I started taking ALC a number of years ago - - 3 gm/day, in divided doses. I had initially thought it was helpful to some degree. I then started doubting its effectiveness and sometime last year cut back to 2 gm/day. After I did not notice any changes, I had concluded that ALC had not been effective.

This year, I cut back to 1 gm/day, and my symptoms (primarily pain and burning) got worse. After upping to 2 gm/day, I returned to my previous level. So it now appears that I am getting at least some benefit. However, I am not 100% certain of this. I will probably try cutting back again later in the year and see if the previous result holds.

For anyone taking ALC, it is important to supplement with alpha lipoic acid (ALA), which is a good idea to take anyway. ALC increases mitochondrial production, which can lead to higher levels of oxidative stress. The ALA helps to reduce oxidative stress. There has been a lot of buzz about this combo and a fair bit of research.

Here is a link that can be used as a jumping off point:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/alpha-lipoic-acid.html

I lost a lot of my research links due to the Braintalk crashes - I have retrieved some of the info - but it is just too time consuming to try and recapture all of it.

As to ALC being effective for folks with idiopathic PN . . . I seem to recall that the bulk of the studies were conducted in Germany and used subjects with diabetic PN. However, most of us on the board, including myself, think that the percentage of those with "idiopathic" PN who will benefit from any particular therapeutic agent would be about the same as the percentage of those with diabetic PN.

rafi