Harmony Hub Health
Functional Medicine, Hormone Health and Weight Loss with Michele Postol, CRNP
Harmony Hub Health
Tylenol: The Hidden Cost to Your Body's Master Antioxidant
Looking for quick relief from pain, many of us reach for Tylenol without a second thought. After all, it's marketed as gentle and safe—pediatricians recommend it, dentists prescribe it, and it's available in every drugstore. But there's a reason functional medicine practitioners give this common medication major side-eye.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol's active ingredient) holds a disturbing distinction as the number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States. With over 500 deaths annually and 30,000 hospitalizations each year from overdose—many accidental from routine use—the statistics tell a sobering story. Even taking just two to three times the recommended daily dose over several days can lead to liver failure, while therapeutic doses elevate liver enzymes in 40% of patients.
The problem lies in how your body processes acetaminophen. While most is safely metabolized, 5-10% converts to a highly toxic intermediate called NAPQI. Your body neutralizes this toxin using glutathione—your master antioxidant that protects every cell from oxidative damage. When glutathione stores run low (as they do in people with certain genetic variants, chronic illness, or compromised immune function), NAPQI accumulates, damaging liver cells and mitochondria. Beyond liver concerns, acetaminophen also interferes with neurotransmitters, potentially reducing emotional reactivity and empathy.
Rather than routinely suppressing symptoms, functional medicine offers alternatives that support healing: magnesium, omega-3s, curcumin, and CBD for pain; proper hydration and immune support for fevers; and targeted protocols that address root causes rather than mask discomfort. If you do need Tylenol, consider pairing it with NAC or liposomal glutathione to mitigate depletion, avoid alcohol, and use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time.
Next time pain strikes, ask yourself: am I soothing my body or silencing important signals? Your symptoms are valuable communication, and addressing underlying causes leads to lasting wellness rather than temporary relief at the cost of your liver health.
Welcome to Harmony Hub Health, where my mission is to provide comprehensive, affordable, integrative care that addresses the root cause of health issues. At the Hub, the focus is on individual patient journeys. I strive to optimize health, vitality and longevity, fostering a community where each person can thrive in body, mind and spirit. Today I want to talk about something that is probably sitting in your medicine cabinet right now Tylenol, also known as acetaminophen, also known as. I'll just pop a few of these to feel a little bit better. It's marketed as safe, it's handed out like candy. Pediatricians recommend it, dentists prescribe it. And yet in the world of functional medicine, tylenol gets major side eye, and for a lot of good reason. So what is the big deal? I want to break it down today so we can talk about it. So Tylenol is the brand name for acetaminophen. If you're outside of the United States, it's called paracetamol. It's not an NSAID like ibuprofen, so it works a little bit differently. Mainly, it inhibits COX enzymes in the central nervous system and alters the brain's perception of pain and temperature. So Tylenol does not reduce inflammation systemically like NSAIDs, which is why it's considered more gentle on the gut. But I'll argue that the label ignores what it does to your liver, your mitochondria and your antioxidant systems. Tylenol is primarily metabolized in the liver, where 90 to 95% is conjugated via glucuronidation and sulfation pathways, but 5 to 10% gets converted into a highly toxic intermediate. It's known as NAPQI or N-acetyl-P-benzoquinone amine. That's not easy to say five times fast, but here's the catch. Glutathione, known as GSH, is what your body uses to detoxify that NAPQI. Without adequate glutathione, napqi accumulates and it causes oxidative damage to your liver cells and your mitochondria. So, for plain English, if your glutathione stores are low which is almost everybody, tylenol may increase cellular damage instead of helping you heal.
Speaker 1:All right, if we want to talk about some numbers and look at the dark side of acetaminophen, it is the number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Okay, it's responsible for over 50% of acute liver hospitalizations. That's been published since 2005 in hepatology. 500 plus deaths annually are from acetaminophen toxicity. That's posted on the CDC. And 30,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States are from overdose, many of which are accidental, just due to chronic use. Just two to three times a recommended daily dose, taken over multiple days, can result in liver failures, and studies do show that even therapeutic doses of Tylenol or acetaminophen can result in elevated liver enzymes in 40% of patients.
