IN 1934 RESEARCHERS . . . REPORTED THAT CHOLINE ABOLISHES FATTY LIVER

So MarketWatch ran a story on Sunday, December, 10, 2017, on the increase in liver disease among middle-aged Americans.  And it starts off harmless enough with a headline and then an explanation of what functions the liver performs. 

Liver disease is on the rise among middle-aged Americans, but many don’t know they have it—or that they could develop it.   

The liver performs critical jobs, including cleaning toxins from the blood, storing energy and nutrients, digesting fats and processing medications, alcohol and food. 

And then it goes into shock mode, as if it were waking up the dead from the dead, where people will be running to their doctor's office screaming at them indicting them, "Why didn't you tell me that my liver was shot after all those quarts of Jack Daniels over the last two months!"  

 But a host of ills and abuses can wreak havoc on the liver, from heavy drinking and infection with hepatitis B or C to a scourge known as fatty-liver disease linked to diabetes and obesity. Over time, the liver can become fibrous and scarred, eventually developing cirrhosis, the replacement of normal tissue with hard tissue. The damage that occurs increases the risk for liver cancer.

And if having a fibrous liver isn't horrible enough, imagine what happens when liver tissue hardens into cirrhosis and can no longer work?  If your liver don't work, you won't be able to heal.  You can't store vitamin D or C or any vitamin.  You're done.  At least according to this article.  But you do have remedies which I point you to at the end of this review.  

“Patients who are now respectable citizens may not want to tell their doctors, ‘I was a crazy teen back in the ’60s,’ ”Dr. Anna S. Lok, director of hepatology at the University of Michigan

What does that have to do with anything?  If you're sick, you're sick.  If you think that your doctor is the cure or his magic bag of tricks, then talk with him, share with her the biological details of your life.  I am sure that it is bad, that liver disease is on the rise.  

 A September report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that death rates for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis rose 31% among those age 45 to 64 between 2000 and 2015. And cases of liver cancer rose more than 20% in the U.S. between 1990 and 2015.

Yet liver diseases often have no symptoms until they are far advanced, making it all the more important to identify and test those at risk.

Yes, it's true.  This reminds me of when people tell me "I didn't expect to live past 40."  That's because they never thought about their biology, and they found a rhythm and that rhythm has worked for them to help keep them alive.  It reminds me too of functional drunks, people who show up to work irritable and hung over but charming enough to keep the office staff none the wiser or at least rationalize their suspicions or worries.

 “With baby boomers, we may focus on heart disease, dementia and cancer, and don’t always think about the liver,” says Dr. Anna S. Lok, director of hepatology at the University of Michigan and president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Ah, yes, new drugs to the rescue.  Or do they . . . rescue I mean?  

 There are new drugs that cure hepatitis C, and a number of treatments are in development for advanced fatty-liver disease. Getting and staying sober can reverse liver damage caused by alcohol, and losing weight can reverse damage caused by nonalcoholic liver disease.

This is true, and this is my point.  People don't take adequate care of themselves, in part, because they don't perceive how things, meaning their biology, is broken.  And that is in part thanks to our homeostasis that keeps us from being conscious of pain.  

 “The liver is very forgiving and can bounce back even in early stages of cirrhosis,” says Lok. Once cirrhosis is advanced, however, the only option is a liver transplant, which can be hard to come by. There are new treatments for liver cancer if diagnosed early, so screening cirrhosis patients for liver cancer is important, she says.

TESTING BARRIERS

Remember back in the 70s and 80s how all doctors were recommending surgery?  I mean the medical profession seemed like they were staffed with a bunch of drunks.  Seriously.  The attention to your concerns were next to nil.  I consulted 3 separate doctors once on a knee problem.  Each one recommended surgery, like they were part of a some profitable cabal.  They all thought alike.  Not one paused.  Surgery was recommended as much as aspirin was.  Today we know that a lot of surgeries are either totally unnecessary or completely botched.  They don't know what they're doing.  Yes, they're following a protocol, but so do dentists.  Would you accept every recommendation made to you by your dentist?  Ouch.  How do you think Hepatitis was transmitted?  Bingo!  Surgery. 

 According to a study published last month in JAMA Oncology, the rise in liver cancer in the U.S. is partially due to hepatitis C infection in baby boomers. An estimated 1 in 30 have been infected with the virus, the second-leading cause of cirrhosis. Hepatitis C was often transmitted during medical treatment before infection-control procedures were widely adopted, or from blood transfusions before 1992, when screening for the virus virtually eliminated such risks. It also is spread among intravenous-drug users, even with just one use, and from unsteril[ized] tools at tattoo parlors.

