12/11/2019
A question was posed to me: Is there data to show that glutathione administration has lowered medical costs? Great question however, requires some explanation:
We are far from seeing a study this size being completed. Glutathione augmentation is clearly not a “standard of care” nor is its application understood by the medical community at large. Accessing funding for natural supplements is challenging enough, a study of this size would have to be supported by a government grant since pharmaceutical companies have no vested interest in compounds that they cannot lock into patents. In addition, aspects of glutathione delivery are poorly understood by clinicians and there remains much education to be realized.
That being said, there are several studies that demonstrate potential savings to healthcare expenditures. An example is a series of ongoing studies that I am supporting at McGill University dealing with the strategy of “Prehabilitation”. Patient are actively enrolled into a proactive three-pronged program which includes exercise, psychological support, and nutritional intervention with Immunocal PRIOR to their surgical or oncological procedure. Outcomes clearly show parameters such as early discharge from hospital, fewer complications, fewer return visits to hospital and accelerated recovery, including “back-to-work”.
I have presented these findings at several medical conferences. It seems that after my keynote speech in China, the Chinese government is considering to implement this strategy on a large scale basis.
Here are some of the publications:
ANESTHESIOLOGY, 2014, 121:937-47
Prehabilitation Versus Rehabilitation a Randomized Control Trial
in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Resection for Cancer
Gillis C, Li C, Lee L, Awasthi R, Agustin B, Gamsa A, Liberman AS, Stein B, Charlebois P, Feldman LS, Carli F, Phil M
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 2015
Prehabilitation with Whey Protein Supplementation on Perioperative Functional Exercise Capacity in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Resection For Cancer:
A Pilot Double-Blinded Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
Chelsia Gillis, Sarah-Eve Loiselle, Julio F. Fiore, Jr, Rashami Awasthi, Linda Wykes, A. Sender Liberman, Barry Stein, Patrick Charlebois, Francesco Carli
ACTA ONCOLOGICA, 2017, FEBRUARY;56(2):295-300
Multimodal Prehabilitation Improves Functional Capacity Before and A er Colorectal Surgery for Cancer: A Five-Year Research Experience
Minnella EM, Bousquet-Dion G, Awasthi R, Scheede-Bergdahl C, Carli F
SUPPORT CARE CANCER, 2017, JAN;25(1):33-40
Four-Week Prehabilitation Program is Su cient to Modify Exercise Behaviors and
Improve Preoperative Functional Walking Capacity in Patients with Colorectal Cancer
Chen BP, Awasthi R, Sweet SN, Minnella EM, Bergdahl A, Santa Mina D, Carli F, Scheede-Bergdahl C
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SURGERY, 2018 SEPT 5 DOI:10.1001/JAMASURG.2018. 1645
E ect Of Exercise and Nutrition Prehabilitation on Functional Capacity
in Esophagogastric Cancer Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Minella EM, Awasthi R, Loiselle SE, Agnihotram RV, Ferri LE, Carli F
ACTA ONCOLOGICA, 2018, JUNE;57(6) :849-859
Evaluation of Supervised Multimodal Prehabilitation Programme in
Cancer Patients Undergoing Colorectal Resection: A Randomized Control Trial Bousquet-Dion G, Awasthi R, Loiselle SE, Minnella EM, Agnihotram RV, Bergdahl A, Carli F, Scheede-Bergdahl C