Alpha Lipoic Acid: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory

Unlike Vitamin C, which is water soluble and Vitamin E, which is fat soluble,
Alpha Lipoic Acid is a unique antioxidant that is both water and fat soluble,
which allows it to enter all parts of the cell to neutralize free radicals.
Alpha Lipoic Acid contributes to and is important for the production of energy
inside the cell by utilizing sugar to produce energy contributing to mental and
physical stamina, reducing muscle fatigue and neutralizes free radicals. Alpha
Lipoic Acid recycles and enhances the effects of both Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

Scientists first discovered the importance of alpha lipoic acid in the 1950s,
and recognized it as an antioxidant in 1988. It has been the subject of research
around the world, some being done at UC Berkeley by Dr. Lester Packer, a leading
expert in the area of antioxidants and a professor of molecular and cell biology
at the University of California at Berkeley. He believes that Alpha Lipoic Acid
could have far-reaching consequences in the search for prevention and therapy of
chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Because it is the only antioxidant that can easily get into the brain, it could
be useful in preventing oxidative stress and damage from a stroke. [21].

Alpha Lipoic Acid is easily absorbed when taken orally and once inside cells is
quickly converted to its most potent form, dihydrolipoic acid. Because both
Alpha Lipoic Acid and dihydrolipoic acid are antioxidants, their combined
actions give them greater antioxidant potency than any natural antioxidant now
known. This also makes it important for regulating aspects of the immune system,
in particular, T-lymphocytes. [22].

The incidence of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis increases with age.
Free radicals promote inflammatory reactions, which antioxidants have been
successful at diminishing.

Scientists recently stimulated the inflammatory response of white blood cells,
resulting in an increase of Intracellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1), which
encourages white blood cells to stick to other cells, thereby inflaming tissues.
Alpha-lipoic acid, a potent antioxidant, was then added to the mix. Researchers
said the acid reduced the activity of ICAM-1 to levels in normal, un-stimulated
cells in a dose-dependent manner. It also lowered the activity of NFkB.
According to the study, these changes suggest that alpha-lipoic acid may help
reduce the effects of inflammatory diseases such a rheumatoid arthritis and
psoriasis. [23].

Suggested dosage for Alpha Lipoic Acid is 100-200 mg in divided doses daily.

SIDE EFFECTS: with alpha lipoic acid are rare but can include:

- Skin rash and the potential of hypoglycemia in diabetic patients.
- People who may be deficient in vitamin B1 (such as alcoholics) should take
vitamin B1 along with alpha lipoic acid supplements.
- Chronic administration of alpha lipoic acid in animals has interfered with the
actions of the vitamin, biotin. Whether this has significance for humans remains
unknown.11A.


Andrew Pacholyk, MS L.Ac (peacefulmind.com)

__________________
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~Immanual Kant~

Alpha lipoic acid chelates iron and copper, so beware if this is a concern to you. BTW, IP6 also chelates iron. So, you should at least not take them both.

__________________
-
- Jim

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein

Thanks jfh for the warnings and advice, very much appreciated.

My daughter was found to be low in iron and has been taking ALA for a couple months several times a week. Thanks for the possible link.

ALA effectiveness is enhanced if it is taken with L-carnatine.

__________________

I take ALA daily & it really does help with Diabetic Neuropathy. I take a 300mg ALA from www.Ourhealthcoop.com .
I also take a Vit B complex with it. I've had no side effects from it. It really helps w/the former pain
I'd had in my feet.

potential of hypoglycemia in diabetic patients.
I am diabetic, how will this affect me

It's known to lower blood glucose levels in diabetics. Those with diabetes, who are taking prescription medication to lower blood sugar, need to check their levels frequently to make sure they're not getting too low.

https://www.diabeteswellbeing.com/alp...-diabetes.html

ALA revs up mitochondrial activity which can use up B vitamins in the process. Taking a B Complex with ALA is a good idea.

ALA also binds to mercury and can be troublesome to some people with a lot of mercury fillings as it can redistribute the mercury to other organs such as brain.

https://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/7/6/456.pdf

So it would be wise to take chlorella, 1000mg a day with it if you have mercury fillings so when the liver dumps the mercury into the gut the chlorella will bind to it and carry it out the stool.

Best to have the fillings removed.

More about ALA...https://www.naturalnews.com/034044_al...ic_energy.html

I have a strange disorder that I think is autoimmune - discoid lupus b/c of skin patches on my face though didn't test for anitbodies.

I get severely inflamed in my skin when exposed to any type of artificial light and also the sun. I don't burn like a sunburn, but my skin feels swollen and painful. In front of PCs on cellphones, TVs, etc. Some foods seem to exacerbate (dairy, junk food which I hardly eat anymore).

I have amalgam fillings and had a chemical sensitity in my 20's due to exposure to toxins. I also got a bad chemical burn from sunscreen in my 30's. I am at a loss and no doctors have a clue.

I have found a few things that cool the inflammation - vitamin e, bromelain, quercitin, soy milk (the genistein (this stuff cools me down almost instantly, weird), mega dose fish oil, green tea, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, ibuprofen, but it all wears off after 1/2 hour to and hour. if I am exposed to light on my work computer - the burning comes back in an hour later.