This is true enough.

 In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a one-time hepatitis C test for all adults born between 1945 and 1965. But fewer than 30% have actually been tested, according to estimates. Doctors may fail to ask patients about past medical procedures or drug-use history, and patients may either be unaware of possible medical exposures or be hesitant to mention risky behavior such as intravenous-drug use.

So it's clear what this is implying.  Nice how the author is attacking baby boomers.  Why not?  The millennials get hit with degrading reports on a daily basis.  Perhaps the two should unite!

 “Patients who are now respectable citizens may not want to tell their doctors, ‘I was a crazy teen back in the ’60s,’ ” Lok says.

Okay, so far we're more than half way through the article and not a word about nutritional or food therapies and only a hint at some new treatments.  But wait, here it comes, you know, the agenda behind the article.  And what is that agenda?  Electronic tracking of health records.  Yes.  That's it!!!  That's the answer to the increase in liver disease.  For people, according to the between the lines statements, are too clueless to track their own health.  That's it!!!  

To eliminate such barriers, Lok and colleagues have designed an electronic-health-record alert that prompts primary-care physicians to perform such screenings if patients who are baby boomers haven’t yet been diagnosed or tested. In a study published in the journal Hepatology in September, the team said hepatitis C testing rates increased fivefold, to 72% among those born between 1945 and 1965, in the year after the electronic alerts were launched. Of 53 newly diagnosed patients, 11 had advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis, 20 started treatment and so far nine have been cured.

Oh, I see, so if you've got other diseases, then you may be at risk for liver disease as well.  And since liver disease conveniently doesn't present symptoms, why, you're really SOL. 

 If you are overweight or have Type 2 diabetes, you may be at risk of fatty liver disease.

Can't doctors detect liver disease through an annual or bi-annual blood test?  It appears so. 

The first sign of liver disease may be elevated liver enzymes in a blood test. Dr. Elliot Tapper, an assistant professor at University of Michigan who treats patients at its clinics and at the Ann Arbor VA hospital, says issues related to alcohol, obesity and diabetes are the most likely cause, followed by hepatitis B or C. Tests for such conditions should be used first, including an ultrasound of the liver to look for fatty-liver disease. If patients disclose they drink excessively or use intravenous drugs, or are taking a drug or dietary supplement that can cause liver damage, the need for more invasive tests such as liver biopsies to test for rarer conditions falls sharply, Tapper says.

FATTY LIVER . . . IS TREATABLE

I love how dishonest and scary these reports are written, ". . . affects as many as 100 million Americans . . . but also strikes children and young adults."  Isn't that about everybody?  Who's left?  

 Fatty-liver disease, a buildup of fat in the liver, affects as many as 100 million Americans, especially those in their 40s and 50s, but also strikes children and young adults. The disease can lead to a progressive form known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, which can cause scarring that leads to cirrhosis and increases the risk of heart disease, Tapper says. Genetic variations may make some people more vulnerable.

Love how these articles scare the bejesus out of adults and parents.  And what is the solution?  Biopsies!!!  Yes, of course, give us your tissues!!! 

 While liver biopsies are still used to definitively diagnose liver diseases and determine their stage, noninvasive tests using different types of scans and imaging technology such as MRI are becoming more widely used. A 2015 study of 100 patients, using such technology, showed that almost two-thirds with Type 2 diabetes have evidence of nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease, while more than 7% have advanced fibrosis. Study author Dr. Rohit Loomba, director of hepatology and a research center devoted to nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease at the University of California, San Diego, says follow-up studies aim to determine whether such technology is cost-effective for wide use.

Wow.  As a diabetic, if you're not frightened into a stressful state by now, then there must be something wrong with you.  Note that magnesium is critical for diabetics.  What doesn't the article point that out!?!?!?

Until such screening methods are better established, he says, doctors should assess their patients with classic risk factors for fatty-liver disease—those in their 40s and 50s at high risk of heart disease because of obesity and diabetes. Fatty-liver disease is also closely linked to metabolic syndrome, a group of abnormalities that include increased belly fat, high blood pressure and high blood levels of triglycerides, a type of fat.

Why does the article refuse to mention any nutritional therapies if, in fact, the condition is so bad?  Because they want to cause you to run into your doctor's office frantic clamoring for a fatty liver test.  "Give it to me!  Give it to me now!!"  As if on cue . . . 

 “If you are overweight or obese and have Type 2 diabetes and are 50 or older, you need to ask your primary-care doctor if you might have fatty-liver disease,” Loomba advises.

Wow!  What's with the optimism.  Hilarious, Groucho.  

