The Glutathione Protocol, developed by Richard Van Konynenburg, PhD, focuses on restoring a process in your body that he says is blocked in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) . At its root are findings that, according to Van Konynenburg, the majority of people with ME/CFS are deficient in glutathione. Before you can raise your glutathione levels, however, he says you need to unblock what's called the "methylation cycle," which is what's behind the low glutathione levels.
This treatment protocol is experimental, and there's little or no scientific evidence to support it. Many people with ME/CFS say it's been extremely helpful to them, but these are strictly personal opinions that do not imply scientific fact.
What is Glutathione?
If you've never heard of glutathione, you're not alone. It's not well known by the public, and even doctors have only begun to understand its importance. Glutathione is an antioxidant and antiviral tripeptide that also helps clean heavy-metal toxins out of your body. According to glutathione researcher Jimmy Gutman, MD, it's involved in dozens of critical cellular processes that protect us from toxins in the environment.
Your body can become low in glutathione over time because of constant demands combined with a low level of its components in the typical modern diet. It also declines as we age, and some researchers believe maintaining higher levels would fight many age-related illnesses.
The Glutathione Protocol as a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment
Dr. Van Konynenburg has outlined two forms of the Glutathione Protocol -- a simple approach and a customized one.
Note: This information is intended to familiarize you with this treatment protocol so you can decide whether to look into it further. These are not complete instructions.
Glutathione Protocol Approaches
The simplified protocol includes several daily oral supplements intended to break the methylation cycle. They are:
- Folapro
- B12/folate
- A specific complete vitamin & ultra-antioxidant (from Holistic Health Consultants)
- Phosphatidyl Serine Complex
- Perque B12
- SAMe (S-adenosylmehtionine)
- Methylation Support Nutriswitch Formula
After you start the treatment, your symptoms might get worse for awhile. If so, Dr. Van Konynenburg says you need to find out whether that's because your body is starting to kill viruses and detoxifying, or because you have a certain genetic abnormality that causes an increase in an enzyme called cystathionine beta synthase (CBS).
To see which group you fall into, you'll need to have your urine tested for toxic metals and amino acids, which may require you to go through a specialty lab (and that can be very expensive.) If the test reveals toxic metals, you're detoxing and can continue with the Simplified Approach. If the amino acids test shows elevated taurine and ammonia, you have the CBS problem and will need to switch to the Customized Approach.
The customized approach is a complex, 17-part protocol that requires some medical tests and will mean you'll need a doctor who's willing to help you with it. You may also end up paying for a lot of specialized tests.
Is the Glutathione Protocol Right for You?
Only you can decide whether this protocol is right for you, and it's wise to include your doctor in your decision and treatment as much as possible. You'll need to weigh the potential benefits of the protocol against how much time, energy and money it will take for you to follow it.
Again, there is little or no scientific evidence to support this treatment protocol. Any success reported is anecdotal.
Sources:
2006 Planet Thrive, Inc. All rights reserved. "Glutathione Depletion -- Methylation Cycle Block Hypothesis: the Simple Approach"
