Lotus97
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Hmm, some people have problems raising Glutathione too high too quickly such as from an IV push and probably s-acetyl glutathione and liposomal glutathione. Some people can't tolerate glutathione supplementation at all and need to use indirect methods such as methylation. I'm not sure why, but it's been discussed in a lot of threads.I take 3 of the 4 precursors you mention above and am considering adding the fourth, but I still take s-acetyl gluthatione because I feel they all do slightly different things. Especially ALA which is good for the brain and chelates mercury out.
Of the all the forms of gluthione I have tried, only IV push and s-acetyl gave me noticeable results. It will be interesting to see what others have to say.
To answer my earlier question about why Rich doesn't have Glutathione in his methylation protocol, here is one of his posts about why methylation is the best way to raise Glutathione.
One question I have though is if there is any harm in taking Glutathione in addition to his methylation protocol. I seem to remember reading one of his posts saying that in the initial stages of methylation Glutathione levels actually drop.For a more permanent raising of glutathione, the only thing I have found is to lift the partial methylation cycle block, and the best way to do that is with a methylation protocol, which includes at a minimum a relatively high dosage of B12, by injection or sublingually, together with supplementing an active form of folate (methylfolate or folinic acid, with methylfolate being more effective).
If a person gets B12 alone, I think that they get the benefit of improving the function of the methylmalonate pathway, which feeds more fuel to the mitochondria, producing more ATP and hence more energy to drive the muscles. However, without adding the folate to it, the person does not lift the partial methylation cycle block and does not get the permanent improvement in glutathione level, which gives the longterm improvement in mito function and thus in ATP production and energy.
TMG feeds the alternative BHMT pathway for methylation in the liver and kidneys, and that can give temporary benefit, too, but it does not lift the partial block in methionine synthase, which is the main methylation pathway.
Since this thread is about Rich's methylation protocol I don't want to take this off topic, but since I already mentioned these earler I should post a warning about some of the risks ALA and NAC present for those who are mercury toxic. Although these can be effective in boosting glutathione and removing mercury, Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), NAC, L-Cysteine, and possibly R-Lipioc Acid can all be double-edged swords in terms of mercury detox so if you suspect you might have a high mercury burden then these should be used with caution. In fact, if you have a high mercury burden then methylation should be approached very cautiously.
As far as Alpha Lipoic Acid goes it is used as a chelator for mercury, but if done incorrectly mercury will not be eliminated and instead be redistributed in the body including possibly the brain or other vital organs. Although I'm not an Andy Cutler follower many people swear by him and he warns against using ALA incorrectly. One thing I disagree with him on is that taking ALA can chelate mercury directly from amalgams. Whether or not this is true, I've taken high doses of Alpha Lipoic Acid (1200mg/day) without any problems. However, if I had done this a few years ago when I was having problems possibly caused by my amalgams it probably would have been dangerous. Besides Andy Cutler, there are plenty of threads on this site and other places such as Curezone that discuss mercury detoxification.
With NAC, L-Cystine, and L-Cysteine Rich cautions the use of it if one is mercury toxic because it could lead to elevated Cysteine levels and also mercury redistribution to the brain.
http://phoenixrising.me/treating-cf...atigue-syndrome-mecfs-by-rich-van-konynenburg
If there is a high level of mercury in the body, such as can occur if glutathione has been low for an extended period of time (months to years) and the person either has silver amalgam fillings in their teeth or they have consumed a significant amount of large, predatory fish, including tuna, then caution should be exercised by limiting the dosages of oral supplements that supply amino acids to the liver for making glutathione. There are two reasons for this:
The first is that mercury can be moved into the brain from other parts of the body by cysteine or N-acetylcysteine if the dosages are too high. Dr. David Quig of Doctors Data Laboratories recommends limiting the dosage of NAC to 300 mg per day and taking it with a high protein diet if heavy metals are elevated.
The second reason is that mercury can block the utilization of cysteine, and if cysteine rises too high, it can act as a neurotoxin. (This last is also the reason L-cysteine is not recommended as a supplement for building glutathione.) It’s a good idea to measure the blood plasma level of cysteine periodically when building glutathione, to make sure it is not rising too high.
If elevated mercury is suspected, it is a good idea to test for mercury and detox it carefully if it is present, with the help of a doctor experienced in doing this.