 For patients in midlife who have already piled on extra pounds, or are gaining a few pounds each year, even moderate weight loss can reduce risk and help reverse harm to the liver, he adds.

Laura Landro is a former Wall Street Journal assistant managing editor. Email her at reports@wsj.com.

The story “The Hidden Disease Of The Middle-Aged” first appeared in The Wall Street Journal.

________________________________________________________________________

Okay, now for some truth, some answers.  Jeeze.  

Chart courtesy of Bill Sardi @ KnowledgeofHealth

Choline treats fatty liver disease.  Eggs are an excellent source of choline.  Got it?  So what is the message?  Eat eggs to keep your liver healthy.  .

The Single Nutrient That Eradicates Fatty Liver Disease

That’s quite a headline.  Wait until you see the list of citations proving that fact.  The incredible headlines simply multiply.  There's this

In 1934 researchers in Liverpool, England reported that choline abolishes fatty liver.  

You read that right, “abolishes.”  Fairly strong language I would say.  Then this

Humans eating low choline diets develop fatty liver and liver damage.

Just incredible. 

Other investigators found that a B-vitamin class nutrient called choline cured fatty liver.  

Did you read that, “cured”?

Choline exercises a controlling influence over the amount of fat in the liver.  Impressive.

And this

In humans, choline levels are closely related to the severity of liver disease. 

And this

Higher dietary choline intake is associated with lower risk for fatty liver disease in humans.

And this

In 1949 researchers showed that table surgar (sucrose from can sugar) and alcohol had equal potential to cause fatty liver disease and that choline could completely protect against this effect.

Okay, okay, you almost don’t believe how good choline is in protecting liver, what, with all we’ve heard and been led to believe about alcohol and cirrhosis of the liver and whatnot.  But there it is in plain English, “abolishes,” “cures,” “protects.”  And there’s more.

An experiment reported on in 1935 showed that among 20 young animals placed on a fatty diet low in choline versus another equal sized group of animals given supplemental choline, fat was deposited in the liver of the choline deficient animals while the choline-fortified diet results in only slight fat deposition in the liver.  Strikingly, five of the animals who did not receive choline died within 2 months.  In a subsequent experiment, 30% of laboratory mice on a low-choline diet died whereas no lab animals given supplemental choline died.

The takeaway?  Supplemental choline works better than choline in the diet.  This is almost too good, and yet there is more.  Read the rest for yourself.  It will blow your hair back.

Lecithin is an excellent source of choline.  WholeHealthChicago explains  

 Lecithin is considered an excellent source of choline, one of the B vitamins. Once in the body, a key component of lecithin–phosphatidylcholine–breaks down into choline. Now available in dietary supplement form, phosphatidylcholine (PC) might be thought of as a purified extract of lecithin. It is commonly recommended for treating liver, nerve, and a variety of other conditions, including multiple sclerosis and memory loss. 

You see.  This is better than a scare piece.  Simply find the nutrient in supplemental form that addresses your situation.  And I can think of no person out there who is reading, reviewing, examining the facts and reporting on them for the benefit of so many than Bill Sardi.  

ZINC OXIDE AUGMENTS THE PRODUCTION OF TISSUE GRANULATION

A few years ago I wrote about a condition called capirillitis, a skin condition in which the surface of the skin gets spotted with red and brown clusters.  This condition is the result of months or years of capillary blood bursts that stain the skin.  There are two formulations of zinc that can beused for wound management: zinc oxide and zinc sulfate.  For best results, use zinc oxide.  

And the NCBI explains in its typically restrained and cautioned tone how zinc oxide heals the skin

Re-epithelialization, an important mechanism in the closure of leg ulcers, was enhanced with zinc oxide applied topically on partial-thickness wounds in pigs with normal zinc status. Zinc sulfate at three different concentrations did not, however, result in this beneficial effect on the resurfacing of wounds. The inflammatory reaction was diminished in zinc treated wounds except when a high zinc sulfate concentration was applied. Bacterial growth and concomitant diseases such as diabetes can complicate wound healing.

The abstract concluded with this

In conclusion, topical zinc may stimulate leg ulcer healing by enhancing re-epithelialization, decreasing inflammation and bacterial growth. When zinc is applied on wounds it not only corrects a local zinc deficit but also acts pharmacologically.

So what this tells us is that the zinc oxide helps with wound healing.  Where have I been all these years? 

Dr. Axe highlights the skin benefits to zinc oxide. 

Has Anti-Aging Effects & Improves Healing of Tissue Damage 

Not only does zinc oxide help prevent future sun damage, wrinkles and dark spots− it also helps to improve synthesis of new skin tissue and collagen, a key substance needed to maintain skin’s youthful appearance. The body requires zinc and other trace minerals for the synthesis of collagen that helps to build and repair connective tissue.

