I read about alpha Lipoic acid in an article about fat loss/muscle building with a relationship to insulin sensitivity and it listed five ingredients of which ALA was one. When I looked at ALA in the search engine and read that it would cure neuropathy and that it is used to reduce the side effects of Oxaliplatin in chemotherapy I picked some up and started using it on 1 September 2012. I immediately noticed an improvement in my feet( the only currently affected area). It was so dramatic of a change that I discontinued all other medications to see what it did by itself. I have spent a couple of sleepless nights due to pain and have started using my other medications again today. Other than Lyrica and Hydromorph contin I take grape seed extract, fenugreek, St. John's Wort, milk thistle, glucosamine and condroitin sulfate with MSM, vitamin D, B12, curcumin, Motrin, and Apo-Temazepam for a sleeping pill. After less than 4 hours since resuming my other medications with ALA my feet are about 75% better than they were three days ago.
Is there anything else that I should be taking to speed the healing/reduce the pain and numbness? Please reply directly to gustafsonal(at)hotmail.com. Thank you. Al
Replied By Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 09/03/2012
Hi Al... I think it would benefit your condition if you also took the whole spectrum of B vitamins (either as B50 or B100 complex or as De-bittered Brewer's Yeast forms) which contain Choline, B3, B6, Folate and many other nutrients which would benefit the CNS system. Higher dose B12 is also beneficial to many body processes including the nervous system. For more on the benefits of B12 read David Brownstein's book -- Vitamin B12 for Health. Adding the Gotu Kola herb and higher dose Vitamin C to your regimen would also help to accelerate nerve repair. Adding higher dose niacin(not niacinamide) would also greatly benefit you blood transport system and make it more efficient. Niacin actually changes and thins out the blood safely and the flushing effect of niacin is evdence that the capillaries and peripheral blood vessels are opening up for better delivery of the nutrients you are taking to the body peripherals -- ie to the hands and feet regions. Take 500 mgs niacin twice a day after meals dissolved in half a glass of water for best absorption into the body.Replied By Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 09/04/2012
Al, Zinc is very important for healing to occur throughout the body and also boost immunity. Another very important nutrient is the Omega 3 Fatty Acids like Fish and Krill Oil. Flax Seed Oil is converted into the EFA's that the body needs in order to reduce inflammation and promote healing. A native crop in Canada, you should find Flax Oil readily and at a good price in your grocer.
Hope this helps.
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 09/11/2012
I was trying to find the Gotu Kola herb at the same time as I found the ALA but it seems to be unavailable here (in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). I had to order acetyl-l-Carnitine and benfotiamine as no one had them in stock but could not order the Gotu Kola. AlReplied By Al (Alvena, Sk.,canada) on 09/11/2012
I know about flax seed oil. It requires the protein that is in cottage cheese to be mixed with it before consuming to get the maximum benefits. I was at stage 3 with colon cancer when I had the tumour removed and shortly after went on the "Budwig Diet" which is based on flax seed oil(3 tbsp) and cottage cheese(1/2 cup) once daily. I blended them together and added liquid honey and cocoa powder to taste with some extra liquid to make a smoothy for breakfast. This diet is purported to directly attack cancer. Five weeks later all the oversize lymph nodes were back to normal size(that is when I started chemotherapy). I think this indicated that the cancer was gone and thus the overdose of oxaliplatin which damages nerves and the islands in the pancreas especially with a lack of cancer to attack. I have been cancer free for over two years now and only have to overcome the resulting neuropathy to get back to a productive life. AlReplied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 09/14/2012
I am amazed at how good this is working. After 13 days of taking alpha lipoic acid I have had my pain reduced enough to quit taking hydro morph contin and I actually have less pain and numbness now than when I started taking ALA even with being off the narcotic pain killers. I am picking up my benfotiamine and acetyl-l-Carnitine on Friday the 14th. If it helps even half as much as the ALA I will be back to work in a few weeks. We need to make chemo patients aware of this as much as possible. AlReplied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 09/14/2012
I got my dad, 75 years old, started on ALA on Sunday, 9 September 2012 and he is already seeing enough improvement that he went to town yesterday and bought enough for four months. He has had increasing levels of pain in his feet for years (cause not known) and has been using full leg air pressure massage for four hours a day for years to remain walking. He is talking about being able to discontinue that therapy and it has only been five days to get to that point. AlReplied By Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 09/15/2012
Al, good to hear of you and your dad's success with ALA; and it's good for immune system, blood sugar, and liver health. Please specify how many mg dose? how many times daily? as it can help set a standard for other interested users.Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 09/16/2012
First, Bill, my blood pressure is normal as for an 18 year old @ 160 pounds and I am 6 feet tall, 330 lbs and 53 years old. I do not feel it would be right for me to take anything that would lower my blood pressure. What would you say to that re: niacin?