Speaker 1:You may not know, but my very first job as a nurse practitioner was with solid organ transplant. We did liver, pancreas and kidneys and let me tell you, nothing prepares you for the harsh reality of liver failure until you see it up close. I was responsible for patients who were young, relatively healthy, and whose lives were derailed by toxic liver injury, many from medications that they thought were harmless. Tylenol was often part of their story. I watched people battle excruciating ascites. That's where your belly blows up like a balloon. Jaundice, they were the color of highlighters. Encephalopathy was probably the worst that they were showing and just unrelenting fatigue. So I did watch families grieve while waiting for a transplant that might not come in time. There is no backup for your liver in your body. I saw firsthand how painful and irreversible liver disease could be, and it was eye-opening. I feel like that started my journey of where I am today, and it's one of the many reasons why I transitioned into functional medicine.
Speaker 1:Prevention is so powerful, supporting the liver before crisis hits even more powerful. And do you know what else? Acetaminophen messes with your neurotransmitters, so acetaminophen can interfere with the endocannabinoid system. If you don't know what that system is. You may want to go listen to my PICO CBD IV podcast, but it reduces emotional reactivity and dulling social connection. I read a study from 2016 that showed that people who took Tylenol were less empathetic when witnessing others in physical or emotional pain, and that was by Mischkowski in the social, cognitive and affective neuroscience. So if you feel emotionally flat while you're on Tylenol, it's not in your head, it's your biochemistry, and you know.
Speaker 1:It didn't stop there. When I worked in the ICU during COVID, I was always questioned or straight up laughed at for not reflexively ordering Tylenol when someone's temperature was 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead of suppressing the body's natural fever response, I'd have nurses try other things. You know ice packs under the arms, or I had a lot of tricks up my sleeve and I was laughed at and you would think I asked the nurses to chant by moonlight. But I stood my ground because I knew even then that a low grade fever is your body's intelligent, smart response, not something to squash at the first sign of warmth. And I knew that every dose of Tylenol came with a cost to glutathione and detox capacity.
Speaker 1:So let's give glutathione its flowers, shall we this tripeptide? It's made of glycine, cysteine and glutamate. It is your body's master antioxidant. It protects every cell in your body and supports so many systems, but Tylenol it burns through your glutathione like gas on a bonfire. People with poor detox capacity are at very high risk for glutathione depletion and oxidative injury. This includes people with MTHFR, gstm1, or COMT gene variants, people with chronic illness, mold illness, lyme, autoimmune diseases, ebv or even adrenal dysfunction, anybody with fatty liver or alcohol use, anyone on multiple medications that burden the liver, and babies, children, the elderly they're all glutathione deficient by default. Liver, and you know, babies, children, the elderly they're all glutathione deficient by default.
Speaker 1:If you've ever felt run down, battled chronic inflammation or struggled with detoxification, glutathione may be your body's unsung hero. It's known as the master antioxidant. It's critical in defending your cells from oxidative stress and harmful free radicals, which can wreak havoc on your health. But here's the thing your body's ability to produce glutathione declines with age, with every illness you have or exposure to environmental toxins, especially heavy metals, and it leads you more susceptible to damage.
Speaker 1:Glutathione plays several vital roles in the body and I'm going to talk about those here. So the first is antioxidant defense. It neutralizes free radicals, which are unstable molecules that damage cells and leads to chronic disease. It leads you to age and inflammation, so that's very important. Next, it plays a big role in detoxifications. Glutathione binds to toxins this could be heavy metals, it could be alcohol. You're drinking pollutants and helps eliminate them through the liver and the kidneys. Then we have our immune support system, because glutathione helps optimize the function of your white blood cells. These are very important in fighting infections and diseases. Let's not forget mitochondrial health. It supports your mitochondria. This is the powerhouse of your cells, enhancing energy production and overall vitality. Then there's cell repair and regeneration. Glutathione promotes the repair of damaged cells, encouraging faster recovery from physical stress and injury.