Studies have found that treating damaged, dry or wounded skin with zinc oxide products for just 48-hours (including during post-operative treatment) helps skin to heal better, inflammation/redness to be lowered, pigment to be restored, and interstitial fluid and sebum (oil) to be better regulated. Zinc can also help increase the amount of other active ingredients that are absorbed into the skin when its used in conjunction with other anti-aging products.

More on zinc oxide when compared to topical zinc sulfate.  

Lansdown et al. looked at various studies using different formulations of topical zinc oxide on wound healing. The study concluded that the many different formulations of topical zinc oxide were effective in speeding up the time it took a wound to heal. However, all of the studies had a different duration of treatment; therefore, making a recommendation for the duration of treatment difficult. Since the side effect profile of zinc oxide is mild, it would be safe to use zinc oxide many times a day for the time is takes the wound to heal.  

How zinc oxide helps with wound healing from Skin Site.  

Zinc oxide is the only substance known to block all three forms of UV rays. It does so by creating a protective barrier on the surface of the skin and reflecting the rays, which prevent them from penetrating the skin and doing damage.

Aside from sun protection, zinc oxide also has the ability help speed the healing of wounds. This is because zinc is known to synthesize collagen and promote the proper functioning of enzymes, both of which are required for wounds to heal properly.

That sounds good.  Then there’s this.

When applied to wound sites, zinc can reduce overall healing time as well as providing a clean and moist environment which promotes healing. It also has astringent properties, which means it can help to shrink skin cells and reduce inflammation.

zinc should be used within a year of purchase. After that time it will begin to lose its effectiveness.

Zinc is a trace element very abundant in the body. While it is known that zinc deficiency can cause delayed wound healing, the actual role of zinc in wound healing was not known. A number of experimental studies and clinical trials have been conducted using zinc. Results showed that topical zinc oxide had increased wound healing, increased reepithelialization, decreased rates of infection and decreased rates of deterioration of ulcers. Topical zinc oxide has shown to improve the rate of wound healing in patients, regardless of their zinc status. Oral zinc supplementation in zinc deficient patients did not have the same effect.

http://www.woundsource.com/blog/topical-zinc-oxide-and-wound-healing.

The animal studies reviewed showed that zinc sulfate did not enhance wound healing, but delayed it. One of the major roles for zinc in wound healing was found that zinc oxide enhances the ability of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) to enzymatically break down collagen fragments. There are few clinical studies, but they have all shown a positive benefit for topical zinc oxide, and of interest, especially when used for debridement in burns.

Okay, we’re starting to get somewhere.  There's this from Podiatry Today:  

 What has been clearly demonstrated, however, is that zinc oxide does have a positive impact on the wound. In a 1991 study, researchers found that using zinc oxide increased the degradation of collagen in necrotic wounds.⁵ In another recent study, zinc oxide was found to promote epithelialization of full thickness skin wounds by the activation of zinc-dependent MMPs, which facilitate keratinocyte migration. The study also demonstrated that zinc oxide augmented endogenous expression of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which is fundamental in the production of granulation tissue.¹ In a randomized, double-blind study of the efficacy of locally applied zinc oxide on the healing of leg ulcers, 37 geriatric patients (19 with arterial and 18 with venous leg ulcers) were treated with either a gauze compress medicated with zinc oxide or an identical compress without zinc oxide. The treatment was assessed from ulcer size measurements and the presence or absence of granulation, and ulcer debridement over a period of eight weeks. The zinc-treated patients (83% success rate) responded significantly better than the placebo-treated patients. Researchers found that infections and the deterioration of ulcers were less common in zinc oxide treated patients.⁶ In another animal study, reepithelialization was enhanced when zinc oxide was applied topically on partial-thickness wound in pigs with normal zinc status. The inflammatory reaction was diminished in zinc-treated wounds except when researchers applied a high zinc sulfate concentration.⁷ Researchers also assessed bacterial growth in full-thickness wounds and demonstrated a reduced rate of growth with topical zinc oxide but not in hyperglycemic diabetic rats. The antibacterial mechanism of zinc oxide was described to be more indirect (mediated via local defense systems) rather than being directly toxic to the bacteria.⁸ When one applies zinc on wounds, it not only corrects a local zinc deficit but also acts pharmacologically. Getting Results With Zinc Oxide: A Few Case Studies A 47-year-old type 2 diabetic patient presented to the office with a chronic grade 1-A (University of Texas Wound Classification System) ulceration that had been present on and off for over two years. After providing effective pressure relief and debridement, the patient was treated in the office and at home with zinc oxide. Within 14 days, the wound completely closed.  

