Glutathione? What’s that?

Perhaps you’re asking this very question right now!  And we don’t blame you.  While glutathione, the master antioxidant, is a naturally occurring, highly beneficial compound in the human body, and while you can find thousands of published scientific articles and research studies, and while scientists continue to explore it’s amazing properties, many of us are just hearing about this fantastic detoxifying antioxidant now.  (If you’ve been following us on Facebook and Twitter where we’ve already shared these informational articles and resources, you’re already “in the know” about glutathione!  If not, use the Facebook and Twitter links to visit our pages to follow us.)

Chemically, glutathione is “a crystalline, water-soluble peptide of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine, C₁₀ H₁₇ N₃ O₆ S, found in blood and in animal and plant tissues, and important in tissue oxidation and in the activation of some enzymes”.¹ 

Image 1: Glutathione molecules(Image borrowed from ChemicalBook.com.)

But glutathione is so much more than a collection of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms.  It’s documented benefits are both significant and extensive, touching on systems throughout the body.

The Good News

From cataracts to cancer to chronic fatigue, glutathione has a wide variety of applications as a health support.   In fact, WebMD lists glutathione as a treatment option for over 23 conditions, as well as “maintaining the body’s defense system (immune system) and fighting metal and drug poisoning”.  (See WebMD link above for more information and a full list of conditions.)

Many scientific studies have shown and supported the understanding that glutathione has an important role to play in the treatment and prevention of hundreds of diseases. Clinical tests show that raised glutathione levels may address major health issues such as: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, cigarette smoking, hepatitis, AIDS, etc. Glutathione provides the body with tools to fight off these threats naturally.

Healthy people also benefit from elevated glutathione levels through an enhanced ability to fight off toxins, infectious disease, pre-cancerous cells and the aging process.  Moreover, physically active people and world-class athletes are discovering that well-maintained glutathione levels give them the edge over their competitors. It provides greater strength and endurance, decreased recovery time from injury, less muscle pain and fatigue, and muscle-promoting activity.

It’s truly a super star compound. No wonder we have included it in some of our most popular products!

So what’s the catch?

With such a glowing profile, it’s natural to wonder if glutathione usage has a downside or drawback.  The answer is…sort of.  There are two challenges with supplementation of glutathione: 1) poor absorption and 2) hydrolytic degradation (meaning it breaks down or decomposes in the presence of water).  To overcome these obstacles, CitriSafe uses an acetylated form of glutathione called acetyl-glutathione, which includes an acetyl group (on its thiol function, if you are chemically inclined).  The acetyl group stabilizes the molecule from oxidation and protects it from hydrolization as it passes across the intestinal lining into the cells.  Once inside a cell, the acetyl-glutathione molecule “loses” the acetyl group thanks to the action of cytoplasmic enzymes, returning it to a regular (technically termed a “reduced”) glutathione molecule so that it can do its fantastic work of detoxifying and restoring cellular function to optimal levels.

Image 2: S-Acetyl Glutathione molecule(Image borrowed from ChemicalBook.com.)

How’s that for a quick chemistry lesson? And now that you understand how the acetylated version of glutathione allows our products to truly offer the amazing benefits of glutathione, read on to learn more about our glutathione-based products and how they can be used to support your wellness journey.

Oral Supports

Our line of oral glutathione capsules are an excellent way to boost your body’s glutathione levels.  Follow your doctor’s recommended dosage or take advantage of our free 10 minute phone consultation with any product purchase to determine an appropriate supplementation amount.

 

Our Balms

Glutathione’s beneficial effects aren’t limited to oral supplements, though!  We have a full line of glutathione-based balms that promote the soothing, healing, and regeneration of sore, tired, and/or injured tissues, including skin, joints, and muscles.

The Tingling Tootsie Balm, our inaugural balm formulation, specifically created with the intent to soothe neuropathy symptoms, including numbness, burning, tingling, sensitivity and weakness.  The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Neuropathy, estimates “20 million people in the United States have some form of peripheral neuropathy, a condition that develops as a result of damage to the peripheral nervous system”.²   Unfortunately, conventional options for relief from neuropathy pain may be ineffective, expensive, produce unwanted side effects, or all three.  That was the experience of our founder, Walter Hayhurst, RPh, who developed neuropathy as a result of damage sustained from a severe mold exposure.  As with many of our products, Walter used his years of training and experience as a pharmacist to develop a product to alleviate his own symptoms, then made sure to share it with everyone else.

Made with the finest ingredients, our acetyl-glutathione balms incorporate organic virgin coconut oil (a fantastic topical emollient for hair, skin, and nails), organic olive oil, and a blend of other salutary ingredients to promote soothing and healing of the skin, muscles, and joints.  Simply rub a pea-sized amount into your skin (just as you would lotion) wherever you need relief.  Many of our clients notice a difference in their symptoms within just a few minutes!

Are you an athlete?  Do you work a physically demanding job?  (Hey, moms! Chasing after kids all day counts.)  Are you recovering from an injury?  Do you suffer from arthritis?  These balms soothe aches and pains of all types making them a fantastic resource for you and your family when the need arises.  In fact, we named an entire line of our balms “Oh My Aching” because they deliver targeted relief to common areas of trouble – the feet, the jaw, elbows and knees, and the neck and back.  (But don’t let the name stop you from using it where you need it most – all of our balms can be applied topically to areas of discomfort!)

Our full line of balms includes the following fantastic options:

 

Oh My Aching Feet Balm

 

 

With so many great balms, it’s hard to choose just one.  In fact, we love our balms so much (and it really is *that* hard to pick a favorite) that we’re going to give away a bunch of them!  Read on for the full details of this month’s giveaway.

Glutathione Balm Giveaway Details

This giveaway will award ten (10) winners with a single (1) 4 oz container of the glutathione-based balm of their choice. Yay!

Simply use the giveaway widget below to see the entry options available and manage your entries.  The giveaway will be open until 10/27/2017 at 11:59 PM MST and is open to residents of the United States and Canada 18 years or older.   Once the giveaway closes, winners will be chosen at random via gleam.io and notified within 3 days.  Once the winner has responded, we will post the winner to the blog, our Facebook page, and Twitter.

CitriSafe Glutathione Balm Giveaway

Sources:
¹http://www.dictionary.com/browse/glutathione
²https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Peripheral-Neuropathy-Fact-Sheet