Tim, we are both taking 250 mg of ALA twice daily. I also started taking 500 mg of ALCAR twice daily yesterday and it seems to be helping.
Something quite interesting, when my dad stocked up on Wednesday the supplier told him that ALA would stop Alzhymer's disease immediately. Had we known about that sooner one of my aunts would still be with us. Have also heard that coconut oil helps Alzhymer's disease. Does anyone know if coconut oil contains ALA. If so it would probably be an excellent topical for neuropathy. Al
Replied By Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 09/16/2012
Hi Al... I am 196 pounds and also 6 feet in height. My blood pressure is currently 110 (systolic) and 70 (diastolic). Since I started taking higher orthomolecular dosages of niacin, my blood pressure hasn't changed at all (I measure it myself every week). This is in line with what Abram Hoffer has said in his articles -- he maintains that particularly niacin (not niacinamide) balances high cholesterol and high blood pressure safely and I guess my experience with niacin is a confirmation of that. For blood pressure/cholesterol problems niacin is the one to supplement.
I take orthomolecular doses of niacin because it is anti-aging and helps so many other processes in the body (together with the rest of the B vits). Abram Hoffer was also sure that you would live longer if you took proper orthomolecular dosages of niacin every day. For most of his life, Hoffer also admits that he took between 0. 5 and 6 grams of niacin/niacinamide himself daily and he lived to the ripe age of 92. He has also documented that taking 0. 5 to 3 grams of niacin/niacinamide is the proper orthomolecular dose for a healthy person, depending on how good your diet is.
The current RDA recommendations for vitamin B3 is about 16 mgs a day.
Replied By Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 09/17/2012
Al, thanks for your informative responses. As for ALA, I don't think it's endogenous in foods as it is a coenzyme that the body creates from nutrients like B vitamins and sulfur amino acids like Cysteine, as well as some minerals. Another coenzyme you might want to consider supplementing is CoQ10 or Ubiquinol as it works in the body differently than ALA, especially for heart health.Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 09/18/2012
Bill, not only is my blood pressure good, but my good cholesterol is high and my bad cholesterol is low. I believe it is a result of trimming fat from food since I was young. I do not butter bread and I trim the fat from bacon as well as cooking with water, skinning poultry before cooking and eating lots of vegetables.
Timh, I have tried CoQ10 and felt no change in my health. I have no idea if it did me any good or not but I am in a very tight financial situation so even getting ALA & ALCAR & Benfotiamine means putting off paying utility bills. My monthly budget for everything comes out of an income of less than Canadian $900. That has to cover maintaining a home(paid for) and maintaining, licencing and fueling a vehicle as I live 45 miles from the nearest city. I am hoping that the improvements I have seen so far continue at the same rate and allow me to get back to work and my normal income quite soon.
I am seeing a small improvement with the benfotiamine and a significant improvement with ALCAR but the ALA is just phenomenal. Al
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 10/07/2012
I have now been using ALA for just five weeks and am off all pain medications now. I stopped taking Lyrica for numbness and pain blocking yesterday. I am anticipating a full recovery very soon.
I do have a question about the acetyl-l-carnitine. I am wondering if it would be better to take it a few hours prior to the ALA or a few hours after as my research tells me that it helps to absorb the ALA and other nutrients. There was also mention that it heals the "hairs" in your digestive tract. Perhaps it should be taken before bed with minimal liquid and allowed to stay in your digestive tract for a prolonged period for best results. Can anyone expound on this topic?
