Glutathione supplements and numbness - advice needed

[Kitsune]

SALT. OMG this flipping illness, so frustrating . . . but yes, I think maybe I've had an aldosterone crash. I had a hair mineral analysis done that showed my sodium levels were sky-high. I've taken a teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt mixed in a glass of water every morning for a long time, because I'd read it was good for adrenal fatigue. Even though I didn't feel like I was suffering from an electrolyte imbalance, it seemed unnatural to me for my sodium excretion to be off the charts, so I stopped the morning sea salt. I rarely eat processed foods, though I'm not hesitant to add salt to what I cook. Still, along with whatever the milk thistle did to me, I guess it was enough to tip things over. Yesterday my pulse was in the mid-60s, which is very low for me.

I've since started supplementing the salt again, though I guess it will take a while to recover; however, I started feeling a little better from the first dose yesterday, and the genital numbness is going away. I'm wondering if it would help, at least while I'm recovering, to have the salt in the evening as well as the morning. Well, it can't hurt to try.

I know that I tolerated the alpha-lipoic acid better before I took the milk thistle, too. My ignorance of organic chemistry will really be showing now, but maybe the ALA needs some aldosterone to be able to 'work' without producing too many side effects. It really made me feel more alive. I'm going to try taking it again if I find the salt's continued to help me after a few days. No need to keep posting here I guess. It's just frustrating that I obviously still need this degree of support from my supplements; nothing else I do seems to actually 'heal' me. I still have my hopes pinned on copper detox, but that will be for another thread if it ends up being successful.

 

[Basilico]

I have tried hard to find supplements other than milk thistle that might boost my glutathione, without success. In the past I've tried NAC and whey powder; the latter made me very ill with one dose. TMG gives me the numbness and makes me feel drugged but doesn't seem to do anything positive, which is why I'm suspecting now that anything which boosts my glutathione is probably going to give me the same unwanted symptoms.

I have never heard of anyone responding so strongly to milk thistle; it seems like it is really doing something important for you, whether it's due to glutathione or liver support (as someone else mentioned) or some other unknown factor.

In the past weeks I've been on a crusade to help my husband raise glutathione levels. We noticed that when he takes liposomal glutathione at the beginning of a PEM attack, it is either greatly reduced or doesn't materialize at all, so I'm convinced that glutathione is part of his issue. Have you tried this? I didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

He also seems to improve with a really good non-denatured whey, but is having trouble tolerating it. It seems like he can handle half a dose (10g), so we're trying to see if he can slowly increase over time. You said that it made you very ill - how much did you take and how did you take it?

There was a site that I used that is basically a summary of the Nitric Oxide cycle and what various CFS specialists are suggesting to both boost glutathione production and reduce reactive nitrogen species. I've used many of the recommendations to make up our own protocol. I have to admit that I don't think it's doing anything, but most of the things on the list are not expensive, and even though it seems like you've probably tried most of what's there, maybe there's something that you haven't tried yet and might want to?...here is a link:

http://www.medicalinsider.com/cardiac3.html#pall

 

[Basilico]

Oh, I forgot: when you say that you have numbness, do you mean it in the sense of lack of libido? I wasn't sure if I interpreted this correctly. If this is correct, I have a small suggestion that might not be the solution, but it's not expensive and I think could be worth trying.

I have very low levels of all sex hormones across the board. Recently, I was having a low libido issue (in addition to BV). In trying to avoid a never-ending antibiotics regimen to deal with this, I started using these vH Essentials prebiotic suppositories that feed the good bacteria (whose food is controlled directly by estrogen). I noticed that within a few days my libido was noticeably improved. Not sure why, but it was a nice side effect. You can find them in CVS stores, but lately they've been harder to find, but super easy to find on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/vH-Essential...89420750&sr=8-1&keywords=vaginal+probiotic+bv

I don't know if this is an answer for you, but could be worth a try. I don't know of any good ways to normalize hormone levels without taking hormone replacement therapy (which then long term reduces what you are producing so it's a lifelong commitment - that terrifies me!)

 

[Kitsune]

I have never heard of anyone responding so strongly to milk thistle; it seems like it is really doing something important for you, whether it's due to glutathione or liver support (as someone else mentioned) or some other unknown factor.

In the past weeks I've been on a crusade to help my husband raise glutathione levels. We noticed that when he takes liposomal glutathione at the beginning of a PEM attack, it is either greatly reduced or doesn't materialize at all, so I'm convinced that glutathione is part of his issue. Have you tried this? I didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

He also seems to improve with a really good non-denatured whey, but is having trouble tolerating it. It seems like he can handle half a dose (10g), so we're trying to see if he can slowly increase over time. You said that it made you very ill - how much did you take and how did you take it?

There was a site that I used that is basically a summary of the Nitric Oxide cycle and what various CFS specialists are suggesting to both boost glutathione production and reduce reactive nitrogen species. I've used many of the recommendations to make up our own protocol. I have to admit that I don't think it's doing anything, but most of the things on the list are not expensive, and even though it seems like you've probably tried most of what's there, maybe there's something that you haven't tried yet and might want to?...here is a link:

http://www.medicalinsider.com/cardiac3.html#pall

Hi Basilico, thanks for the link. I've seen NO/ONOO mentioned elsewhere - sticks in your mind as a catchy title, which I'm sure it's meant to do, though I can't say I understand it very well, so I will have a good read. I have tried quite a few of the things on the list, and some work for me while some don't. I do seem to be particularly prone to excitotoxicity from things like high-glutamate foods, but I find that difficult to separate from the histamine intolerance, which tends to encompass those things too.

I do think that if you're going to supplement glutathione directly, it looks like liposomal is an ideal way. I've shied away from it myself because I often find that it's better to give my body the raw materials it needs to make what it wants in whatever quantities are suitable, or I run into lots of problems (things go out of balance, I can't seem to get the dose right, my body downregulates its own production, etc). Sounds like it's doing the job for your husband when he needs it on occasion, which is perhaps a safer way to go about using it.

I did buy some denatured whey - afraid I can't remember where from, but fortunately they were willing to give me my money back! I only took one regular-sized dose and had a horrible reaction. Again, trying to remember past the simple mental note of 'This is very bad, don't ever touch again'. I think it would be something similar to taking a big dose of MSG for me - extreme overstimulation, dizziness, racing heart, etc. Again, it's hard to know how far it ties into histamine intolerance for me, or if I'm sensitive to A1 casein. I can occasionally have mild cheeses without any problem, though I do use A2 milk and butter because they're easier to tolerate. (If you've not heard about the A1/A2 milk debate, as I hadn't until fairly recently, it's really eye-opening - another example of how modern agriculture is making it harder for people to get and stay healthy.)

 

[Kitsune]

Oh, I forgot: when you say that you have numbness, do you mean it in the sense of lack of libido? I wasn't sure if I interpreted this correctly. If this is correct, I have a small suggestion that might not be the solution, but it's not expensive and I think could be worth trying.

I have very low levels of all sex hormones across the board. Recently, I was having a low libido issue (in addition to BV). In trying to avoid a never-ending antibiotics regimen to deal with this, I started using these vH Essentials prebiotic suppositories that feed the good bacteria (whose food is controlled directly by estrogen). I noticed that within a few days my libido was noticeably improved. Not sure why, but it was a nice side effect. You can find them in CVS stores, but lately they've been harder to find, but super easy to find on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/vH-Essentials-Prebiotic-Suppositories-Balanced/dp/B007BF7JNS/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1489420750&sr=8-1&keywords=vaginal probiotic bv

I don't know if this is an answer for you, but could be worth a try. I don't know of any good ways to normalize hormone levels without taking hormone replacement therapy (which then long term reduces what you are producing so it's a lifelong commitment - that terrifies me!)

Again, thanks for the link - will check it out, and I'm glad you've found something that helps! I find it hard talking about this sort of thing on public forums. The numbness really is that - like getting chemically coshed down below. It can happen to different degrees. I seem to be prone to it since I developed it while on antidepressants years ago, and generally it seems to be triggered by various kinds of stress that no doubt shunt my adrenal hormones away from where they'd normally go. But I think you're right about taking replacement hormones - I wouldn't do that unless I was under a doctor's supervision, as I think you could cause more problems than you solve. It's rarely a case of 'I'm low in substance x, therefore I'll supplement it and that will fix the problem' - as I'm sure you've discovered! Years back, for example, I found out I was low in DHEA, but taking a supplement did nothing for me at all. I also think I've had more recent problems with estrogen dominance - I got really ill last autumn, started going into early menopause and was getting debilitating symptoms - but progesterone cream did nothing for me, while I ended up thanking my lucky stars that I'd discovered black cohosh, which seems to be helping a lot. I haven't had any of those particular symptoms in months.

Apart from glutathione, I've found ALA to be helpful for low libido in the past (a problem I do usually have, though it's not as much of one as the actual genital numbness - which thankfully is slowly going away as I take the sea salt again). Just can't seem to cope with even 100mg of it at the moment though. But I'm happy to say that I've found that the ashwagandha and ginkgo can . . . well, again, I don't want to get too personal on a public forum, but I'd highly recommend trying them for sexual dysfunction. It's why I never stopped taking them, even though it's probable that I healed from much of the SSRI damage a long time ago, LOL. Some things are too nice to give up (though sadly I still get experiences like the one I've written about here despite taking them, so they are by no means cure-alls).