Use this vitamin C liquid first as an astringent on your skin before applying the zinc oxide.

LONGEVINEX ADDRESSES 5 MAJOR THEORIES OF AGING

Here are the video's show notes: 

While resveratrol has recently gained widespread public and scientific attention for its age-prolonging qualities, Longevinex® is a unique multi-ingredient dietary supplement that is more than just resveratrol. The ingredients in Longevinex® are designed to address five major theories of aging: the free radical/antioxidant theory, the hormonal theory (estrogen/testosterone), the mitochondrial (cell energy) theory, the cell cleansing or autophagy theory, and the metabolic, calorie restriction/Sirtuin gene activation theory. There is another theory of aging, Overmineralization, also addressed by the ingredients in Longevinex®, which may supercede and better explain other theories of aging.

The over-mineralization theory of aging explains best why we age.  At a certain age, we reach an actual decline of aging, a steady state of minerals.  The barrel is full.  We don't need any more.  But what do we do with the excess minerals of iron and calcium that cause us to rust? 

UPDATE, Dec. 4, 2017
Sardi mentions a Greek monastic order on the island of Mt. Athos in Greece.  Their eating habits are just that--habits--but live-giving, good habits.  Not bad habits; for instance, they don't eat junk food, least not what you might find at Albertson's here in California.  But neither do they have all of the age-related problems, nor do they suffer from all of the age-related disorders of youth.  

With studies that show they are among the healthiest people on earth, the plan is inspired by the Greek monks of Mount Athos and their Mediterranean diet. Amazingly, research has shown that within their tight-knit communities Cancer is almost unheard of, strokes and cardiac arrests are pretty much non existent and diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are extremely rare. The monks have also been proven to live, on average, several years longer than men living in mainland Greece. 

So what do they eat?

meals are based around a typical Greek peasant diet (don’t panic, it’s better than it sounds), with a high proportion of vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts, whole grains and olive oil.

Olives are permitted on Fasting Days

Remember that it is a diet plan.  

The plan focuses on a pattern of three varying diet days – three days for ‘fasting’, three days for moderate eating and one ‘feast’ day, where you can eat and drink whatever you like. 

Throughout the process, you are encouraged to have a high intake of seasonal vegetables, fish and chicken while also allowing yourself – as the monks do – a moderate intake of red wine.  

Meals are broken up into "Days," Fasting Days, Moderation Days, and Feast Days.  CalledThe Mount Athos Diet, the diet is about changing the way you eat and your relationship with food.  Here is a sampling of their diet.  Remember, this is a diet that serves two objectives: longevity and disease free.  I will list just the foods permitted on Fast Days.  For the other days, you can easily check out this list from Healthista. 

FAST DAYS

Fast days are for eating exactly as the Mount Athos monks do. You should stick to what is essentially a low-fat, teetotal vegan diet. Three days a week should be dedicated to fasting, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

WHAT YOU CAN’T EAT ON FAST DAYS

NO DAIRY.  No milk, no cheese, no butter, no yogurt, no cream

NO MEAT.  No beef, no pork, no meat products

NO FISH OR SHELLFISH.  No prawns, no squid, no fish products.

NO EGGS.

NO SNACKS.  No chips, no fried foods, no pastries, no pies, no crisps and other snack foods

NO CANDIES.  No sweets, no chocolate, and no confectionary

NO SODAS.  No sugar and no sugary drinks

NO ALCOHOL.

NO OILS or FATS.  No mayonnaise and no fatty salad dressings

WHAT YOU CAN EAT (Unlimited)

VEGETABLES (however, no avocados and no potatoes)

FRUITS

HERBAL TEAS

WATER

SPICES, HERBS, & PEPPERS

FOODS IN MODERATION

POTATOES

PASTA

GRAINS. Rice, bulgur wheat, couscous, quinoa, barley, & oats

BREAD.  Preferably whole meal.

PLAIN CRACKERS (does this mean saltines?), oat cakes, and breadsticks

FRUIT JUICE.  No more than 2 small glasses per day.

AVOCADOES.  No more than ½ a day.

PULSES.  Peas, lentils, beans, butter beans, kidney beans.

OLIVES & OLIVE SPRAY.

HONEY.

CONDIMENTS & SAUCES.

DRIED FRUITS, NUTS, & SEEDS.  No more than 1 handful a day.

TEA & COFFEE but not milk or sugar. 

SALT.

Here are the kinds of foods you can eat on Days of Moderation.  

And here are the foods you can eat on Feast Days.  Religions are as much about caring for this life as it is about taking care of the beyond, about sending a message to your progeny on how to conduct their lives.  

