We have a lot of spills in our house. We have six children. They don’t use lids as much as I would prefer.
So we have multiple drawers in our kitchen that are just dedicated to towels.
Microfiber towels
Kitchen towels
Paper towels (though we don’t use a lot—trying to save the environment a little bit)
We’ve got lots of different ways to pick up all those
What Glutathione Does
One of the things I’ve been hearing a lot about in the last couple of days is glutathione and concerns around glutathione.
Glutathione is a major body detoxifying molecule. It mops up all of the spills of oxidation and other bodily processes.
On a typical day, about half of your body’s glutathione is used and replaced.
It comes from diet and from intracellular processes.
You always have a steady supply available.
Glutathione and Acetaminophen
Here’s where the conversation starts: acetaminophen, glutathione, vaccines—the so-called “perfect storm.”
First and foremost:
When you take acetaminophen (Tylenol), glutathione is used as part of the metabolic process.
But the numbers matter.
At any given moment:
We have about 1–2 grams of glutathione in the body.
Metabolizing a typical dose of Tylenol consumes about 50 milligrams.
That’s only about 1–4% of our available glutathione.
Now, I’ll admit: I don’t actually like Tylenol all that much.
It’s not what I usually recommend.
If a parent calls or texts me—“my baby has a fever, what should I give?”—if the baby is over six months, I typically jump straight to ibuprofen.
Why? It just works better, reduces inflammation, and lasts longer—so parents get more sleep.
Other Things That Use Glutathione
People worry about the “perfect storm” idea—that vaccines or immune stimulation might deplete glutathione. But the amounts used are small.
Examples of normal, even healthy, things that use glutathione:
Exercise
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts (yes, eating them actually uses glutathione!)
Coffee, tea, and chocolate (theobromine and caffeine)
All of these require glutathione, but again: we have plenty.
When Glutathione Really Gets Depleted
Working in the pediatric ER, I saw situations where children accidentally or intentionally took too much Tylenol.
Only those with really high Tylenol concentrations need the antidote: N-acetylcysteine (which replenishes glutathione).
If a child just took double or triple the normal dose, we usually don’t give that medicine—because the body already has a ton of extra glutathione available.
So when do you really burn through glutathione?
Alcohol
Even modest or heavy drinking depletes 20–40% of available glutathione.
If you want to protect your glutathione, alcohol should definitely be on your avoid list.
Prolonged febrile illnesses
Many vaccine-preventable illnesses cause long, high fevers…measles, influenza, pneumococcus…avoid those to keep your GSH levels ready.
These illnesses create lots of oxidation, free radicals, and inflammation.
That depletes glutathione far more than acetaminophen, vaccines, or broccoli ever could.
So when you think about glutathione, think of it like the towels in my kitchen. You want to make sure you always have enough on hand to mop up the spills.
Acetaminophen uses some—but just a little.
Healthy things like exercise or eating broccoli use some too.
The real drains are alcohol and prolonged febrile illness.
And in our house? We should probably order some more towels.
