Stephen A. Levine, Ph.D. acquired an interest in free radicals and antioxidants as a result of a personal experience. In 1976 he was working in a research laboratory and became sensitized of chemicals. In July of 1979 he was diagnosed with ecological illness, he had become sensitized to hundreds of chemicals which are inseparable from our 20th century lifestyle. In October 1979 he discovered that southern Pacific kelp taken as an oral supplement relieved flu-like muscle pains and aches he had experienced for 3 years. By December he had regained tolerance to the wide variety of environmental chemicals which had made him ill.
Levine found that the kelp was rich in selenium. He found that some patients benefited immediately from selenium supplementation. Most patients gradually improved over a period of 30-60 days with supplementation.
Selenium is a key component of glutathione peroxidase, one of the body's most important antioxidants. Read the newsletter Susceptibility to Infectious Disease for more information on this remarkable mineral. Selenium is one of those minerals where a little is good, but excess can be quite toxic. Don't go overboard with supplementation!
Reference:
Levine, Stephen, and Kidd, Parris, Antioxidant Adaptation, San Leandro, CA: Allergy Research Group, 1994, 3.
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