One more thing: what exactly is B6 supposedly helping with when it comes to pain and burning? I'm so uneducated, but I'm learning. I know if you take too much, it can be a problem, right?

Thx!

If you are very low in B6, from poor diet, or some other reason,
you will get neuropathy. And if you take too much...and really almost all the reports are in the 500mg-gram level, you will get nerve toxicity.

This is the only vitamin that causes neuropathy on both ends of the dose range. We had a poster here not too long ago who had low B6 serum test. And we have had a few with very mild intake doses --below 50mg who had symptoms too.

I have a B6 thread on Vitamin forum:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread30724.html

B6, folate and B12 all work to repair nerves. They also reduce homocysteine levels in the blood which when high are thought to cause damage to the blood vessels and heart attacks/strokes.

B6 can help carpal tunnel.. this is when 10 yrs ago I discovered the active form called P5P and started posting about it on the net (at one time I had very severe carpal tunnel). Now P5P is being investigated to reduce risk of heart disease by a big pharmaceutical firm, who wants to take all P5P off the shelves as OTC..so they will make more $$ from it.

B6 does many things in the body...runs the muscles, and also makes serotonin in the brain...along with hundreds of other things. B6 is activated by an enzyme that uses riboflavin B2. Some drugs and genetic failures will prevent this conversion as well.

This is very interesting regarding the B6. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how taking it can cause neuropathy at both ends of the scale. I'm almost scared to take it, but scared not to take it.

Thank you for the B6 thread link. I'll read up on it there.

What do you think re the ALA in my last post? Just when you have time. Thanks much Mrs. D!

Just keep it modest with the B6. Or you can have a blood level drawn when you do the B12. B6 IS odd because some autistic kids show high levels, even with NO supplements...reason still unknown. If you eat meat/fish, you are getting B6. Bananas are high, fortified cereals have it, some veggies (potato, brussel sprouts, avocado are pretty good) other veggies lower...
A good reference is www.nutritiondata.com
here is the link for banana:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/f...-juices/1846/2

You can do the Benfotiamine now. Also the mito support nutrients are okay too.
Acetyl Carnitine
CoQ-10
lipoic acid

I don't think I'd go over 50 mgs a day on the B6. I just don't trust it enough. Thank you again, Mrs. D, for sharing your wealth of information. I'll keep the board posted on how I'm doing.

By the way, I checked out iherb, and their prices are much better than what I paid locally. I'll be ordering from them next time unless the shipping is unreasonable!

Shipping at iHerb is free, if you stock up- and meet the minimum.
I think its reasonable, about $45 or $60, but I always order
about $100 every 3 mos, or so- & always get free S&H.

Some of the prices at iherb are amazing.

The powder inositol my hubby uses, is $67+ locally and
$12.00 at iherb for the same size and quality! I am like Nide, I order every 3 months or so. And at Xmas...just before their inventory, they have an additional 15% off! This year I saved a bundle!

Thanks so much for the shipping and price info. I already feel at ease about it now. As we all know, this can be a very, very expensive issue to deal with, and especially without insurance - But times are what they are, and it is what it is. So this tip is valuable to me!

By the way, I did buy a big, cumbersome, and heavy massager at Wal-Mart yesterday that I will be taking back. My God, you'd have to have arms of steel to hold it up! That just won't work for me, so back to the drawing board on that try. I'm not so sure I like the way it felt on my feet anyway. But maybe that's just me being scared that I'll screw them up worse than they already are.

Met with the Neurologist yesterday. Went in very nervous but was hoping for an answer regarding my PN and balance issues. Turns out that the diagnosis at this point is cerebellar ataxia. The MRI of my brain showed a shrinking/smaller cerebellum. Typical causes are Hereditary or Toxin exposure. Waiting to hear if insurance will cover the DNA testing to determine the exact type of Cerebellar Ataxia. At this point I am scared, confused, and just unsure if I really want to know whats going on. The more I read on the subject I realize that there is no "cure". This can not be reversed and may progress overtime. They can treat the symptoms and thats it. What scares me most is that over the past 8 or 9 years I have gone from skiing, hiking (climbing 14'ers in Colorado), and snow shoeing to having to use a cane to walk, my balance has gone downhill, and it is very painful to walk. I noticed that in several of the tests with the neurologist that I had difficulty following her finger, mirroring some of her movements, fine motor skill issues.

I am afraid that things will continue to go downhill.....who knows where I will be in 5, 10 or 20 years. How do I deal with this? I am a mess today and have to find a way to get through work. I know there is nothing I can do so even if I worry and work myself up it will do no good....... I can't help it though, I'm just trying to make it through the day. Seems PN is the least of my worries.

Gluten sensitivity or intolerance can cause celebellar ataxia.
It is one cause:

http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/glutenataxia

Some ataxias are inherited, and some acquired. Gluten ataxia is considered acquired, but the gluten intolerance itself may be inherited. It is worth looking into, IMO.