GLUTATHIONE: YOUR MASTER ANTI-OXIDANT

I am posting this video, one, because it's got Dr. Mark Houston, a cardiologist expert, and two, he recommends glutathione. I liked what he said about glutathione, and I'd certainly read enough about this over the years, but my attentions get distracted by the value of this, that, or the other nutritional compound. But being a cardiovascular expert, Dr. Houston pointed out how glutathione is the master anti-oxidant for the heart. This is good news.

Antioxidants neutralize free-radicals. 

Exogenous anti-oxidants can be found in food and other nutritional sources, including certain fruits and certain vegetables.  But there are also endogenous antioxidants, or radical scavengers, found within the cells of the human body. 

Glutathione, the master anti-oxidant, performs the following functions:

Increases average life lifespan.

Strengthens immune system.

Neutralizes free radicals.

Protects DNA

Removes toxins & Carcinogens. 

Improves Athletic performance.

Increases Stamina & Endurance.

Slows the Aging process.

Yeah, help me find the downside to any of these. 

Houston adds that 

Glutathione is the master antioxidant within the cell. Neutralizes huge numbers of free radicals.  Detoxifies. Slows down aging, prevents cardiovascular disease. 

Experts say that it is nothing short of extraordinary. 

From this point, the video turns more to promoting a product called Action Whey.  I am sure that it provides some benefits.  The formulator of the product, Rob Keller, talks about how his dad's Parkinson's Disease improved with this whey product.  He says, and I quote, "Glutathione brought remarkable results."  And I guess like every other nutritional compound, we can suffer from a deficiency of it.  In this case, what might be called Glutathione deficiency.  The key then is to figure out how to help the body maintain or increase glutathione levels. 

Houston explains that 

Glutathione is deficient in our culture.  Precursor to Glutathione called Cysteine, rate limiting step, difficult to get that into your diet. 

The Action Whey, according to the video, improves recovery time.  Houston endorses the product, saying that whey is a good product to get get good glutathione levels.  Interesting. 

But there are other ways of getting glutathione.  In Bill Sardi’s list of vitamin C benefits, he lists at #16 how to activate more glutathione in your liver by way of adding vitamin C to you diet.

Does you doctor say you have a liver problem?  Take vitamin C to improve liver glutathione levels (glutathione is a key antioxidant).  

So, what you often and unfortunately get from folks who review nutritional compounds is a lot of general information that is not actionable, that does not provide you with any answers to yours or anyone else's particular situation.  Believe me, even the nurses and doctors I know are incapable of providing actionable information.  It's like people have a low-grade interest in life and have come to accept low-level production if not the inevitability of death. 

 Then there's Bill Sardi.  He is the nutritional guy's guy.  Andrew Saul had this article by Bill Sardi published at his site.  Sardi explains in detail that just blows your hair back:

There is also no daily requirement for sulfur, a mineral required for the production of glutathione, the major antioxidant produced within all living cells (plants, insects, animals, humans). Glutathione consumption from foods ranges from 25-125 milligrams per day. With the provision of sufficient amounts of sulfur, the liver will produce far more glutathione (up to 14,000 milligrams per day) than what the diet provides. Sulfur-rich foods (garlic, eggs, asparagus, onions) may be lacking in various diets and the provision of sulfur in food supplements (sulfur-bearing amino acids like N-acetyl cysteine, taurine, and lipoic acid) or glutathione itself, may be advantageous. 

So you need sulfur to get adequate amounts of Glutathione.  What foods get you from here to there?  Superiorsites explains

Garlic, onions, asparagus, and eggs—in all cases, raised without pesticides. In regard to eggs, he told us about chickens that ate purslane, which gave their eggs high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that are protective for our nerves.  

Dr. Russell Jaffe, Md, makes some pretty good scientific points that are terrific if you're a, well, scientist.  If you're a member of the lay community, however, you can and will still understand him.  He is certainly intelligent and his points are intelligible, but sometimes when people don't breakdown scientific or chemical terms it tends to leave readers or listeners puzzled.  One, he says that we tend to use up faster than we replenish sulfur-rich, myalenating compounds in our bodies.  And he attributes this to lifestyle, diet, food, activities, and so forth.  Mindbodygreen explains that

Glutathione contains sulfur groups, which are sticky compounds that adhere to toxins and heavy metals and carry them out of the body. This is a good thing and you want lots of it! I haven't met anyone (including me) with any type of autoimmune condition that has adequate methylation and levels of glutathione.

