Dr. Burt Berkson -Alpha Lipoic Acid
 

My Integrative MD's know Dr. Berkson. I have asked them about R Lipoic vs the regular R and S that has been used many years, in IV, and in Europe. They always tell me to use the R and S.

I have had his book and I found videos last night. About 8 of them. My doctors told me why the Alpha Lipoic Acid I use is good, but in one of these videos he tells why he likes the reg. kind. If you do get R Lipoic, you have to watch where you get it and how the R and S are separated. You don't want it done with hydrocarbons.

He also said only capsules should be used with any Alpha Lipoic Acid. I haven't seen tablets, but cheap versions might have them. You have to be careful what you use.

His videos are wonderful. If I didn't have great doctors, I would see him. I hope we have him around for a LONG TIME! He has help patients that had no hope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqRwXEnPYKk

I bought Drs. Best, not sure if thats a good one or not, but until I can figure out this acid reflux I am not taking it. But I want to.

thanks for posting the video, very interesting

A little off the subject, but since Aceyl-L-Carnitine is often taken with Lipoic Acid (and often not), I thought I'd throw this in. I bought some 1,000 mg capsules from Vitamin World (aka Puritan's Pride), and there's no way I can take these monster capsules (with or without food) without getting acid getting acid reflux. I'm usually pretty tolerant of stuff(I take 900mg of ALA at once), but no one will talk me into trying this stuff again even in smaller doses. That's my personal experience, but if you feel you would like to try it, good luck. LOL

I only use 250mg acetyl-Carnitine from Puritan's. Because carnitine is not well absorbed per dose, it is best to use smaller doses more often during the day that one big large one. The acetyl group can cleave off
acetyl carnitine, during storage, creating acetic acid (which is in vinegar). If you smell this vinegar odor from the storage bottle, then your carnitine has been stored wrong or out of date.

I don't have problems with either R-lipoic or carnitine. But then I always take things orally with lots of water.

Heartburn may signal a poor lining in the stomach ... long ago when we all started Omega-3's... mostly because of my son's ADHD...over a decade ago...my then common GERD from my hiatal hernia was terrible. I was on Prilosec for it. Within 3 months of taking the essential fatty acids, it totally cleared up and stayed cleared up. Cox-1 prostaglandins are made from Omega-3s like flax oil, and one of their jobs is to maintain the mucus membranes in the lungs and GI tract. This is one reason that NSAIDs will cause GI ulcers, because they block Cox-1 activity in the body. The development of the Cox-2 ones, of which only Celebrex remains, was to avoid the GI damage.
Bextra and Vioxx were taken off the market because they blocked some critical beneficial Cox-2 activities leading the increased heart attacks. That is just a little side factoid.

I don't like fish much & probably should be taking some Omega. I did just order a bottle of Dr's Best R-Lipoic, and will let you know my impression of it, mrsD, good or bad. I could feel results from the regular ALA (pre-gabapentin) within 3 weeks & will be interesting to see if I notice any difference. I'm taking 900mg daily of the ALA, and you say you think 1-100mg of the R-Lipoic may work? I could tell the difference going from 600mg to 900mg daily of ALA.

I take lots of water with all my supplements.

I wish I could figure out how to deal with this because I want the purchase Heart Tech and do the Linus Pauling Thereapy in the WORSE WAY. I literallyw as about to purchase it when I realized the lipoic was so destructive to me. I gotta figure out how I can take stuff like ascorbic acid. :(

It appears that these videos from Dr. Berkson involve high dose ALA given IV, along with LDN. LDN is the focus here IMO. For serious metastatic cancers.

ALA has a poor absorption rate from the GI tract, so giving it IV bypasses that problem.

The NaRALA has been developed since these videos (2008), to improve GI absorption so that IVs would not be needed.

There is no question the lipoic acid works. The history and papers go back decades for its usefulness. Getting it into the body however, is a big hurdle.

I think for most purposes 100mg of the new soluble R-lipoic called stabilized is enough. Its absorption is so much higher than the racemic forms. (R + S).

Ester C is easier on the stomach. That is the type I use.

Also there is the new liposomal form of C out there now. This is pricey however. The C is inside nanoparticles of emulsion and is absorbed that way, and goes directly to the liver, where the fatty acids are stripped off.

In order to do the linus pauling therapy they specify ascorbic acid.

But my results with stuff like that, and rlipoic acid makes me on a quest to understand and figure out how to get around this problem. It has taken 2 days to get over taking 3 pills of rlipoic acid. The problem lingers way longer than just taking the pill. Its so very strange considering I am having no problems with reflux. It seems very odd that it has taken 2 days to get over it.

Yes, many of the videos are about IV ALA, speaking to physicians. But that is not all he does.

He just mentioned how the R and S are separated so I thought if people wanted to us the R, they need to look into that and all brands of ALA. You do have to get it pure and from a quality brand.

I have heard from Dr. Berkson in the videos and many things I have read, doctors etc, that the ALA is absorbed very well. Dr. Berkson talks about the urine smell also and it is absorbed quickly. It sure must be for me. I am just so thankful we have it.