One thing in common in all this thread is giving things a month's trial.

PN is a chronic condition and nerves heal slowly. The brain's abnormal response to our damaged nerves and nerve endings also changes slowly. The onset of PN and flareups are relatively quick, a matter of weeks to a few months. In contrast, improvement if any is measured in six month or yearly intervals.

I believe that ALA and ALC are beneficial. The difference they make may be noticable in a year or two or three. There is a lot of research on both. Google links are: http://www.google.com/search?q=alpha...ient=firefox-a
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=...=1&sa=N&tab=ws

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...hy&btnG=Search
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl...=1&sa=N&tab=ws

Review articles are at http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetCo...chunkiid=21450
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetCo...chunkiid=21480
http://www.lef.org/protocols/neurolo...ropathy_01.htm

"Diabetic neuropathy" is mentioned in many of the articles. In general, what helps diabetic neuropathy helps any peripheral neuropathy. The symptoms are similar, the nerves are similarly damaged, and the brain and spinal chord's response to the nerve damage is similar.

There are no magic bullets to kill our PN. ALA and ALC are part of what we can do to help our nerves heal and our brain to go back to a normal response to stimuli. To put this in perspective, if you take ALA, ALC, and drink and smoke heavily, your PN will get worse, not better. If you take ALA and ALC, but have uncontrolled diabetes or pre-diabetes, your PN will get worse, not better.

PN symptoms do not occur in isolation. PN gets better, or stops getting worse, as we get healthier. Taking the right supplements is part of what will restore health. Also needed is good diet, regular exercise, a positive outlook, stress relief, optimism, love, etc., etc.