One of the most overlooked links between pharmaceutical medications and damage to health is the effect of acetaminophen on detoxification in the liver and other cells.

This pain- and fever-reducing drug causes severe depletion of the liver’s detoxification compound glutathione — a condition that can lead to rapid liver failure and high risk of infection.

Glutathione is one of the cell’s most important detoxification and antioxidant molecules.

Naringenin, a flavonoid that comes from grapefruit, can reduce acetaminophen toxicity.

Other flavonoids can also restore cellular glutathione. These include:

• Curcumin

• Quercetin

• Hesperidin

• Resveratrol

More direct glutathione correction can be achieved by taking the supplement N-acetyl-Lcystiene (NAC) in a dose of 750 to 1,000 mg three times a day. It should always be taken after a full meal because taking it on an empty stomach can cause severe stomach cramping.

People with weak hearts (congestive heart failure) do better when taking a combination of heart energy supplying nutrients along with heart antioxidants.

These include L-carnitine, CoQ10, R-lipoic acid, taurine, the B vitamins, vitamins C and E, as well as curcumin, quercetin, and magnesium.

All of these nutrients help maintain the heart’s electrical stability, reducing the risk of an arrhythmia. Chronic heart patients often have multiple deficiencies due both to the disease and the medications they take.

These are just a few of the things that medical doctors and surgeons should be doing to prepare their patients for the hospital and for surgery.

But because they will not, it’s up to you to take precautions.