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 10/08/2012
I had to go back on Lyrica after two days without it due to the increased volume of my tinnitus and a very chilled feeling in feet and legs up to my mid thigh area. Has anyone else experienced this as the pain of neuropathy dissipates and/or found something that helps for it? The Lyrica affects my vision and I am unable to take gabapentin due to how it increases my blood sugar. Any substitute would be appreciated or even knowledge that more time on ALA & ALC would improve it.Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 10/22/2012
Well, it is now fifty days that I have been on ALA & ALCAR plus benfotiamine, zinc and B vitamins. The only thing not improving is the tinnitus but the peripheral neuropahy is reduced by over 90% from where it was. I am starting to claim back a normal life and am working on getting back into good physical condition by catching up on projects that were left to die because of the pain and lack of mobility. It actually feels good to get sore muscles and become exhausted once in a while.
I will add another positive note here. I have been going gray since I was 29 and now at 53 the gray hair is disappearing (80% of gray gone from what was about 70% gray) due to the natural color returning. It is actually coming darker in my beard than it ever was before and about the same shade of brown in the rest of my hair as it was before. Is this combination of supplements the fabled "fountain of youth"? Is anyone else noticing a change in hair color?
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 10/23/2012
Corinne, I now believe that the chill I feel when I quit taking Lyrica is a result of nerves that are still healing. I think that it was platinum from the cisplatin in chemotherapy that was causing the intense pain in my feet and that is being reduced by the chelation effect of the ALA. I think that in time I will be able to get rid of the chilled feeling/lower level of pain by continuing with the same supplement and good diet regimen that I am now using.Replied By Connie (Slc, Ut) on 10/23/2012
Hi Al; This is great news! From what little I understand about inorganic chemistry, I understand that too much of one trace metal can collect and displace others. ( trouble-neuropathy )
I've read that a side effect of cisplatin is oxidative stress with glutathione depletion.
So, I can understand how the ALA can help on these levels, as it both chelates metals, and helps to increase glutathione, a most powerful antioxidant.
I'm glad you are healing!
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 10/25/2012
Connie, it is actually working so good that I am actively looking for a job. I currently have two offers, both to start in November and at the rate of improvement I am seeing that should work out about right. I might even go back driving long haul and get to see a little more of the US. I have only seen a little bit of it in about 900,000 miles of driving down there. I kind of miss it as my last load that I hauled came out of Texas and that was over three years ago.Replied By Mick (Europe) on 10/30/2012
Hi Al, Great to hear of your improvements. I am wondering if you are still needing to take the Lyrica. Also wondering if you found any interference/interaction with the medication when you first started supplementing. Can you state which brand of Ala/AlC you use or even where you get them. Once again great to hear of your news. MickReplied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 11/02/2012
Mick, I have been using the NOW brand of ALA at 250 mg 2x per day and started off with ALCAR 500 mg x2 twice a day & benfotiamine 80 mg once a day as I had to order them and that is what they got in for me. I have since found acetyl-l-carnitine labeled as L-Carnitine in two different brands on the shelf. I buy my supplements at local health food stores/organic markets. One caution about ALA is that you should read the label and only get what says to take with food or after meals. If it says to take without food it usually has an additive to increase absorption that can cause side effects. Look to see what they are and research them. I also take zinc and B12, along with curcumin for the pancreas, milk thistle for the liver, D3(5000iu/day) for general health, grape seed extract for pain relief, grapefruit seed extract for a topical fungus infection, glucosamine and condroitin sulfate with MSM for arthritis(almost gone) and a steadily reducing amount of gliclazide MR to stimulate my pancreas to produce insulin(pancreas was damaged by chemo and gabapentin but is healing well now).