If I am not in front of PC, TV, or under light, I will start to cool down as well. I can't work or go to stores unless I'm supplemented up. What is wrong with me? I have suspicions but no answers.

How can I raise my gluatathione to chelate mercury? Since I had fillings should I avoid ALA?

I was taking 500 mg for about a year. Now I am breaking open and taking only 100 mg once a day or twice is that enough to chelate - or too much. every 3 hours is not an option b/c I have ADHD - i'm super disorganized.

I'm also taking plant sterols to down regulate my immune system, but I have to take on an empty stomach 3 times a day among eating and all these other supplements it's just too much. Please help me! Has anyone heard of low dose naltrexone ?

One amalgam filling is 52% mercury, that is bad enough, but having more than one of these fillings is going to take a toll on your health, so the only real solution here is to get the mercury fillings out of your head. On this, there is no option 2.


I don't see vitamin D on your list, but it should be, at 10,000iu per day, as well as vitamin C, preferably liposomal vitamin C, the more the better... start at 10 grams per day in several divided doses, then up it from there. Vitamin C chelates mercury so don't be skimpy with it.

The soy milk should be fom non GMO soy, so if you aren't sure scrap it and drink almond milk instead. The fish oil should be of good quality, distilled to remove pcb's and other toxins, and should be at least 3 grams per day. The green tea is good, however, adding 250mg of green tea extract as a supplement would help as well. I like the dark green veggies, however, would suggest juicing some.


This crap will burn holes in your guts so get rid of it... use curcumin instead. It is the greatest inflammation fighter that I know of. The key is to use a good quality high potency curcumin, not something from Walmart.

You appear to be affected by electromotive force from electronic devices, and most likely from lights as well, especially the flourescent bulbs. Also, your bedroom must not have electric devices that will affect you while you are sleeping. These include any lights, tv, alarm clock, even the wiring in the wall near your head. These all take a toll on your immune system.

Do some research on grounding or earthing. Go to doctor mercola's site and search for these topics as they are more important than you think.


Vitamin C increases glutathione, however as stated earlier, the dose is the key. That and it being liposomal, which is another topic to research, starting with some youtube videos. There is also some discussion on this forum, so just click on "search" near the top of this page and type "liposomal vitamin c" on the forum search line.

The first step to getting healthy is to stop doing the things that are making you sick. That means getting rid of the mercury fillings, the electronic devices within 4 feet of where your heed is when lying down, and that includes the wiring in the walls since there is power in the wire and thus electromotive force is produced even when nothing is plugged into the outlet so be aware of that. Change your flourescent bulbs back to incadescent style, get rid of the things that you eat that you know affect your health in a negative way, and make sure you are getting all 16 vitamins, 60 minerals, 12 amino acids, the 3 fatty acids, (doctor wallach videos on youtube) and take in some spices such as cinnamon, clove, etc.. herbs such as oregano, parsley, sage, etc. Aloe vera is good, perhaps cabbage and/or cabbage juice.

If you drink coffee or soda, or even sweet fruit juices, switch to tea. Green tea is fine, but so is red, (rooibos) white, lemon, herbal, etc.

Anything that resembles sugar should be eliminated, and that includes cake, cookies, white bread, pasta, white rice, and anything deep fried. Steam food and/or bake instead.

Small changes can make a big difference.

__________________
Let Food Be Your Medicine And Medicine Be Your Food.(Hippocrates)

Thank you Pinball Doctor for responding so quickly and with the detailed info! I have about 6 fillings - was hoping to Not have them removed ($$), but I guess that's my only hope.

I didn't know Vit c chelates mercury. That's awesome. I take 500 to 1000mg a day of asorbic acid - oddly enough this form of C heats me up if exposed to light but I am okay if I take not exposed to light- super weird. I will defintely check out the Liposomal b/c I don't want to quit the C.

Will also look into the curcumin supps - I use turmeric every now and then - as an organic spice- but I don't think that's the same thing.

My Soy is organic so I am assuming it's non GMO.

As for the electro sensitivity - I suspected that too - but oddly enough I can be around electronics just fine - it's only when I am exposed to the UV directly - the light source - mainly on the face - but also arms/hands - that I start to get the inflammation that spreads throughout my whole body - so I think it's UV related and not electro - but still not ruled out.

As for other causes - I think I may also have residual silicone in my body - didn't want to get that detailed but since I'm writing about this - may as well put it all out there. If that's the case would a blood purifying herb be helpful? I took somehting in my 20's and it seemed to diminish the chemical sensitivities but it may have been from the removal.

I will definitely invest in a juicer and maybe back off the ALA for now since I have fillings and don't mercury redistributing to my brain. I'm 43 and got them when I was about 10 so I'm guessing the mercury is pretty high. I can't believe docs would put this poison in our bodies!

As for food - everything pretty much sets me off - dairy, some meats, bread, grains, sugary stuff, spices, and oddly enough various fruits and veggies. It's hard to keep track of. Again, can eat them just fine as long as I'm not going to be under strong uv light source.

I've been praying for a cure to this bizarre condition - maybe removing the amalgams is it!