Alpha Lipoic Acid and Peripheral Neuropathy

Alpha Lipoic Acid and Peripheral Neuropathy…Whew. I feel like I am about to begin a long winded and boring thesis. NOPE!

As some of you know my husband, Marc, has severe neuropathy of unknown causes. We think we know but we are waiting for the VA to get on the same page as us. I am confident that eventually they will. In the meantime they have him drugged up like a ’70s rock star.

I am familiar with Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) because in January of 2006 I used it with miraculous results. I just hadn’t thought about researching it for use with Marc’s condition.

You see, in January of 2006 I was suffering from twinges in my lower back..I wasn’t sure what it was…just a pinching twinge-y thing..and who has time for that? Not me. This went on for a week or so..I noticed that my lower back was very tired and weak but with my schedule I figured it had to do with:

• age
• loss of abdominal muscles (8 large babies)
• the type of activity I do…household stuff, homeschooling, milking goats, etc…

One night I started upstairs, took one step up and my back exploded. I am telling you I have never felt pain like that and I have given birth to 8 children, the biggest being over 11 pounds…I have had severe gall bladder problems requires an emergency surgery…I have had migraines…it was intense.

I fell to the floor and screamed…and screamed…and I could hear myself from far away screaming but I could not stop.

I spent 3 weeks on my back on the office floor on a futon mattress. I could not stand but had to drag into the bathroom. Luckily I have a bathroom in my office! I did not go to the doctor..I just don’t do doctors…I don’t like them. I sent Marc to the healthfood store to ask someone I trusted and he came back with alpha lipoic acid and instructions for taking it.

The pain started to be relieved within days. I was very careful, and afraid to get up but I was noticing that I had less pain every day. By the end of the three weeks I was as good as new and I have not had whatever that was again.

Since I did not go to a doctor, I suppose you could say that it was coincidence that my healing began after I took the ALA.

Anyway. Alpha lipoic acid has been used with excellent results in cases of peripheral neuropathy. It has been used in Germany since 1959 and the Mayo Clinic did a study in conjunction with a Russian research center and the results were very positive.

The suggested dose for ALA is 800 mgs a day for neuropathy. I am going to be buying some of this and getting Marc started on it, and I will let you know how it goes. I always wanted a guinea pig.

I did write an article on this that has much more information and more specifics if you are interested: Alpha Lipoic Acid

It can be used for many other things including:

• Sciatica
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Glaucoma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Cataracts
• Burning mouth syndrome
• Alzheimer’s disease
• HIV
• Liver problems and hepatitis

There are few, if any side effects. I can tell you that this stuff works. I am just hoping it works for Marc!

Image:Courtesy of Amazon