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NaturalNews.com printable article
Originally published February
7 2008
Antioxidants Important for Optimizing
Health and Preventing Parkinson's
by Russell Johnston
(see all
articles by this author)
(NaturalNews) Research scientists at the Buck Institute have
discovered that mice with less of the natural antioxidant
glutathione, particularly in their dopamine-producing
neurons, become crippled by nerve damage. In fact, the mice
developed symptoms that match up very well with Parkinson’s
disease in human beings. In order to perform the experiment,
scientists first created mice that could be triggered
chemically to greatly reduce the amount of glutathione in
their dopamine-creating neurons, which then resulted in the
Parkinson-like symptoms.
This new discovery might call into question the current
pharmaceutical approach to Parkinson's Disease; which doses
patients with dopamine equivalents, or with drugs that boost
dopamine's effect (as a former prescription drug,
Methamphetamine, or “Crystal Meth” does). Unfortunately,
these Parkinson's drugs also have been found to cause many
of the effects that are also seen with Methamphetamine, such
as gambling and other impulse-control problems. Now it seems
that the underlying problem may not really be dopamine.
Antioxidants keep our cells clean by combining with and
eliminating very dangerous reactive molecules that can cause
random changes in proteins, resulting in cancer, heart
disease or other chronic illnesses. Those random changes are
often referred to as “oxidative stress” and cause
inflammation as well. This new research shows that natural
antioxidants are important in maintaining nerve cell
function, too.
The good news is that you can boost your levels of natural
antioxidants rather easily without prescription drugs in
several ways. So if this new research holds up, by boosting
your natural levels of antioxidants, you may be protecting
yourself against Parkinson's Disease as well as cancer,
infection, and much more.
Glutathione is probably the second most important
antioxidant that our bodies make - melatonin is the most
important, and by far the least costly to make use of,
energetically. Vitamin C would come in third. Consistent
sleep in true darkness is the best prescription to boost
your melatonin; but of course, supplements of melatonin are
also widely sold. Doses much less than the standard 3mg are
now recommended however, since too much melatonin can slop
over into daytime and confuse your clock and immune system.
As well, it has been suggested that taking melatonin
supplements may cause a decline in your own natural
production of this critical antioxidant and night-time
hormone.
A relatively new and easy approach to increasing melatonin
production naturally, based on recent chronobiological
research is to wear orange-tinted glasses (low blue light
eyewear) for an hour or two in the morning and at night. By
cutting out exposure to blue light, our bodies think it's
night, and begin to produce melatonin. Since about ten hours
of darkness (or low blue light) in which to produce
melatonin are ideal, blocking blue light means more of the
critical antioxidant melatonin, for better health.
Experiments by researchers at the Lighting Innovations
Institute of John Carroll University have shown this
approach to be effective for fertility, depression, bipolar
disorder, and other medical problems.
Many antioxidant food and nutritional supplements, such as
lipoic acid, wolfberries (goji berries) and pomegranates
have also been shown to have beneficial effects on health,
by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
We all have plenty of glutathione in each of our cells,
however most of it isn't charged up and ready for use at any
given moment - in fact a standard medical measure of
“oxidative stress” is whether at least ten percent of the
glutathione in our cells is charged up and ready to be used,
if needed. Glutathione isn't usually recommended as a
nutritional supplement itself because it isn't easily
absorbed by the gut. However its “precursor”, the amino acid
cysteine, is available.
For most of us in the modern world, the likely reason for
having insufficient glutathione in the active form is that
we aren't getting enough melatonin at night. Better sleep
hygiene and more darkness, as well as more regular bedtimes,
are a great way to start. Food or supplements rich in
natural antioxidants are also valuable - and you can start
today.
About the author
Russell Johnston is a private health researcher and writer
with a background in the philosophy and history of science.
He began DarknessHeals.com in order to help publicize
dramatic recent medical research showing the extraordinary
importance sleep and chronobiology have for everyone's
health.
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