Supplement combination/effectiveness

Hi Ken @depueman, Thanks for the private message. I thought I would answer it in this discussion - Supplement combination/effectiveness: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/supplement-combinationeffectiveness/ so that @jesfactsmon @jeba other members who have also posted about Theracurmin, curcumin, turmeric supplements may also share what their experience.

You mentioned being interested in a product called Theracumin and wanted to know if I have tried it. The short answer is I have not tried it. Here's some information I found this morning - " Theracurmin is formulated using proprietary manufacturing methods to increase curcumin's solubility and bioavailability in the body. To create Theracurmin, curcumin is mixed with gum ghatti along with other ingredients and ground down using a wet grinding mill to reduce its particle size." -- The Difference Between Curcumin & Theracurmin: https://womensvoice.com/en-us/articles/nutrition/the-difference-between-curcumin-theracurmin/

Here are a couple of research articles from NIH. The second one contains a table -Curcumin Formulation Strategies to Enhance Absorption that shows some top rated products including Theracurmin and the one I am currently taking Meriva.
-- Short-term effects of Theracurmin dose and exercise type on pain, walking ability, and muscle function in patients with knee osteoarthritis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5747204/
-- Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7144558/

Thank you John! This is fabulous information!

Hello All. This is my first post, so apologies if I am not posting correctly. While my question is related to Supplement combination/effectiveness, if I need to start a new conversation, please let be know.
My wife has been coping with Neuropathy for over five years now. As with many, Gabapentin is not working for her. We are trying CBD gummies to help with the pain, which does help some. I have done a lot of searching to find a solution that addresses more than the pain, since the Neuropathy continues to progress. I have found a few Drs that are recommending alternate treatments. I would like to know if anyone has used the same combination of supplements. One added caution I am considering, is that my wife also has an anaphylactic reaction to Sulfur. All comments are greatly appreciated.

1. Benfotiamine (fat soluble B1) to attack nerve plaque
2. Thioctic acid (aka Alpha-lipoic acid or ALA) addresses nerve pain
3. Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) for nerve repair

Hello @jrc3vette, Welcome to Connect. I'm sorry to hear your wife has not found much help for the neuropathy pain. I only have the numbness and some tingling with my neuropathy but I also take supplements since being diagnosed 2016. I shared my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy has a list of supplements that have shown to help with neuropathy symptoms in their list of Complementary and Alternative Treatments here - https://www.foundationforpn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Complementary-and-Alternative-Treatments-Revised-2020-final.-1.pdf.

I do take the supplements you listed along with others as part of the supplements I have been taking since 2016. There is a link to the list that includes links to the research for the supplements that I shared in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/957496/.

Are you able to share more about your wife's diagnosis and her neuropathy symptoms?

Hello, jrc3vette (@jrc3vette)

And welcome!

I wasn't able to have a substantive conversation with a doctor about supplements until I inquired about and was sent to see a physiatrist, the sort of neurologist (and you may know this; I didn't at the time) who emphasizes physical rehabilitation to counter nerve damage. He put me on a "medical food" known as EB-N5, but that was what he had hoped might help with my particular form of neuropathy: idiopathic sensory-dominant polyneuropathy.

Symptomatic of my neuropathy is no pain; my challenges are balance and gait. Although I don't it for a fact, it's possible that EB-N5 is hoped to help those where pain is not their overriding concern. I thought I'd tell you of my experience chiefly to say that, for me, it took finally finding a doctor who was conversant in supplements and nutrition before I'd been given anything to try.

I wish you and your wife well and help with her most immediate needs that's not too long in coming.

Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)

Thank you so much for your reply @johnbishop. My wife, Jackie, has not had a lot of specific diagnosis for her Neuropathy. Her PCP basically diagnosed the Neuropathy 5 years ago and started her on Gabapentin. We recently saw a Neurologist, who concluded after running several tests (including an EMG ) that is was Neuropathy and was advised to follow up with her PCP.
A little background. Jackie was a heaver drinker up until this last October, when her condition became so severe, she could not physically go out and get more liquor. Sinch October and a brief stay with inpatient physical therapy, she better and is on board with quitting drinking. So far, successfully. While her overall condition has remarkable improved, her Neuropathy related symptoms have worsen. It is unclear if her Neuropathy is alcohol induce Neuropathy or not. Since November, she has started having Neuropathy type symptoms with her hands. Previously, it was only her feet. Numbness, tingling, sharp pain and weakness. She is to the point where she cannot pickup her medication. I have to put it in her hand. Multiple Drs agree that she is past the point of potential alcohol withdrawal. It has become apparent that pain centric treatment is not sufficient for her. I hope this background helps. I am definitely open to suggestions.

This may be preaching to the choir, but I thought of an analogy that fits my determination to find a more suitable solution for my wife's Neuropathy. I thought I would share it in the hope that it inspires others.

A faucet is slowly leaking. Then, the drain becomes clogged. Once the sink is full, water starts leaking all over the counter. Even if you find an effective way of mopping up the water that is all over the counter, the faucet is still leaking and the drain is still clogged. Water will continue to go all over the counter unless the faucet is fixed or the drain is unclogged. This endless cycle is like a pain management centric treatment.

I strongly believe the medical industry is heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. There is less profit in fixing that leaking faucet or unclogging that drain than there is in simply providing aid to help with mopping up the water indefinitely.

Well said

This is my first time using Mayo Clinic for answers to my newly foot pain that is keeping me worry and without able to sleep. How can I aliviate this pain? I refused to take medicine full of side effects !

Welcome @marianicole24, I am sorry to hear your foot pain is making it hard to sleep. You are not alone. I'm wondering if it might be helpful to read through some of the comments by members with similar symptoms in the following discussions:
--- I found an answer to the pain and burning at night, I hope that it you: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-found-an-answer-to-the-pain-and-burning-at-night-i-hope-that-it-you/
--- Neuropathy Pain at Night: What helps?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/night-pain-2/

Have you been diagnosed with neuropathy?