As an alternative-minded doctor, I use supplements to treat a lot of ailments. One of the main characteristics of these supplements is something you are probably very familiar with – antioxidants. These antioxidants are strong enough to treat many illnesses. But they are also strong enough to create a lot of problems.
In fact, a new study suggests that you can take too many antioxidants. At first, I was a little skeptical of the study. After all, you know how Big Pharma and the media love to bash supplements. But in this case, the study has value. Let me explain.
In nature, in all chemical bonds, electrons must be paired or mated to another electron. A free radical is a molecule that has one unpaired electron. An unpaired electron can be very destructive. Note, I said, can. There are plenty of beneficial free radicals that we cant live without. Antioxidants are commonly referred to as free radical scavengers. They will donate an electron to pair up with the single electron in the free radical. When they give up the electron, they become free radicals. However, these free radicals are not destructive. This is one of natures defense mechanisms to repair toxic free radicals.
These antioxidants are actually reductants. Reductants give up an electron in a chemical reaction. Conversely, oxidants accept electrons. You have trillions of oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions going on every second in your body. All of your energy production comes from redox. Many of your cellular reactions are sensitive to your redox balance. Redox is like a voltage charge. For best performance, the voltage should not be too high or too low. Balance is vital for peak energy production. But you can tip your redox state toward too much reduction or toward too much oxidation.
In recent years, we have put a lot of emphasis on preventing too much oxidation. We have done this by encouraging the consumption of lots of antioxidants (reductants). True, we know that too much oxidation can lead to cellular damage. But, theres been little attention paid to the opposite side of the coin — reduction. And, as you may know, Ive always stressed balance. In the world of redox, a new study proves why this is so important.
In the study, researchers examined mice carrying a human genetic mutation. This mutation is associated with certain degeneration of both skeletal and heart muscle cells. Researchers have known of the genetic mutation for years. But the mechanism responsible remained mysterious.
The researchers demonstrated that mice carrying one of the mutant genes, áB-crystallin, develop the same heart syndromes seen in human patients. These include heart enlargement, progressive heart failure, and an early death. But they unexpectedly found that the animals hearts were under reductive stress.
The results took the team leader by surprise. He expected the opposite to occur. They used a test that measures oxidative stress, expecting to see higher than normal levels. Instead, they found the mice had markedly reduced oxidative stress levels. The mice were overloaded with an important natural antioxidant you know as glutathione. Most of the doctors in my field, including me, consider more glutathione as better. Its your premier antioxidant and heavy metal scavenger.
Glutathione, while critical for your cells, must be in balance, like all your biochemistry. It exists in two forms: reduced and oxidized. Generally, the reduced form is considered the active form. But both are needed. The inactive (oxidized) form also actively participates in your biochemistry. Too much glutathione was reduced. This created a condition of reductive (antioxidant) stress. This would be similar to a reduced voltage.
This is the first compelling research to link too much antioxidant activity with cellular disease. Yes, you can have too much oxidation in your body. But the same goes for antioxidation or reduction. This is likely the reason for the often conflicting reports on the benefits of anti-oxidants — some people are getting too much of a good thing.
Clearly, some people can get overdosed on antioxidants. More (supraphysiologic doses) might not be better for everyone. However, this is a relatively small number of people. The majority of Americans eat a diet that is sorely deficient in antioxidants. Still, there are those who eat very well and have plenty of antioxidants in their system. That might be why some studies have shown problems with antioxidants.
For some people, the imbalance of synthetic vitamin E or beta-carotene and/or other antioxidants might do harm. Cancer happens to be a state of reductive stress. Some studies on mega-dose antioxidants have actually found an increase of cancer. Of course, that makes big media news.
What the media fails to report is all the cases where vitamin therapy helps. In those cases, the person was obviously out of balance to the oxidative side. The vitamins helped restore the balance. This is why vitamins can be so useful in medicine.
But vitamins are not the only way to get back the proper balance. The study showed there are other ways to rebalance your system. The scientists mated the heart-diseased animals with mice carrying lower levels of a key antioxidant enzyme called G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). The offspring now had a gene (áB-crystallin) coding for excess reduction and a less active G6PD gene. Less antioxidant activity of G6PD means less reduction. In theory, the two would offset each other. And, in fact, that is what they found. The offspring did not have the muscle disease.
That finding suggests that drugs or other treatments can reverse an imbalance. Of course, the medical mob (Big Pharma) will try to find patented chemical treatments for similar human G6PD conditions. But theres no need for that. There are much better answers, including oxidation therapy.
Oxidation therapies such as ozone, ultraviolet blood irradiation and intravenous hydrogen peroxide challenge G6PD in your cells. They could provide the needed oxidation to balance out the problem. I doubt these researchers even heard of these therapies. But other researchers have repeatedly shown that UBI and ozone therapies reverse heart disease.
Forty years ago, Baylor University researchers gave hydrogen peroxide intra-arterially to cancer patients. They unexpectedly found that plaque melted away downstream from the catheter tip. My conclusion — oxidation therapy is a wonderful answer to heart disease caused by reductive overload as well as other causes.
Ill be more specific. Oxidation therapy balances your redox system. If you are too reduced, it provides oxidative balance. And, interestingly, if you are too oxidized, it can stimulate reductive metabolism to restore your balance. Such therapies are called modulators. Modulators stimulate your body to move into balance, regardless of how it is tipped. Chemicals rarely, if ever, do that.
Exercise also provides abundant beneficial oxidative stress. Even if you have heart failure, you will still see great benefits using exercise as a natural modulator of oxidation.
Chelation therapy is another important way to protect yourself from pathological oxidation. Heavy metals are a significant source of pathological oxidative stress. Chelation therapy dramatically helps most people with vascular disease. My experience using it on heart failure has been excellent.
I also stand by my long held mantra: Eat what grows around you when its in season, picked fresh, raised on fertile soils, and without chemicals. You will not find a better nutritional redox balancer than whole, living, organic, fresh-picked foods. You get all that God made in perfect balance. I challenge every pundit to prove me wrong.
Aim to have at least 2/3 to 3/4 of your food like this. Selected antioxidant supplements can be helpful, as Ive told you in the past. But ripe living food is king. Please consider all of this in your daily routine. If a supplement does not appear to work for you, make sure you give it a few months. After that, do not keep wasting your money on it. Your body may not need it. But keep looking. In my experience, people who do not find success with one supplement will usually find it with another. Most Americans are deficient in many antioxidants, and need to take supplements.
If you do have heart failure or other heart disease, know that more antioxidants might not be the best thing for you. But oxidation therapy could be extremely helpful. If and when tests for redox balance become readily available, Ill be sure to let you know. And, I will be bringing you the most updated information on all these wonderful oxidation therapies in future issues. I teach them to doctors around the world. So please stay tuned.
Ref: Cell, August 10, 2007.