Second, Jaffe made the point about metallothionien, another compound used to sponge up toxic metals in our bodies, is perfect for health, but again we tend to use these up faster than we replenish them.  He's clearly knowledgeable. 

In terms of how to get Glutathione--you get it through sulfur-rich foods: onions, shallots, garlic, and others.  If you rolled your eyes at any of these because, well, you're not a 5-Start Hotel chef, then you can always rely on capsules to get the benefits.  One of the products I use regularly is Bill Sardi's Garligest.  I seem to prefer a formulated product than to experiment with any products that you might find at a health food store or online at Amazon.  I still shop for a few things on Amazon, but for the most part I buy formulated products from vendors whose products I've researched, that I've tried, and that I've liked, meaning who benefits do what I want and expect.  As to taking any supplement, one, it is best to take with food.  I can attest to this. You just get a better effect than taking them without food.  Oh, you'll get an effect without food, but when taken with food you the effects are exponentially better.  Two, take nutritional compounds togther.  So when you take vitamin C, be sure to take a D, an E, B vitamins, A, and so forth; in other words, a multivitamin.  Yep.  Again, what makes a nutritional compound good or great is absorption.  And when taking all the vitamins together you are getting a synergistic effect that activates and that potentiates all vitamins at once.  So, multivitamin.  The one I take has been the best stopgap for me.  Again, on this score of multivitamins, I rely on Bill Sardi.  His Molecular Multi is excellent.  

KANSAS NURSING HOMES: FAR TOO DEPENDENT ON MIND-ALTERING MEDS TO CONTROL PATIENTS

File under Ghastly.

Kansas has always ranked at or near the top in percentage of medicated residents, suggesting there are thousands of residents in the state’s certified nursing facilities who have been given drugs that aren’t medically indicated for them, and could actually harm them.  

Then there is this: 

Kathy Greenlee, a former Kansas Secretary of Aging who was appointed to U.S. Assistant Secretary of Aging under President Barack Obama, said the overuse of anti-psychotics is an unintended consequence of removing physical restraints from nursing homes in the 1980s and 1990s.

Like I said, ghastly. 

I don't know why adult children put their parents in nursing homes.  Why not use that same money to buy or rent an apartment.  That way the other tenants will involve him or her in their social life.  I mean if the complex is 10% ethical.  Most people are neutral.  Hopefully, there will be a 10% ethical influence among the tenants, which is enough to move things in the right direction.  Hopefully, people will do the neighborly thing.  As to regular meds, why rely on sedatives for your mom, dad, husband, or wife?  Don't you want your loved to thrive in all that he does? One neighbor I had was an older gentleman whose family lived back in Chicago.  He had emphasema but he still got around, drove around town, in fact, quite a bit with this portable oxygen tank.  Great guy.  But he left a pan with boiling water on the stove too long.  The water evaporated and the heat turned his pan into a conductor and smoke began filling his apartment house.  I smelled the smoke as it billowed out his window, so I stepped over to his apartment and knocked but his door was locked.  He was asleep and couldn't hear me knocking and pounding on his door or my screams of "Bob!"  I phoned the fire department and they broke into his kitchen window, woke him up, and extinguished the smoke.  I apologized for making a big to do about it, but he was grateful.  Somebody was looking out for him.

Red and brown onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks contain Benfotiamine.

Also, there are alternatives to dementia.  Ignore that information at your peril.  See at the bottom of this post for THE key ingredient to stave off dementia.  Understand that nutritional compounds, for them to work, require several weeks at resetting your biology, one that perhaps has been undernourished for years if not decades.  Too many folks expects miracles over night.  And still some vitamins actually do produce immediate miracles depending on your level of deficiency through diet, conditions, and lifestyle.  There is a lot to correct.  With Benfotiamine, you have to be on this B1 compound for 18 months for it to produce benefits.  Lots of folks will simply wax cynical, "Oh, yeah, of course, manufacturers [or nutritional reviewers] are going to say that so they can keep you on the product for months and years and profit from your desperation."  Not if it's noted up front.  If you didn't know that Benfotiamine requires 18 months to be effective, what would happen is that you would try it for a few weeks and give up, exclaiming "that stuff is not worth it."  Read that article.  It is the only effective B1 compound that protects nerves from dementia.  So there's that.

Leeks

For foods that contain Benfotiamine, you're already familiar with: onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, and other members of the allium family of vegetables.

In the interview seen here, Charlene Wagner explains that the St. John's nursing home was giving her husband, who was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, sedatives Seroquel and Adol, saying that the nursing homes use these meds to sedate her husband, not cure, relieve, or heal her husband's condition.  Or, she says, "I would rather say that they use the meds to control them."  Yeah, that's about right.  Read what Seroquel is typically used for:

Seroquel is the brand name of the generic drug quetiapine, used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depression).