Speaker 1:If you don't have adequate levels of glutathione, your body's ability to fight off infection, neutralize toxins and repair cellular damage can be very compromised. This is why maintaining optimal glutathione levels is essential for long-term health, and there are many ways to ensure your body has the amount of glutathione it needs. My favorite is the liposomal glutathione. This is a breakthrough in supplement form, because it enhances the absorption of the antioxidant. Traditional oral glutathione supplements often don't pass through the digestive system very effectively. A lot of it gets damaged by your gut, but liposomal versions are encased in fat-soluble particles which help them penetrate your cells more effectively.
Speaker 1:One of the leading voices in the development of liposomal glutathione is Dr Nayam Patel. He is the author of Glutathione Revolution. It's an amazing book which explains how liposomal glutathione offers superior bioavailability, which means your body can absorb and use it much more effectively than conventional oral glutathione. He patented the skin version. It's transdermal. You put it on your skin. He shrunk down the molecules of glutathione. It's a game changer for improving your antioxidant defenses. The book is remarkable and I might be a little bit biased. Dr Nayan Patel did teach me a lot about bioidentical hormones, but this product is a life changer. So it supports detoxification and it gives your body the tools it needs to fight oxidative damage. So Orthomolecular does have a liposomal oral version. That is pretty spectacular, but it Aura Wellness is Dr Nayan Patel's company. It is a spray that you put on twice a day just four sprays, and it is top of the line.
Speaker 1:You can also get a quick boost of glutathione using shots. It's a great way to go. The direct injection of glutathione bypasses the digestive system entirely and provides a fast-acting, potent dose of the antioxidant. Glutathione shots can be in the fat tissue, it could be in the muscle and if you're dealing with chronic fatigue, liver dysfunction or need an immune boost, it's great. At Harmony Hub Health I also have glutathione infusions. This is for the longer-lasting, higher doses. It's a very popular option. I love to give it after some ozone treatments or after an immune boosting infusion and it goes in your IV. It delivers high concentration directly into your bloodstream. It allows your body to absorb the full benefits without the barriers of the oral supplements, and it is so amazing for detoxification, for your skin health, for supporting mitochondrial function and improving your overall wellness. I love all of these treatments for detoxification.
Speaker 1:Glutathione helps bind and eliminate toxins, including those heavy metals, any environmental pollutants and any byproducts of cellular metabolism that need to go. If your liver is struggling to process toxins effectively, glutathione infusions can assist in boosting liver function and enhancing that detox. And again, it's a good skin lightener and helps with skin pigmentation. So you're getting that added bonus by getting that healthy glow and it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. So glutathione is a staple in any anti-aging regimen as well. And infusions do help rejuvenate your mitochondria, so it improves cellular energy production and boosts your overall energy levels. And when you need to give your immune system a fighting chance. Glutathione can help optimize that white blood cell function.
Speaker 1:Remember, if you're dealing with persistent fatigue or inflammation, glutathione helps with reducing oxidative stress. I know I sound like a broken record, but that oxidative stress is often the root cause of a lot of fatigue and a lot of inflammation. And glutathione is much more than just an antioxidant. It's a very critical player in maintaining overall health, vitality and longevity. By incorporating glutathione to your health routine, whether through liposomal supplements, shots or infusions, you are supporting your body's natural detoxification, your immune function and cell repair processes. Now I know I've talked about glutathione in many of the other podcasts and I'm pretty sure there is even a glutathione-dedicated one. You can look back to season one.
Speaker 1:So there are some functional medicine alternatives to Tylenol. We'll go back to the main point, and sometimes I do get it. You know pain is real. Headaches suck, but there are more gentle options to support your body rather than deplete it. Headaches Many people that have headaches. Peppermint oil is a good one. How about good old hydration? Okay, magnesium, glycinate and riboflavin these are all great to treating headaches that don't involve acetaminophen.
