Make sure you are using the newest R-lipoic.

There are two kinds of them... NaRALA is the one you want.
It will have that listed on the ingredients on label.
The other type is not well absorbed we have learned.

The following link is a new study published in the daily newsletter of drugs.com. It might shed some light on this confusing problem.


http://www.drugs.com/news/prediabete...udy-36658.html

Thanks!

This is the abstract on PubMed:
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22355020

This quote from the Mayo article is revealing:
Given that impaired glucose utilization that appears in patients,
involves LOWS predominately, and not HIGHs for long periods, it
is very appropriate to not-treat with insulin or oral drugs.
In fact all the drugs other than insulin are quite awful with serious
side effects long term. Applying appropriate dietary measures for patients is not discussed in that study.

Medicine and supplement research typically goes back and forth
with studies for quite a while before we get a sense of what direction to
take. In fact drug companies WITHHOLD their negative studies typically so doctors and patients cannot see how weak some of the "positive" ones really ARE.

I think it is prudent that patients on the path to diabetes control their diet as much as possible. Also patient selection was not described much at all. Choice of participants is very critical in studies as they
may have other factors working for them. That community may have very "clean" lifestyles being a farming state, etc. In a study like this
were run in another location, where lifestyle would be different, it might show different results. We don't even know as yet what is causing the "diabetes/metabolic syndrome" epidemic yet. Diet, is implicated but not proven yet. It is just something we as patients can
control.

I think the debate will be ongoing on this subject:
Here are some examples of other papers on this subject:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18195653

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uc...diabetes.shtml

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/con.../1/207.extract

http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/con...ract/63/8/1055

This study on Medscape, came to different conclusions and had
a larger study group as well:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465767_3

Wow thats interesting, but what about others on this forum that have had small fiber neuropathy and prediabetes? Is something else causing this? I have been thinking what else could be causing these symptoms. From what I am seeing on this forum my skin sensitivity when my skin is brushed is called Allodynia and is part of neuropathy. What else could cause this? I keep thinking that chemical exposesure 20 years ago could be affecting me now but that seems unlikely 20 years later, and I also was using a flouride treatment last year but my primary doc who I trust says flouride does not cause neuropathy. and why after going low carb has some of my symptoms gone away like the tingling and numbness in my hands and feet at night and also my toes that where numb during the day have got better. Is this all in my head?

I think I will continue my low carb and supplements.

I think things, insults to nerves, can add up.

Some antibiotics here, vaccines there, some low blood sugars,
a viral infection, and there you go.

Vaccines are not commonly discussed, but all the reactions to them involve the nervous system and autoimmunity issues.

Here is a thread I started on vaccines:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread163906.html

We have a poster here who had reactions to an accidental double dose of H1N1 vaccine containing squalene.

Just because vaccines are advertised everywhere now, does not make them totally without potential for side effects.

Hi all

I went to the neurologist last week and he does not think I have a neuropathy because I do not get the stabbing pains and I can feel the the pinprick test throughout my legs and feet. He said something is irritating the nerves in my legs. Could I still have small fiber neuropathy without these? because right know my main symptoms are sensitive skin and pain in calf and thigh area after walking a short distance and I still get mild numbness in hands in AM which he attributes to slight carpel tunnel because when he taps my wrist with his tool I can feel it in my hand. With my legs I feel I am confusing numbness and the sensitive feeling in my feet and legs because when something touches or rubs my legs I have a wierd feeling of sensitivity.

Hope this will go away soon.

People who get pain in a leg, from walking or exercising, may have intermittent claudication, which is a vascular problem.

This happens when blood supply to the leg is compromised by poor circulation. It is more common in males who smoke. But can happen to females too. (mostly from smoking also).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001223/

This can be tested for at the doctor's with a doppler (ultrasound) study.

Poor glucose tolerance will also cause some problems, and this can be controlled early with a low carb low sugar type diet.

You need to have B12 tested, as well as Vit D. Don't accept "normal" from your doctor when the results come in. The labs in US are very low and below the new normals that have been adopted. Your B12 should be above 400 and Vit D should be at least 50. (US units)

It is true that compression in the spine will affect the leg nerves.
But your hands, are another story. Perhaps the neck/cervical area, or another reason altogether.

Numbness in the arms/hands at night, can signal low blood sugars. When you eat, do they improve? That might be a sign that you have insulin resistance, and get very low overnight. Having a protein snack before bedtime, may help that.

If you overuse your hands/arms at work or on computer, you could have carpal tunnel. Also drinking alcohol the night before can lead to low blood sugars and numb hands in the morning.

I have had the ultrasound test for intermittent claudication and it came back normal and my vitamin test came back good. Only thing I can think is my prediabetic state which I corrected from 6.0 to 5.4 quickly could have started this or the chemical exposesure that mad me ill 20 years ago is reccurring 20 years after recovering from that, the doctor back then put me on a short course of prednisone to take care of that, I would take the prednisone again today if I thought it would take care of my current problems. But that probbily would not be a good idea because steroids can affect blood sugar, even though I wonder if that exposesure is affecting me today because before I got the leg problems I had hazy vision just like I did from that chemical exposesue, but doc says that would be very unlikely, And I did have my eyes check out and they are fine except for slight increased in occular pressure which is controlled by drops. But no hazy vision now after blood sugar in control. Can after meal blood sugar spikes cause hazy vision?

yes, blurred vision is often a sign of diabetes.

It is possible you've been living with some damage from the chemical exposure, and then the impaired glucose utilization is adding on top of it. It is possible you have permanent damage to some extent.

Have you had the skin punch biopsy? That might reveal something.

Lipoic acid may help, as well as benfotiamine. You might try those to see if you have any improvements.
R-lipoic stabilized 100mg a day and 300mg benfotiamine. daily.
If your B12 is 400 or less I'd use B12 also daily. 5mg methylcobalamin on an empty stomach.

Are your kidney functions normal? Did that chemical exposure damage your kidneys, do you know?

I have been taking R-lipoic stabilized 300mg and 150-300mg of benfotiamine along with 5mg methylcobalamin also 1000mg Acetyl-L-Carnitine 2 X a day, 300mg of GLA, 500mg Ester C 2 X a day, NAC 600mg. Kidney and Liver function are normal. After starting low carb diet the hazy vision stopped and I have less tingling in hands and feet at night but the skin sensitivity has gotten a bit worse and and I have pain in my calf and thigh with fine twitching in leg muscles at times but no stabbing pain. I was hoping the low carb diet and supplements would heal this but after 9 months I worry its not a blood sugar problem because my A1C was only 6.0, now down to 5.4 and keeping my after meal sugar below 140 at 1 Hr now. My biggist fear is that chemical exposesure could be in my body still after 20 years and is attacking my nerves again and if the neuro would give me prednisone like I got back then this could go away but my neuro thinks that is unlikely, but he also does not think my blood sugar was not bad enough to cause nerve damage because I do not have the typical stabbing pain and numbness, he thinks my nerves are irritated but cannot find a cause after many test.

Are then any supplements that could help rid my nerves of solvents just in
case that is the cause before I resort to ordering prednisone over the internet?

Thank you for the replys, It helps me to figure this out in my mind.