Seroquel changes the levels of neurotransmitters (naturally occurring brain substances) including serotonin and dopamine.

Seroquel belongs to a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics.

Here is the article.

Kansas nursing homes have 'become far too dependent' on mind-altering meds.

  by Andy Marso and Kelsey Ryan.  

Allen Wagner used to light up when his granddaughter entered the room, but when she visits him at his nursing home in Overland Park now, he hardly reacts. He’s sleepy and uncommunicative.

He’s sedated.

Wagner, 78, has Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s disease. But his wife, Charlene, said it’s hard to tell how much of his lethargy is due to that and how much is due to the anti-psychotic medications he was first given during an extended hospital stay and has continued taking in nursing homes.

“I’ve seen a change since he went to the nursing homes,” Charlene Wagner said. “Not because of the care. The care is good. I believe it’s the medicines.”

Anti-psychotics are contraindicated for people with dementia and include a U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning that they increase the risk of falls, stroke and other potentially fatal side effects.

The federal government started tracking the off-label use of such medications in nursing homes in 2011. Since then, Kansas has always ranked at or near the top in percentage of medicated residents, suggesting there are thousands of residents in the state’s certified nursing facilities who have been given drugs that aren’t medically indicated for them, and could actually harm them.

“There’s something about that dementia coupled with the anti-psychotics,” said Margaret Farley, a board member for Kansas Advocates for Better Care, a group that represents nursing home residents. “This is not just us saying, ‘Gee, that’s not very good, you’re robbing them of their personality, they won’t talk, they’re not active, etc, etc.’ This is hardcore. This is a 1.6 to 1.7 times increase in deaths that most of the time is related to cardiovascular changes or it’s related to the development of pneumonia.”

Kansas also led the nation last year in percentage of skilled nursing facilities cited by the federal government for a broad slate of medication-related violations, some of which relate to anti-psychotic use.

Kathy Greenlee, a former Kansas Secretary of Aging who was appointed to U.S. Assistant Secretary of Aging under President Barack Obama, said the overuse of anti-psychotics is an unintended consequence of removing physical restraints from nursing homes in the 1980s and 1990s.

Now when people visit nursing homes they’ll no longer see residents strapped to beds and wheelchairs. But they will likely see some under “chemical restraint,” through the use of anti-psychotic medications like Haldol and Seroquel, which Charlene Wagner said have caused her husband to deteriorate.

Greenlee said she knows Kansas nursing homes are not the worst in the nation overall. But the rate at which they use anti-psychotics should cause some soul-searching about how they deal with difficult or disruptive behavior of residents with dementia.

“They can be overprescribed to sedate people and then mask the need to deal with these underlying causes (of disruptive behavior),” said Greenlee, who is now vice president of aging and health policy for the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City, Mo.

Groups that represent Kansas nursing homes say the state’s anti-psychotic use ranking is unfairly skewed by a handful of homes that specialize in mental illness and that they face a number of challenges that are outside their control.

It’s hard to find enough qualified staff in many parts of the state. Some facilities rely heavily on Kansas Medicaid and payments under that program have been delayed for years due to bureaucratic changes. There’s also a shortage of psychiatrists in Kansas, especially those who specialize in treating older people.

“All of those I believe do factor into our ability to continue to really tackle this issue,” said Debra Zehr, the president and CEO of LeadingAge Kansas.

Cindy Luxem, the president and CEO of the Kansas Health Care Association, said Kansas homes have brought rates down, but they need help to reduce them further.

“We’re going to take a lot of responsibility on this topic, but at the same time we look at it as something where we really better start getting family members involved,” Luxem said. “Physicians, pharmacists, you name it.”

Zehr said that when doctors and nursing home workers use anti-psychotics on people who don’t have a mental illness, it’s not ideal, but it’s done with good intentions.

“Anybody who’s spent time with people in the throes of dementia and has seen the kind of internal anguish and volatile behaviors of people with dementia at certain stages, they’re trying to help,” Zehr said.

But some facilities have found better ways to handle those behaviors. Farley said more should follow their example.

“It’s not an easy thing to be able to take care of bad behaviors without these medications, but we’ve become far too dependent upon them,” Farley said.

The fight over the rankings

On average, 20 percent of all Kansas long-term nursing home residents received an anti-psychotic medication at some point in 2016, tying it for the highest rate in the country with Oklahoma and Mississippi. The national average is 16 percent. Missouri ranked near the top at about 19 percent.

Kansas has dropped from a high of about 26 percent in 2011, but other states’ rates have fallen more since then.