Speaker 1:If you're taking Tylenol for just joint pain. You know omega-3s is a great anti-inflammatory. It's good for inflammation. Curcumin with biopairing I love Orthomolecular's Choices, even Boswellia. They're all good functional alternatives for joint pain, people with muscle aches you know that's when I bring in the magnesium malate, the CBD whether it's good quality CBD oil or my Pico CBD infusions or just good old Epsom salt baths. I know I bring that up to almost all of my pain patients and they look at me like if I could just take a bath and have my pain gone, I wouldn't need to pay your consultation fee. But then as we incorporate that into their treatment plan, things change right. Inflammation if you're taking Tylenol because you are hurting from inflammation, that is a band-aid that is not helping you. So we do the diet cleanup, we do my functional medicine protocols. We can add in turmeric for that. And then cryotherapy is another amazing one that I hope to have in the future someday in my clinic is a good cryotherapy, one of those that your whole body goes into. It's amazing.
Speaker 1:But sometimes just bolstering your immune system and fighting the inflammation at the core is what you need, not a dose of Tylenol. And if you have a fever sometimes you need better hydration, better rest. There's a lot of utility in vitamin C, zinc especially NAC and immune support. And if you absolutely must take Tylenol, you want to pair it with NAC or liposomal glutathione. You want to avoid alcohol, you want to support your liver with milk, thistle or dandelion root and you want to use the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time. And while I'm not a fan of Tylenol in many scenarios, there are times when it's necessary.
Speaker 1:I am not advocating for the routine use of Tylenol for every fever or minor ache, but there are certain clinical situations that it has its place. Tylenol can be a lifesaver when you need to manage pain or reduce fever in a case of acute illness, especially when it's critical to bring down a dangerously high temperature. Nobody wants to deal with febrile seizures or fever-induced seizures, which can occur when the body's temperature spikes rapidly. In young children, tylenol can help stabilize fever and prevent such severe complications. But the real issue is when it's overused or when it's used inappropriately, leading to liver stress and depleting your glutathione, which is your body's master major antioxidant.
Speaker 1:I've had some patients tell me they've been taking Tylenol around the clock for 10 plus years and just that subtle change and they feel so much better and can't believe that it was this one thing this whole time. You know Tylenol is so easy to grab. You can get it from almost any drugstore, any store. But in functional medicine we wanna play the long game. If you're constantly suppressing symptoms and you're not giving your body the opportunity to speak or to heal, it just turns into a chronic issue. Glutathione is gold and when you deplete it your body becomes more vulnerable to oxidative damage, immune dysregulation and hormone imbalances and especially chronic fatigue. So the next time you reach for Tylenol you want to ask yourself am I soothing or silencing? Okay, at Harmony Hub Health I do functional lab testing like HTMA, which is hair tissue mineral analysis, the organic acids test, known as OATS. We can even check your serum, glutathione and liver enzymes I love the three by four genetics to look at that MTHFR, gst and COMT to map out unique detox capacity and antioxidant reserves. Okay, so that's a wrap for today's episode where we talked about Tylenol and its effect on glutathione and why.
Speaker 1:This is a classic example of that band-aid approach you know in conventional medicine. While Tylenol may offer temporary relief, it doesn't address the root cause of why you're needing it in the first place, constantly relying on Tylenol to mask symptoms, whether it's pain or a fever might be doing more harm than good, especially when it's depleting your body's glutathione levels and impairing your natural detoxification processes. In functional medicine, I don't want to treat the symptoms. I want to dig deep and understand the why behind the issue. If you're using Tylenol regularly, it's time to ask what's the root cause of this pain, what's the root cause of this discomfort? And if I have inflammation, a nutrient deficiency or something else, that's causing your body to react in that way, why? Let's look at the why and treat that. So next time you reach for Tylenol, think about how it's impacting your body's ability to heal itself and whether there's a deeper issue to address If you're looking for more sustainable health solutions. Functional medicine is all about root cause resolution, not just symptom suppression.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in and if you found today's episode helpful, please be sure to subscribe, like, share with a friend and leave a review and, as always, feel free to reach out with any thoughts or questions. You can find me at wwwharmonyhubhealthcom. You can email me directly at Michelle, that's M-I-C-H-E-L-E at HarmonyHubHealthcom, and you can find me on Facebook at Harmony Hub Health. So let's focus on healing from the inside out. The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medication or supplement regimen, especially if you do have existing health conditions. This episode reflects functional medicine principles and the personal experiences of me. Individual results may vary. Be safe, thank you.