NeuroTalk Support Groups - Neuropathy does improve

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- Peripheral Neuropathy (https://www.neurotalk.org/peripheral-neuropathy/)

- - Neuropathy does improve (https://www.neurotalk.org/peripheral-neuropathy/43699-neuropathy-improve.html)

Your dose IMO of your Omega-3 is too low for therapeutic and dietary supplementation of Omega-3's.

Fish oil is not a vitamin. It is a macronutrient and considered a food. It comes from fatty fish, that are eaten as food.

The only small dose Omega supplement is Krill oil. This is because there are phospolipids in it that emulsify the Omega-3s, and enhance the absorption of them.

If you search fish oils on the net you will find they average 300mg of EPA and DHA each. The concentrated ones have more, because of the concentration.

Wiki:

Quote:

As macronutrients, fats are not assigned Dietary Reference Intakes. Macronutrients have acceptable intake (AI) levels and acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges (AMDRs) instead of RDAs. The AI for omega−3 is 1.6 grams/day for men and 1.1 grams/day for women, while the AMDR is 0.6% to 1.2% of total energy.[71]

This means the combined doses of both EPA and DHA (which are a fraction of the total weight of the capsules.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid

A macronutrient is not a vitamin. And it is used in large amounts throughout the body to build cell walls and tissue.
Vitamins on the other hand are micronutrients and are present in tiny amounts to facilitate enzymes only, and do not build tissue. Hence they are consumed in milligram or smaller doses.

Your product was very expensive at $19.99 for 50 chews providing a 10th of what you could use per day.

If you get tingling, itching or redness from ALA, that could be an allergic reaction. It might be that you will not be able to take it, if and allergy is present.

You can take ALA anytime, just not with food ... 1 hr before food, or 4 hours after. If you take with food you may reduce its absorption according to studies by up to 30%.

This thread topic was made to share stories and experiences about how neuropathy improved.
Further detailed questions about supplements should be made on the subforum supplement thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread121683.html

Thanks for that advice - I wasn't aware of that. I usually take 2 Omega's a day -so that is actually 240mg -which is still small I guess. And yes- it is too expensive, though I like taking the Omega for other health reasons as well. But my stomach seems sensitive to the other Omega pills for some reason.

As for the ALA, I have a cold right now, and felt fine when I took it again yesterday, so I'm kind of chalking up the odd feelings to my cold rather than the new supplement. My PN often feels quite worse when I have a cold. Does anyone else here have that problem?

But you did spark my interest in a key-word when you mentioned "Tingling" -
Please tell me that ALA "CAN'T" actually CAUSE neuropathy!!!

I avoid anything that can cause even the slightest neuropathic symptoms. As I believe anyone with PN should.:)

We have not had posters report the rash, tingling etc with ALA
here. But it appears on websites discussing ALA. Mostly it seems to be heartburn for some.

When histamine is released in the skin, there is tingling.
This is one reason Benadryl helps some people here.

I think my body is getting used to it. I've been taking it now (on an empty stomach in the morning) for a few days and all seems well. In fact, today I felt very well with a huge reduction of ALL PN pains, even in the icy rain and with a nasty flu to boot. But I don't think the betterment is from the ALA; it can't possibly have worked that fast. I'm also taking less clonazepam, spreading my doses further and further apart. I figure it must be just a better day for me than most. Still, I always appreciate a better day. I'm sure you guys know what I mean. :D

How old is this thread ? i am new here! i am 33 and was diagnosed this past July. i have it in my toes very badly :mad: i stumble some.

I don't hate ALL doctors

Quote:

Originally Posted by texasgeek (Post 260166)

Thanks, Liza for posting. It is good to post positive stuff too. You've probably spread a bit hope around, not a bad thing.

Yes, I agree. My neuropathy has definitely healed too somewhat but it has been a slow process and at first I didn't even recognize that it was actually getting better. But when I stop and remember how much pain I used to feel walking the dogs for a couple of blocks. I would limp and have sharp shooting pains along with other kinds of pains and have to go very slow and be in a fair amount of pain overall.

