CAOH® NAC (w/selenium and molybdenum)
NAC
N-acetyl cysteine, specifically the CAOH version, is my go to product for just about everything that ails you or might ail you; it's just that good. I ve been taking this formula for over ten years and will keep taking it for the rest of my life.
NAC is used in clinical settings, to counteract acute acetaminophen (Tylenol) and carbon monoxide poisoning; chest pain (unstable angina); bile duct blockage in infants; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig s disease); Alzheimer s disease; allergic reactions to the anti-seizure drug phenytoin (Dilantin); an eye infection called keratoconjunctivitis; reducing levels of the atherosclerotic causing compound lipoprotein (a); homocysteine levels (a possible risk factor for heart disease); reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with serious kidney disease.
N-acetyl cysteine has also been used for chronic bronchitis; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); hay fever; a lung condition called fibrosing alveolitis; head and neck cancer, and lung cancer; some forms of epilepsy; ear infections; complications of kidney dialysis; chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); an autoimmune disorder called Sjogren s syndrome; preventing sports injury complications; radiation treatment; increasing immunity to flu and H1N1 (swine) flu; and for detoxifying heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium; preventing alcoholic liver damage; for protecting against environmental pollutants including carbon monoxide, chloroform, urethanes and certain herbicides; for reducing toxicity of ifosfamide and doxorubicin, drugs that are used for cancer treatment; for preventing kidney damage due to certain X-ray dyes; for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); is a glutathione (the mother of all antioxidants) precursor; and my favorite - as an amazing prophylactic for preventing a hangover!
The dosage of the CAOH NAC is typically 2-4 caps per day. My seven and a half year old daughter takes 1 per day. NAC by "itself" may be taken up to 6 grams per day, orally or intravenously.
Selenium
For an in-depth review of what selenium is, what it does and what it s good for, please go here: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/selenium/
Basically, the mineral selenium is used as a component of many important enzymes and is a potent antioxidant. It is also works synergisticlly with NAC and molybdenum, in detoxification, immunity and healing, which makes this formula so amazing.
The three most common reasons why I will recommend selenium are for regulating thyroid function, keeping, along with vitamin E, LDL s* from oxidizing (oxidation of LDL's is a very bad thing), and in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
*LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein, AKA bad-cholesterol is not a type of cholesterol but carries cholesterol in the blood and around the body. LDL s are actually helpful until they are oxidized and then they turn into bad actors.
Thyroid hormone regulator: The thyroid gland releases very small amounts of biologically active thyroid hormone called T3 and larger amounts of an inactive form called T4 or Thyroxine into the blood stream. Most of the biologically active T3 in circulation and inside cells is created by the removal of one iodine atom from T4 in a reaction catalyzed by selenium-dependent enzymes. Three different selenium-dependent enzymes can both activate and inactivate thyroid hormone by acting on T3, T4, or other thyroid hormones. This usually takes place in the liver.
Cardiovascular antioxidant: Selenium as gluthathione peroxidase also appears to support the activity of vitamin E (?-tocopherol) in limiting the oxidation of lipids. Animal studies indicate that selenium and vitamin E tend to spare one another and that selenium can prevent some of the damage resulting from vitamin E deficiency in models of oxidative stress.
Cancer Prevention and possible treatment: There is a great deal of evidence indicating that selenium supplementation at high levels reduces the incidence of cancer in animals. More than two-thirds of over 100 published studies in 20 different animal models of spontaneous, viral, and chemically induced cancers found that selenium supplementation significantly reduces tumor incidence
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is an essential trace element for virtually all life forms. It functions as a cofactor for a number of enzymes that catalyze important chemical transformations in the global carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles. Thus, molybdenum-dependent enzymes are not only required for human health, but also for the health of our ecosystem.
Sulfite oxidase is a catalyst in the transformation of sulfite to sulfate, a reaction that is necessary for the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine and cysteine).
Xanthine oxidase is a catalyst in the breakdown of nucleotides (precursors to DNA and RNA) to form uric acid, which contributes to the plasma antioxidant capacity of the blood.
Aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase are catalysts in reactions that involve a number of different molecules with similar chemical structures. Xanthine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase also play a role in the metabolism of drugs and toxins.
Of these three enzymes, only sulfite oxidase is known to be crucial for human health.
FYI: In clinical practice I use high dose molybdenum in cases of chronic yeast and/or fungal overgrowth, as well as a few other conditions. The chemical reaction that makes people with candida feel so bad: yeast (candida albicans) and sugar (carbohydrate) in the gut ferment making alcohol, which produces acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde upon reaching a saturation-point, in the liver, spills into the blood stream causing the same type of impairment associated with the over-consumption of alcohol beverages, with concurrent hangover like symptoms and eventual liver damage. This state can be continuous as long as the yeast overgrowth is present, with varying degrees of severity.