It is now two months since I started on ALA & ALCAR which was 31 months after I started chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and 30 months from when the numbness, pain and tingling started and I am going back to work full time next week which is a lot less than the five years I was anticipating with the former rate of improvement. I am not completely healed but the pain and numbness is at a tolerable level and such that I do not feel that it will be a safety issue. I now walk almost completely normally and can feel with my feet again and no longer look like a drunk when I walk. Al
Replied By Art (Vancouver Bc, Canada) on 11/02/2012
Dear Al from Sask, I want to thank you for your posts. I have neuropathy to where my toes, fingers and the bottom of my feet are very sensitive. I also have a burning sensation at the top of my knee caps that travels up about six inches. That burning pain drove me to the doctor where he wanted to give me a script for gabapentin but I refused. I found out about B12 under the tounge and the burning in my knees calmed down. I was up to 12 x 2500mg sublingual a day for relief. I then discovered Spirulina at 18 teaspoon a day and that seemed to help me reduce the B12 to a couple a day. Then I started to get dizzy spells so I stoped the spirulina and then I was increasing the B12 again. I then discovered your posts about ALA. I got some and what a difference, My feet are no longer sensitive and it doesn't hurt to clip my toe nails any longer.
I have been on the ALA for about 1 month now and I find I am sleeping better. Now I have to cut back on the ALA at 100mg a capsule taken with food. It did cause me gastric pain at 5 caps a day and my prostate felt like it was being sandwiched between my rectum and my bladder. I got relief right away when I cut back. Now I am taking 2 caps a day at 100mg each. I am down to one to 3 B12 at 2500mg sublingual every night and my burning sensation is gone. I know its not cured but at least I can sleep now and that alone is a miracle.
I can't thank earth clinic enough for this.
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 11/11/2012
Art from Vancouver, could you tell us what foods are aggravating your neuropathy? It could help us to avoid them too and maybe even get a better understanding of what is causing the problem. Thanks, AlReplied By Art (Vancouver Bc., Vancouver) on 11/14/2012
Yes Al, I can tell you one of the foods that I was consuming that is causing the neuropathy was the artificial sweetener splenda. I just googled that today and WOW that stuff is poison and I didn't know. Any peanuts would also cause the knee pain and it seemed like greek yougert, ice cream peanut buttercup flavor and other protien based foods were doing it as well. By bedtime my legs were well heated up. I have cut back on all of this. The splenda is in the garbage as of today and I have switched to stevia in my coffee. I also discovered that the B12 should be taken on an empty stomach which I wasn't doing. I can now take the time released B12 without getting very itchy red spots on my legs. I chew one 1000mcg late at night washing it down with water. Just took one now and had two 2500mcg sublingual early today. The night time is when this really becomes a problem while trying to sleep. I don't want to jinx it but last night was the first night in a long time I got a good sleep, touch wood.
My knees seem to be cooling as I type this at 12:24 am.
Take care. art.
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 11/15/2012
Art from Vancouver, is it just non meat protein or is it all protein that bothers you? I changed my diet many years ago after reading the book "Eat Right For Your Type" as I have B Negative blood and that fixed a lot of problems. Some foods that I didn't care for were listed as ones that I should not eat as well as the opposite. Maybe you should check it out.Replied By Art (Vancouver Bc, Canada) on 11/16/2012
I had some blueberry cheese cake and now that I did I can recall any cheese cake will cause an episode with my knees being agrivated. Only off the splenda for two days and sleeping better. artReplied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 12/02/2012
3 months now since I started ALA & ALCAR and I have been working full time - just around 60 hours per week in the log book. I am quite surprised at how well I am doing. At the end of the first week I was exhausted, partially due to icy roads on days 4 & 5, and thought I would need to take a break midweek for a few weeks but kept at it and didn't need to. I still have a bit of pain, tingling and numbness but it is still receding. I expect that it will take many months to completely recover if I ever do. I am maintaining my supplement regimen but have reduced the Lyrica by 50% a week ago, resulting in an increase in the pain level, and have also reduced the amount of Diamicron MR that I am taking by 50% as well due to the blood sugar getting too low, a good indication that the curcumin and Diamicron MR are actually healing the pancreas as I am healing the neuropathy. Maybe the two are complementary. I saw another acquaintance today that I hadn't seen since June and he didn't recognize me due to my hair colour returning. Onwards and upwards.Replied By Art (Vancouver Bc, Canada) on 02/08/2013
Update on taking ALA for Neuropathy.