It has been quite a while since walking the dogs has caused me very much discomfort. There is definitely still numbness but I don't get totally wiped out after going grocery shopping or shopping of any kind like I used to.

I have struggled to stay off the pain meds and it looks like I may succeed. I take aspirin now and then when I may have one of my bad days but mostly I do the B12, Bcomplex, benfotiamine (which may be the real reason for the healing IMO, don't know for sure) and ALC, ALA, MSM, Glucosamine, NAC, and lots and lots of other vitamins and supplements.

I have stayed away from doctors for a couple of years now, so I have no recent nerve velocity test to compare. Will probably try that again just for a checkup but I HATE doctors so much, they might cause me to have a relapse.

BUT, I hate having to WAIT for doctors. I have waited and waited and waited for hours for doctors. And some definitely not worth the wait.

Even if the thread is older, it does circulate. Hope your PN gets better. I take
Co Q 10 100mgs. twice a day. Walking is definate improvement after a year. Start a new thread if you want to. You can post any place you want . Glad you joined NT. ginnie:hug:

I found some chewable B12 vitamins that are 2500 mcg (more than 3 times the mcg I normally take per day. But I cut these in 2 and take 1-per-day- still a fair increase in my usual intake of B12 - as I feel they might be absorbed better in chewables than pill or sublingual.

http://www.gnc.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2166420

Also the ALA I'm taking seems to help quite a lot. Had very much improvement until yesterday, as I'm in a flareup now which seems to coincide with winter storms of ice and rain. Don't know if its coincidence or if the weather is really affecting me - it certainly seems that way.:D

I'm going to start a new PN thread solely about weather and pn flareups, as I haven't seen much about this. Hopefully we can figure out if this is psychosomatic or just a myth, or if there's some base in reality for weather related flareups.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wing42 (Post 260144)

in spite of a negative prognosis from three neurologists. I was in severe pain and burning for years, with loss of balance, foot drop causing frequent stumbles, no ankle reflex in left and 50% in right, and hardly able to walk. The pain ranged from 6-8 on the 0-10 scale with breakthrough pain at 9 or 10 experienced as either electric zaps, or feeling like a carnivorous worm was eating at my toe and metatarsal joints. I also had extremely hypersensitive skin, and other areas where the skin was numb enough to stick a pin in.

Now, I walk or hike an average of 12,000 steps a day on my pedometer, have wonderful balance (not as good as in 1992, but I'm 65 yrs old now). My pain ranges from 0 to 4 with very occasional breakthrough pain in the 6 or 7 range, about 2 now as I type this. Both ankle reflexes were measured at 100%. There are still some mildly numb skin areas, but almost no hypersensitivity. I still show some neuropathy when tested with two points, tickle, and vibration. EMGs and nerve conduction tests have always been normal since my PN was small fiber sensory.

OK, it's not healed, but I can happily go through the rest of my life like this. No longer does the pain wakes me up, stop me from walking or driving, and is never so bad that it's hard to concentrate.

Dear Wing42,

Thankyou for your posting as attached, of which i read with great Interest, I have just recently after 5 years been diagnosed with Polineuropathy, and have been advised to take Gabapentin, having read articles not only by yourself but others within the group stating that defeiciancies in B Vitamines, as well as E Vitamines could help eleviate the problem.

I have been taking Multi B Vitamines, but as yet not the E Vitamins - this is something that i shall look into within the near future.

Having seen numerious nurologists they keep coming up with the same answers - here are some tablets and go away.

The only real relief that i get is putting my feet in a bowl of Ice cold water !!!

Polly (uk) :confused:

The other post was correct. The B vitamines do help. I was not a believer in them at all. I have PN and was not walking well last year. Now I am better and the pain level has gone down. My activity level has gone up. I went a further step and give myself B12 weekly by injection. Small price to pay for good results. Just know there is hope less pain. ginnie:hug: