Acupuncture Helps Detoxification? Acupuncture and Glutathione

[Cort]

Rich Von Konynenburg believes low glutathione levels are key in ME/CFS. I am not at all sure. This study found, interestingly enough, that both manual and electric acupuncture increased glutathione levels in the muscles of laboratory rats and that manual acupuncture also increased carnitine levels.

Some studies have found increased rates of oxidative stress in the muscles of ME/CFS patients. If that's true then you definitely want more GSH in there to mop up those free radicals.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Jul 10. [Epub ahead of print] Links
Investigation of Electroacupuncture and Manual Acupuncture on Carnitine and Glutathione in Muscle.

Toda S.
Department of Health Sciences, Kansai University of Health Sciences, 2-11-1 Wakaba, Kumatori, Sen-nan, Osaka-fu 590-0482, Japan. toda@kansai.ac.jp.

Electroacupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture (MA) have therapeutic effects on muscle fatigue in muscle disease. The deficiencies of carnitine and glutathione induce muscle fatigue.

Carnitine level in muscle tissue of MA group was significantly higher than those of EA group and normal control group. Carnitine level in muscle tissue of EA group was not significantly different from that of normal control group. Glutathione levels in muscle tissue of EA group and MA group were significantly higher than that of normal control group. This report presented that carnitine in muscle is increased by MA, and not increased by EA, and that glutathione in muscle is increased by EA and MA.

Maybe the people who where helped by acupuncture had low glutathione(?). Or maybe they just had a better acupuncturist. Or maybe it was something else.

 

[Frickly]

Interesting...

I am on glutithione/ATP injections and searching for ways to help my body make it's own glutithione. Depleted glutithione is no doubt a big problem for me as my muscle fatigue comes back without my shots every week. I have thought about acupuncture in the past for pain but am unsure of how to find someone who is qualified. My sister works for a law firm who is prosecuting an acupuncurist who paralized their client. Thanks to my sister, , I am totally freaked out about trying it.

 

[Jody]

Frickly,

My gosh, understandable that you are cautious about the acupuncture.

I guess the best thing to do in looking for an acupuncturist is to see if you can talk to anyone who has gone to a particular acupuncturist for a length of time. As with so many things, the expertise of the person practicing makes all the difference. Acupuncture can be a great thing in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.