I am taking one 100mg. At breakfast and one at supper, and one or two B12 2500mcg before bedtime. The burning in my knees has almost gone and things are settled to near normal. I am not cured but as long as I don't forget to take my ALA twice a day I am fine. If I do forget I am in for a night of torment with burning skin on my upper knees. I have been getting chills these last couple of months after taking Chanca Piedra for stomach issues, but will forge on since summer is near.
Art
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 04/09/2013
To Art from Vancouver, BC. I realized today that peanuts were causing pain in my feet, thanks to what I recalled from your posting. Also remember seeing another post about peanuts having l-arginine in them. I looked up l-arginine on Wikipedia and found out that it is related to aspartic acid (Aspartame). There is a list of other foods there that contain it. I have B neg blood and most of what is listed are foods that I should not eat according to the book EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR TYPE by Peter J. D'Adamo. I would recommend that anyone with neuropahy look l-arginine up on Wikipedia.Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 04/21/2013
After realizing that peanuts (l-arginine) were bothering me I got some l-lysine and a week ago I started taking 1000mg twice a day and have seen another significant improvement in the pain level in my feet. I am getting close to curing this problem. It seems that the platinum in the chemo destroyed the nerve sheath but left the nerves intact and "shorted out". The alpha lipoic acid apparently stops the further decay of the nerve sheath by eliminating heavy metals from the body and the rest of the nutrients I have used are actually rebuilding the nerve sheaths. It has been a long, painful experience that I dread anyone else suffering through. I encourage you to try everything that might help. Some things will make it better and some will make it worse. Not everything works the same for everyone so be aware that experimentation is necessary and can be frustrating. Don't give up. It is over three years now since my problems started and I am still improving. AlReplied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 10/20/2013
I read over the entire postings on neuropathy to see if I was missing anything. I noticed that someone posted about MSM and Lecithin being used together and I had noticed that after eating a chocolate bar that my feet would often improve for a while. I have been taking glucosamine with condroitin sulfate and MSM for quite a while for cartilage repair-tears and arthritis-so I added Lecithin to my supplements as well and it seems to be helping. It is amazing how being deficient in one or several nutrients can delay/prevent healing or even cause health problems. Don't discount anything without trying it first. You may get a very pleasant surprise. I have been lucky enough to have had several pleasant surprises with nutritional supplements and am looking forward to more. I have found out that some may not work by themselves and have as a result discovered the value of experimentation. I recommend that everybody experiment to find what works for them. Start with a little and increase if it helps.Replied By Al (Alvena, Saskatchewan, Canada) on 02/02/2014
Good news, I am now off of all pain killers that I was using for neuropathy. I am still taking some vitamins and minerals to support the nerves but only as part of a healthy diet and not to fix a problem. I still have a bit of tingling in my feet and lower legs but I attribute that to sensitivity of newly healed nerves. I am able to walk normally and the strength is returning in my toes now which indicates that the motor nerves are all working and have been for a while. The cold sensitivity has subsided and I am looking forward to a relatively normal life. I have found that birch and/or wintergreen oils also help to reduce tingling due to neuropathy, apparently by reducing inflammation. I use a few drops topically on my arms daily. It has taken a long time to heal due to the severity of my neuropathy and the time between chemotherapy and starting ALA but it has healed the nerves. Considering I was told by a neurologist that it wouldn't improve any more after a year from the end of chemotherapy I am quite pleased.Replied By Art (Vancouver Bc Canada) on 02/06/2014
Al, it is good to hear about your recovery using the ALA.
Will you keep on using it now that you consider yourself cured?
I have made great strides using the R+ALA so that I can take it with out food for those troubled times in the evening.
I have recently switched to R+NAC+SR 500mg with food at lunch and supper, reason being to help with the Liver. Have not seen that much difference and will eventually switch back to the R+ALA when depleted.
One night recently my feet felt like they were beaten with a hose at bedtime and the R+ALA gave me great relief at around 12:30am. So it really does work and I am glad for that, but when I switch back to it I can see using it to the end of days.
Thanks again Al for your input.
ART.