 

[Basilico]

Sorry I couldn't offer any help, seems like you've already tried what's in my bag of tricks

It's interesting how some people do well with precursors and for other people it's like taking nothing. Sometimes I wish I could just see inside the body and understand what the heck is happening.

When he first had some bad bathroom attacks after taking the whey, we sort of wrote it off, also. But then I wanted to see if he could tolerate a small dose and maybe work up, and it seemed like a half dose was not the most awful thing in the world. We just bought a new bottle of liposomal glutathione, but my husband wanted to save it since we have some plans for his birthday at the end of the month, and he wants to make sure he can take as much as he'll need to be functional.

So he's gone back to the whey, which he took yesterday after we bicycled around a little and upon returning home said he felt PEM coming on...taking the whey did the trick, he felt much better (it helped me, too, but I don't have any bad side effects from it) but then at some point later in the day it will send him to the bathroom in a very unpleasant way...that's such a hard thing to decide, do you prevent the PEM and take the bathroom prob, or deal with the PEM in exchange for a happy GI system? Clearly the whey is doing something that he really needs, but like with many supplements that he probably needs, his body is going to reject it.

Anyway, it's really good that you've found so many natural supplements that seem to work really well for you, even if you're still having some issues. I haven't been using ALA in my 'glutathione protocol' and I'm glad you mentioned it, because it was a good reminder. I think I wrote it off because I've taken it before and didn't notice anything, but maybe I should toss it in the mix anyway.I hope you're able to figure out the remaining issues, or maybe luck out and they resolve on their own!

 

[Kitsune]

Sometimes I wish I could just see inside the body and understand what the heck is happening.

Goodness me, yes. Or maybe one decade or century, GPs will be looking at vitamins, minerals, toxins, etc, and have good tests to show what's happening in the body, rather than doing the generally useless stuff they do now for anyone who doesn't have a broken leg or a bacterial infection. (I guess that sounds very cynical, and I know many of them try hard and mean well, but they and the system are still failing us.)

Clearly the whey is doing something that he really needs, but like with many supplements that he probably needs, his body is going to reject it.

I know what that's like. Hopefully he'll find some more of what works for him soon. Even though I tried quite a few supplements lately that I didn't get on with at all, through that experimental process I did at least find the digestive enzymes that seem to be helping me so much, though it was only because I was in the health food shop for another reason, saw them, and thought I may as well give them a try.

Anyway, it's really good that you've found so many natural supplements that seem to work really well for you, even if you're still having some issues. I haven't been using ALA in my 'glutathione protocol' and I'm glad you mentioned it, because it was a good reminder. I think I wrote it off because I've taken it before and didn't notice anything, but maybe I should toss it in the mix anyway.I hope you're able to figure out the remaining issues, or maybe luck out and they resolve on their own!

I hope you get some positive benefit from it. Please just be aware that people like Andy Cutler claim that ALA chelates mercury, so I would be very very careful if you have amalgam fillings (though some people with fillings take it and say they're OK).

I seem to be walking a line at the moment between feeling rather crashed and low, and feeling like I want to try taking something to help myself feel even just a little more alive and energetic. But whatever I try just seems to 'zap' me and cause overstimulation. The ALA, even at a lower dose of 50mg, may be something I have to put on the shelf for a while. I tried 200mcg of selenium today, expecting no immediate effect - but got an instant energy boost (which was great while I was out on my walk), followed tonight by anger, irritability, a bit of a racing heart, and more genital numbness. So very, very tired of all this. I used to supplement selenium years back and never noticed any effect at all; certainly not this. I also eat Brazil nuts a few times a week with no noticeable effect. I guess something about the methionine in the supplement is doing something to me.

Every time I get an energy boost from a supplement, it seems to be coupled with this overstimulation later in the day. I can't take CoQ10 anymore either, though I used to. Maybe my body is trying to tell me that it really, really doesn't want to power up more energy right now, and will make me regret anything I do to try to force it. Maybe I need to carry on cultivating patience and just accept for now that I'm not going to be feeling so good, though that is very hard to do.

 

[Basilico]

Maybe I need to carry on cultivating patience and just accept for now that I'm not going to be feeling so good, though that is very hard to do.

It's a fine line to walk; accepting that I just don't feel as good as I should and can't do what I used to vs. not giving up hope and continuing to try to improve things. I'm trying for a good combination of both, which is often easier said than done.

I wonder why you suddenly reacted to Selenium when you didn't before? That seems to be pretty common here, but it just doesn't make sense why our bodies one day are cool with something and then later on, 'nope!'