Yes, I have seen it on Dr. Oz. I also noticed that Dr. Mercola was looking rather yellow/orange, himself! Be careful with Dr. Oz's show. He contradicts himself, and makes blunders on TV..he is not a alternative specialist..he is a cardiologist jumping on the bandwagon with little talent for it.

Dr. Mercola is promoting it heavily because he sells it and has a vested interest. It does show promise in animal studies. But we did not evolve to consume it in high doses every day.

I don't know where they get those doses though?

Using antioxidants is a good idea, but we have seen in some research that excessive use of one is not always good. Vit E and Vit A took some hits in cancer studies, for example. This is because the antioxidants work as a TEAM handing off free radicals to each other. When used heavily as ONE only the system does not work. Most of the cancer studies did not include Vit C with the A or E.

Vit C (antioxidant) is also very good, and there are some interesting things being published about massive doses used in liposomal or IV preps, that supposedly cure cancer! The RSD community is trying this too with some success.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread158757.html

I am thinking of trying this myself! I already use 500mg Ester C daily. Liposomal is available now on the net.

So IMO for what it is worth, you can try the astaxanthin, but I can't really say that massive dose is necessary or effective or even safe yet. I'd start with the 4mg daily.

I tend to look at things chemically, because that is my training.
How the cells work, why they stop working, is where the research today is. Doctors do not get much training in chemistry or biochemistry or drugs. This is a huge weak spot in their education. They memorize and memorize names of diseases, anatomy (much of which they forget), and clinical presentations. But drug therapy and chemistry is not there for them. Doctors have become very reliant on drug reps and that is unfortunate because they conceal information that might affect their "numbers". Merck you know, had a patent for Lovastatin and CoQ-10 together, because they KNEW back when they launched the first statin, that CoQ-10 was seriously depleted!
They could not figure out how to solubilize the CoQ-10 and it was too expensive for them, so they dropped it. And they kept that secret for a decade,during which people sickened and weakened. Other companies followed their example.
You see people are not likely to pay $60 a month out of pocket for a supplement to counteract a $2.00 copay drug. (Yes copays were $2.00 when BCBS started 3rd party payment.) And Yes CoQ-10 was very expensive back then. Much less so now even with the improved water soluble type.
What Merck also did with Vioxx is not unusual, but they just got caught. Some doctors are curious enough to find answers online, but they are really not common from what I see on these boards!

edit: I am looking around further about astaxanthin:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...08814611010119
This article states it induces Cytochrome P450 activity in mice.
This enzyme system is what our bodies use to metabolize drugs.
So I am concerned about this action of it.
Also I am trying to find if this algae is related to the cyanobacteria/algae with the CNS toxins in them. I am not finding answers to that yet. There is great controversy about blue green algae, and this toxin. This link here is a bit of it:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread169296.html
I did last weekend look at a long paper about cyanobacteria in the Great Lakes and that was scary. I am still searching that one too.
edit: so far this algae seems to be in a different class than the blue green type (with the toxins).

There is one paper on "safety" in humans for a short time:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12804020
This is probably where Dr. Mercola gets his recommendation from.
I think it is too soon to tell.

]

I agree, but wouldn't limit that opinion to just PN.

[

I think self-promotion and making money is the basis for most of the "experts" we see on tv, like Dr. Phil. I did do further research on this supplement and it did seem to cause the orange/yellow tinting of the skin. Who needs that?

I am also contacting my health insurance to see what is taking so long to approve the MRI. I need to know what is going on -even if it's bad news. My stress level is through the roof, I am not sleeping well - all of which contributes to how I feel.

For that matter, I'd be careful with anything related to Dr. Mercola.
http://www.quackwatch.com/search/web...&query=mercola

I'm finding a somewhat useful acid test for internet Dr/Gurus.

Google: debunking dr ______ (fill in any guru's name)

Quackwatch, Snopes, Stats, and other debunking/mythbusting sites can be helpful/informative in wading through some of this stuff (but some can also be as bogus as the topics they debunk! )

Some gurus, like Mercola, Oz, and some others mentioned here from time to time contain pages of critical articles debunking their claims/statements. Numbers of articles have some weight, but sources & science have more, IMO.

Others, like Dr. Sahelian, show only articles in which he is debunking some myth or other. (Not an endorsment; I don't agree with everything he says either, but I haven't personally seen anyone call him a quack yet. )

There are things to agree & disagree with - good and bad information - everywhere, and good information usually shows/holds up with several corroborating reputable sources. Bad/mis-information can occasionally, but we all have to weigh all sides of issues and decide for ourselves.

Just a tip for finding some of those sides.

Doc

PS - I spoze Dr. Mercola's "glowing" complexion could be explained away by bad make-up or bad tanning (chemical or UV), but IME that's often accompanied by bad toupées/combovers, and/or gaudy gold jewelry... (Haven't seen the video...)

rule of thumb: if what you are doing gives you a complexion not found in nature, its most likely not good for you

Earlier on in my PN, I went to CVS to look for something to relieve me from my pain. One of the pharmacists saw me looking in the pain shelf. So, she asked what am I looking for....I said I have a painful neuropathy and she blurted that her grandmother has also PN and Neuragen works well with her. Of course without much prodding I bought it (anything for a relief). I bought the topical solution 15ml. for almost $60. Well, I did not get any relief from it, not at all.

I hope it works for you.

Mrs.D, remember the friend I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, she has breast cancer and decided to stop her chemo after 1 session? Hers has effected her lungs, bones and lymph nodes. After her first chemo, she went to a complementary doctor (a real doctor of medicine). She is estrogen positive. She was given 2x a week Vitamin C infusion from July 2011 to March 2012 with of course other bunch of vitamins which she buys from the regular store. Also, she drastically changed her diet. Last March, she is 90% cancer free. Her bones, lymph nodes and lungs dont have cancer anymore. Its now just in her breasts!

The reason why I am writing this again is because you mentioned about Vitamin C.

I have witnessed on how VitC works for my bestfriend. The infusion takes about 3-5hours.

When she went back to her oncologist, who by the way told her that she will only live o for 6 months if she discontinue her chemo session,the onco downplayed the success of her complementary medicine.

Right now, she has stopped the Vitamin C infusion and is on Protocel.

You mentioned you want to try the Vitamin C, is it specifically for your PN or is it for your total well-being?

I want to do it for my arthritis and tendon pain. And also perhaps to get some stamina back. I don't get colds or flu anymore since I started Vit D replenishment.

I've been reading the reviews on Amazon for this:
http://www.amazon.com/Lypo-Spheric-V.../dp/B000CD9XGC
Dr. Levy who does infusions himself claims this product is as good as the infusions.

I don't have too much PN pain ...only very occasional pain in my feet some nights. Summer is worse than winter/fall too.

I'm still thinking about it. I ran across the Dr. Levy interview the other day.
http://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/co...dly-infections

From what I have read about this product, it works for about 80% of the people. Nothing works 100% for 100% of those who try it. It does provide some relief for me.

But again, I don't know what I have - I don't have a diagnosis yet. Still waiting for MRI approval.

Mrs. D - how much Vit. C would you recommend? I get about 1100 IU of vitamin D daily. Plus now I have added the CoQ10 and the r-lipoic acid.

Since you have little PN symptoms now - do you credit that with your vitamin, mineral and other OTC supplements?