R-ALA, formally α-lipoic acid, is (through well-understood physiology) a cofactor for some enzymes, notably the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, branched-chain oxoacid dehydrogenase complex and the acetoin dehydrogenase complex.

The link above asserts, with no evidence, that some OTC forms of R-ALA, taken by mouth, are helpful for neuropathy but others are not. For example, one commercially available form of R-ALA is rejected on the grounds that "it is not 100% sodium stabilized". This sounds very scientific but is meaningless.

If people with neuropathy choose to self-medicate with R-ALA taken by mouth that is their call. However, they should do so in the knowledge that there is no good evidence that it will help.

These issues are discussed in more detail here Lipoic Acid | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University.

ALA was the one nutrient my husband took that had the greatest impact on his PN. R-ALA was not available back then. We decided to tried the ALA based on how they were using it Germany for diabetic PN. I think they dosed at 900 mg/day.

If memory serves me correctly, John's pain level dropped from an 8 to about the 3-5 range within weeks of starting ALA.

It's certainly worth trying. The only concern I had was with higher dose and how it may impact mercury detoxification. It could mobilize more mercury than your body can handle. But John did fine with it.

I am laid up in bed with a frozen left knee so this will be
brief.

I see some issues with this "protocol".
The use of this term bothers me.

The massive dose of NaRALA without documentation of saftey
is problematic. I found side effects of A-fib on line for ALA
and also racing heart and insomnia.

ALA shares a transporter with biotn and iodide. This creates
potential issues too.

So do your homework before considering trying this.

Anyone who can get me info on who this is, please PM it
to me.
















r

Interesting thought about the mercury Marlene. Does R-ALA keep mercury from being excreted from your body?

The ALA doesn't prevent from being excreted, it can attach to the heavy metal so it can be detoxed. It's more about your body's ability to excrete it through the normal detox process. If your body, mostly the liver, is inefficient at detoxing or if your body is already overloaded with "toxins" then adding more to your detox burden would not be desired. So it's better to go slow if adding in r-ALA to see how you do. Lower dosage and hold at that level for a week or so before upping the dosage.

If my memory serves me correctly, (and this is my simple way of understanding it), if you can't excrete it, the body will want to do something with it and deposit it again in the tissues. Adding fiber, and things like green drinks help guide the toxin/heavy metal out. I'll have to see if I can find info on it. It's been a long time since I looked into it and may not have kept the info. I was hoping it would be a good chelator for iron because at the time, John had iron overload and ALA is a know heavy metal chelator but not efficient enough to remove iron.

There's some who suggest not using ALA at all if you have amalgam fillings. We ignored that piece of info and John did fine on ALA.

Thanks for the info Marlene. How have to check to see how quickly they suggest one increases the R-ALA.

Thank you If possible could you share your experiences???

Okay... Thanks for that PM Hopeful....

I've managed getting down the stairs so I can now work briefly on my desktop where I can type at my usual speed.

Regarding this "protocol" ... Most of those supplements listed are the same as we use here.

But remember, PN is full of hucksters and people trying to make $$ off of us. The word "protocol" triggers me to think about this posting in that way.

In regards to hemp oil... Here is a link with a chart showing the contents of the various common oils.

Linoleic (C-6) oil is to be avoided. Hence corn, and soybean are less healthy to replenish the Omega-3s because the 6's foster inflammation. The hemp oil show a high 6 content, so I personally would use Flax . Dr. Sears PhD explains the 3-6 ratio of fatty acids and how to keep the inflammatory ones down, and benefit the 3's. So I do not think the Hemp oil is that important, in this list given for PN healing. That is my opinion.
Males do not convert alpha linolenic acid (omega-3) well to the long chains EPA and DHA... females because they carry fetuses, who have large needs for EPA and DHA convert the basic alpha linolenic acid in much higher ratios. The EPA and DHA are anti-inflammatory and very helpful for nerve pain.

Hemp Oil Analysis and Comparison

The biggest concern I have is about the R-lipoic acid dosing etc
It is a massive dosing schedule, and some people will not tolerate it.
Alpha Lipoic Acid supplement benefits and side effects - use for blood sugar, diabetes neuropathy
I took one Doctor's Best NaRALA daily for over a year... no effects for me. When I raised to 2 day in divided doses, I became extremely hyper and irritable, and quickly ramped back down. RALA is mostly useful for prediabetics and diabetics in general, but I never saw any effect with my glucose testing or A1C.

Everyone is different and with supplements most of them are quite benign, but... some are not so benign when you start taking massive doses of them. ALA fits into that category.

I also recommend that you only do high dose supplements after getting liver and kidney testing to show normal functions there.

And also... ALA uses a transporter that is shared by B5 (pantothenic acid), biotin, and iodide. This means that those nutrients may become skewed and not absorbed well if the transporter is flooded with ALA. Biotin and iodide are used in micrograms by the body... that means it doesn't take much interference to affect them and lower their absorption. So long term effects may be seen with deficiencies of these nutrients when the transporter becomes blocked.

Here is more information on the mercury issue, that Marlene kindly added to this thread:
The Surprising Connection Between Alpha Lipoic Acid And Heavy Metal Detox | Take Back Your Health with Robin Shirley

So just be very careful if you decide to follow this FB entry.

Thank you for taking the time to look at this for me Mrs. D. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for your input also Marlene.
After the holidays I'm going to take a real good look at all of this and make a decision. Now I'm a little worried about those high doses of R-ALA. (Read the article too)
if I decide to give it a try I will definitely get my liver and kidneys checked first.

Hi everyone,
I'm still researching the protocol. Mrs D and Marlene the article about mercury chelation was very interesting. I'm wondering if the dosage in the protocol is so high would the half life even be a concern? That seemed to be the concern with chelation and mercury being left in the bloodstream.
Am I correct in thinking that the dose is so high I would never reach the half life (concern for mercury in bloodstream) because it would be time for another dose?