. One with a removable head with a strap for your hand is a good choice. Rite Aid sells an affordable brush by a company called Eco Tools.

How To Dry Brush:
• Always dry brush before you shower or bathe because you will want to wash off the impurities from the skin as a result from the brushing action.
• Brushing in circular motions, starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, from the hands towards the shoulders, and toward the heart on the torso to help drain the lymph.
• Use light pressure in areas where the skin is thin and harder pressure on places like the soles of the feet.

Have fun with it and make dry brushing a regular practice. Your body will thank you!

Chronic skin conditions — eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea and dermatitis — might look like surface problems, but their root causes are far more than skin deep. That’s why all the skin creams and ointments prescribed over long periods almost never result in a lasting cure, just temporary relief at best. Why do those rashes, pimples, redness, itching and oozing always come back?

That’s one of the most important questions in holistic medicine today. The reason is that the cause of skin problems is almost never the skin itself. They are signs of deeper problems, usually in the cleansing organs of the body: the liver, lungs, kidneys and colon.

Just think of the toxins that our bodies absorb on a daily basis. In a world overflowing with harmful chemicals — from processed foods, air pollution, water pollution and a host of other things — it’s no wonder that our organs are overloaded with toxins. In order to have any level of health, we must get rid of this toxic overload. Our main organs of excretion are the lungs, liver, kidneys and colon. They are the body’s most effective routes for toxin drainage.

Whenever the primary drainage organs cannot keep up with the toxic load (which is very often the case in today’s world), the body will have to rely on secondary drainage organs for help. The major secondary drainage organs include sinuses, mucous membranes, the lymph system, vaginal canal, bladder — and, of course, the skin!

However, secondary drainage organs like the skin are not very efficient at removing toxins. So when our body is forced to use them for this purpose, the skin becomes clogged, scaly, ulcerated, inflamed and chronically unhealthy. Conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and rashes are results of the body’s attempt to remove toxins through the skin.

To heal the skin we first have to cleanse the primary drainage organs. Once the lungs, liver, kidneys and colon are draining toxins effectively, the body will no longer need to drain toxins through the skin and true healing can take place.

I have observed great results with Biotherapeutic Drainage, one of the most advanced systems ever devised for cleaning the body of toxins that accumulate in our tissues and organs. It is a safe and gentle means of assisting toxic drainage in the body and therefore addressing the underlying causes of your skin symptoms. It helps open up the primary routes of excretion to relieve the body of its toxic burden. It works on an extra-cellular and intra-cellular level to remove blockages and help move the body toward a state of vibrant health and true healing.

Remember: True skin healing can only be achieved from the inside out!