Peripheral Neuropathy - Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Posted by John, Volunteer Mentor @johnbishop, Aug 1, 2017

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard medical care. The August 1st Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy E-Tips email had an interesting article on complementary and integrative therapies. You can view the newsletter on their website at:

https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/integrative-therapies/

The newsletter has a section on Natural products including a list that includes a little information on each of the supplements/vitamins and what part they play in helping. I would like to invite others who have tried any of these or different natural products available over the counter to share their story.

Also, it's a good idea to discuss any additions of vitamins/supplements you are planning to take with your doctor team.

John

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

@janetmaxine

I haven’t gotten relief from gabapentin and don’t like side effects. Has anyone had success with alpha loptic acid and /or LCarnatine? Any other suggestions? Diagnosed with moderate a Ute peripheral neuropathy.

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I take pure Encapsulations AKA 1200 (600 2ce a day) and have gotten great relief plus it keeps skin looking young. The brands do matter. I started on Jarrow but found it had lots of fillers.

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@deluga

I take pure Encapsulations AKA 1200 (600 2ce a day) and have gotten great relief plus it keeps skin looking young. The brands do matter. I started on Jarrow but found it had lots of fillers.

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Please what is AKA ?

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Never heard of this drug above

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@amyj2022

Please what is AKA ?

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Sorry, spelling mistake. Should be ALA for Alpha Lipoic Acid.

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@amyj2022

Please what is AKA ?

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From Eirrol, can you explain a bit more about the alpha lipoid acid for the neuropathy ? Is this supposed to help all kinds of neuropathy ? How long did it take to give you relief ? I am very interested but I also have acute kidney injury with 30% function and neuropathy from shingles brought on by extremely high does of prednisone and chemo. I really am in favor of taking natural products .

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Hi, I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet from chemotherapy. I feel I am walking in sand all the time. Very annoying.
I am looking for anything that might help it to go away if possible. Not sure if it is.

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@eirrol

From Eirrol, can you explain a bit more about the alpha lipoid acid for the neuropathy ? Is this supposed to help all kinds of neuropathy ? How long did it take to give you relief ? I am very interested but I also have acute kidney injury with 30% function and neuropathy from shingles brought on by extremely high does of prednisone and chemo. I really am in favor of taking natural products .

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Hi @eirrol, While you wait for a response from @amyj2022, @deluga and others, I thought I would share a few references on Alpha Lipoic Acid that might be helpful:
-- (R)-Lipoic Acid: Unique ‘Mitochondrial Antioxidant’ Fights Premature Aging:
https://nutritionreview.org/2019/07/r-lipoic-acid-unique-mitochondrial-antioxidant-fights-premature-aging/
-- Research seeks to identify the mode of action of two age-essential micronutrients,
lipoic acid (LA) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR):
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/research/hap/aging-stress-response-and-mitochondrial-decay
-- Lipoic Acid: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/lipoic-acid

As with taking any supplements, especially if you have a medical condition and are taking other medications, you should discuss them with your doctor before taking them.

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@johnbishop

Hi @eirrol, While you wait for a response from @amyj2022, @deluga and others, I thought I would share a few references on Alpha Lipoic Acid that might be helpful:
-- (R)-Lipoic Acid: Unique ‘Mitochondrial Antioxidant’ Fights Premature Aging:
https://nutritionreview.org/2019/07/r-lipoic-acid-unique-mitochondrial-antioxidant-fights-premature-aging/
-- Research seeks to identify the mode of action of two age-essential micronutrients,
lipoic acid (LA) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR):
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/research/hap/aging-stress-response-and-mitochondrial-decay
-- Lipoic Acid: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/lipoic-acid

As with taking any supplements, especially if you have a medical condition and are taking other medications, you should discuss them with your doctor before taking them.

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Hi John, the articles were extremely informative and very much appreciated on ALA. I will discuss it with my doctor, before ever taking it, as I do with any supplement or medication.
Thanks so much.
Eirrol

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@johnbishop

Hi @eirrol, While you wait for a response from @amyj2022, @deluga and others, I thought I would share a few references on Alpha Lipoic Acid that might be helpful:
-- (R)-Lipoic Acid: Unique ‘Mitochondrial Antioxidant’ Fights Premature Aging:
https://nutritionreview.org/2019/07/r-lipoic-acid-unique-mitochondrial-antioxidant-fights-premature-aging/
-- Research seeks to identify the mode of action of two age-essential micronutrients,
lipoic acid (LA) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR):
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/research/hap/aging-stress-response-and-mitochondrial-decay
-- Lipoic Acid: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/lipoic-acid

As with taking any supplements, especially if you have a medical condition and are taking other medications, you should discuss them with your doctor before taking them.

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I've read that before about ALA and it's a good article if you have diabetic neuropathy. ALA is not the only supplement I take and the dosage I take is double what the study says. What I got out of it is infusions are better than oral tablets which I'm sure is true...also a lot more money (in my humble opinion).

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