Replied By Al (Alvena, Sk., Canada) on 01/22/2015
I just received an email from a lady in the UK asking for an update and telling me that the last one was in 2013. I have been busy working long hours, sometimes over 340 hours in a month. The neuropathy is still improving, but extremely slowly. All I use for pain relief now is geranium oil, topically on my hands and forearms. It a natural anti inflammatory and has no known side effects. I still feel I am missing a nutrient or two to finish curing my neuropathy. I try everything that might help and am in the process of checking out one more nutrient with my doctor and hope to try it within a few days. If it helps I will give a further update and let you know what it is and how to use it. The posting I found it in quoted a medical journal entry from the 1840's. New is not always new and maybe old is better. AlReplied By Al (Alvena, Saskatchewan, Canada) on 03/04/2015
Another update. I recently had surgery to remove the right lobe of my liver. This was due to matastatic colon cancer and as a result my blood pressure has gone up resulting in other problems including reduced energy and increased neuropathic pain. I noticed that when I had something sweet to eat like jam, cake, candy, etcetera that the neuropathic pain was reduced substantially so I started experimenting. When doing anything slightly strenuous my blood pressure and sugar would drop and my pulse would go way up so the first thing I tried was leaving out the diamacron and metformin. This allowed the sugar to increase and gave me back my energy without my blood pressure and pulse being significantly affected, but the sugar went too high so I added the metformin back in.
Big surprise!!!! The neuropathic pain went way down, more than eating something sweet made it go down. As a result I typed "diamacron" into google and clicked on "diamacron side effects" and found out that it causes neuropathic pain, conflicts with metformin, is not supposed to be used if you have liver problems, are having or recently had surgery. None of this was covered in the pharmacy information sheet I was provided. The warning is not about alpha lipoic acid, but rather it is about the diamacron prescription medication and what it does. Eliminating it has made a huge difference. I have not as yet tried the nicotine but will be soon. Al
Replied By Timh (KY) on 03/05/2015
AL: Glad to see you are using your brain to help work out these pressing issues. I am in a constant state of tweaking any treatment or therapy to maximize benefit and minimize harm. Several months ago I also reported not reading some very critical info on Statin drugs that was not included in the fact sheet from pharmacy. Two items in particular is Statins can and do produce nerve damage resulting in neuropathy, and can and do (in a certain percentage of people) produce pulmonary fibrosis. Well, here I am already w/ both these conditions so I could only surmise a worsening; which was evident particularly in the neuropathy as I had the choice of continuing the medication (and even at 50 or more % lower prescribed dose) and going down from a cane to a walker to a wheelchair or discontinue.
There is lots of Cancer info here on E.C. for the cancer so I hope you can get exact on that and get well again. There are some good Youtube vids on self-applied Ozone for rectal administration.
As for the Neuropathy, there is some promising research lately on a natural nutrient, a nucleotide Inosine for rebuilding nerves which is helping in cases like Parkinson's.
Replied By Al (Alvena, Saskatchewan, Canada) on 03/04/2015
Another update. I recently had surgery to remove the right lobe of my liver. This was due to matastatic colon cancer and as a result my blood pressure has gone up resulting in other problems including reduced energy and increased neuropathic pain. I noticed that when I had something sweet to eat like jam, cake, candy, etcetera that the neuropathic pain was reduced substantially so I started experimenting. When doing anything slightly strenuous my blood pressure and sugar would drop and my pulse would go way up so the first thing I tried was leaving out the diamacron and metformin. This allowed the sugar to increase and gave me back my energy without my blood pressure and pulse being significantly affected, but the sugar went too high so I added the metformin back in. Big surprise!!!! The neuropathic pain went way down, more than eating something sweet made it go down. As a result I typed "diamacron" into google and clicked on "diamacron side effects" and found out that it causes neuropathic pain, conflicts with metformin, is not supposed to be used if you have liver problems, are having or recently had surgery. None of this was covered in the pharmacy information sheet I was provided. The warning is not about alpha lipoic acid, but rather it is about the diamacron prescription medication and what it does. Eliminating it has made a huge difference. I have not as yet tried the nicotine but will be soon. Al