Over the course of the past 100 years dating back to the early 1900’s Western Medicine has used the term “Miracle Drug” to explain a whole bunch of drugs that miraculously treat or cure certain illnesses. Nowadays the drugs which are pushed on our civilization by the drug companies do more harm than good with their negative side effects.
Today in this article I want to talk about a Miracle Antioxidant called Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), sometimes also called just Lipoic Acid, and why and how it will cure almost everything. But first I want to explain to you how to hear, not see, why the majority of the population in the United States are some of the sickest people on the planet.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – THE MASTER OF DISASTER
Have you ever just listened to a drug commercial on the TV? Next time one comes on close your eyes or turn away from the TV and just listen to the commercial. If you watch the commercial the results will not be as effective because the sense of sight is more powerful than the sense of hearing. This is the reason why TV advertisement works better than radio advertisement.
All you have to do is just listen to all of the side effects of the drugs that the drug companies want you to take. I used to do this when the commercials would come on to the TV but now I just totally ignore them because the information they are providing is totally useless, especially since I know firsthand of many better and safer alternatives.
THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM
More often than not the side effects are worse than the condition the drugs are meant to treat. Because this blog post is about the miraculous antioxidant of ALA I will focus on the prescription drug Lyrica which is used to treat Diabetic Neuropathy or diabetic nerve damage.
If I had diabetes, Alpha Lipoic Acid for neuropathy would be my first choice as a solution. It is scientifically proven to be highly effective at a way lower cost and WITHOUT any negative side effects. But first the side effects of Lyrica.
Lyrica can cause: drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, high fever, swollen arms and legs, swollen hands and feet, weight gain, unsteadiness, confusion, change in the amount of urine, unusual bleeding and bruising, blurred vision, muscle pain, tenderness and weakness.
Wow! I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not want to take Lyrica for diabetic neuropathy when ALA can fix the problem without giving me any of those side effects. If you have diabetes and your doctor prescribed Lyrica, would you take it knowing these common side effects? Yes, I said common side effects. I didn’t even list the serious side effects and allergic reactions like swelling of the tongue and throat, trouble breathing, suicidal thoughts and attempts, just to name a few.
THE WAR ON DRUGS
We spend so much money in the United States on the “War on Drugs” but don’t do anything about the legal pharmaceutical drugs that are making this nation one of the sickest developed countries on the planet. The high cost of pharmaceuticals is one of the main reasons why healthcare costs so much. How about we stop spending all of that money to combat street drugs and go after the real drug pushers, the pharmaceutical companies who constantly advertise a new drug for conditions which are all of a sudden a disorder or a disease?
Instead of spending millions if not billions of dollars we do not really have on illegal street drugs, some like marijuana which actually has medicinal value, how about we go after the third leading cause of death in the U.S., prescription drugs? Better yet, how about we educate the population on the safer and all natural ways of curing ourselves of everything from the common cold and flu to cancer? It is all possible through natural means!
Oh wait a minute, I know why! Most of conventional western medicine is money driven and doesn’t work for the total healing and wellness of the people. I can hear Hippocrates, “the father of western medicine” rolling over in his grave at a 100 mph as to what western medicine has become.
I BELIEVE IN HELPING PEOPLE
Thankfully I am not one of those people that buy into the hype that their doctors dish out like candy to trick-or-treaters. I have told many former doctors to stick their prescription pads where the sun doesn’t shine because I know of a better way.
I believe in God and I seriously doubt God wouldn’t provide any natural cures for us to discover and use. Guess what? God has provided them and I have been using them for about 27 years now with great success. Plus my current doctor backs me up 100%.
I believe in helping people with honest and effective therapies, not just based on scientific results but on personal results. I always practice what I preach. That is why I started this website, to share what I know that works for not just me but hundreds of thousands of other people too.
THE WONDER NUTRIENT
Alpha Lipoic Acid truly is a miraculous antioxidant. All antioxidants are either water soluble (work in the liquid areas of the body) or fat soluble (work in the fleshy areas of the body). The reason ALA is so wonderful is because it is both water and fat soluble and can work its healing powers in every cell of the body.
Why is this important to you? Well in addition to being a potent antioxidant in its own right, ALA increases the levels and strengths of four other vital antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E, CoQ10, and Glutathione. No other antioxidant has that kind of power! This is one of the main reasons, and there are too many to list in this post, why ALA is extremely beneficial for treating diabetes, liver damage, cancer and so many other diseases.
Alpha Lipoic Acid even slows down the aging process because of how it protects the DNA structure of the mitochondria in every cell of the body. Overall aging always starts in the mitochondria of every cell, more on anti-aging below.
ALPHA LIPOIC ACID WILL HELP ALL DIABETICS
My father was diabetic and had cancer before the cancer treatment killed him at the age of 86. My oldest sister has diabetes but is almost cured of it because of the knowledge that I am sharing with you here which I have also shared with her. Even I was diagnosed borderline diabetic at one time and anyone who knows me knows that I reversed that within weeks.
What did I do? I started taking 800mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid every day, 400mg a half hour to an hour before lunch and another 400mg before dinner. My doctor said that alone reversed the problem but to make sure I started taking a 20-30 minute leisurely walk around the neighborhood every other day.
I also stopped consuming anything that wasn’t made with whole grain flour or wheat and stopping anything made with high fructose corn syrup. That was really hard to do as HFCS is in practically everything. Then I started to eat mostly big salads for dinner topped with broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, ground flaxseed, and either crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese with just a little olive oil and vinegar.
When my oldest sister found out that I was borderline diabetic she started telling me of the treatments her doctor was having her do. I quickly reminded her that I already knew my plan of attack and it wasn’t going to be anything tied to the pharmaceutical approach.
Like I said to her at that time, why would I listen to your doctor’s advice when he prescribed you insulin for your type 2 diabetes? Giving insulin to a type 2 diabetic is like pouring gasoline on a fire, it just makes the diabetes worse. Insulin should only be used with those with type 1 diabetes.
ALPHA LIPOIC ACID TO THE RESCUE
After my diabetic condition was gone for good, thankfully my sister finally stopped taking the insulin and her diabetes started to go away. She then started taking ALA and eventually even more great things were happening to her health. One by one she was getting off several of the medications she was taking.
This is just one of the many success stories I have personally experienced with either me or someone I know who has taken ALA. But there is way more that this potent antioxidant can do. It can help people with hepatitis B and C, autoimmune hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver and even save the lives of people who are experiencing liver failure.
Alpha Lipoc Acid can also chelate heavy toxic metals out of the body, it protects DNA and stops cells that are genetically programmed to become cancerous, it increases apoptosis (cancer cell death), and gives a boost to other antioxidants that fight cancer. With an antioxidant that is both water and fat soluble, ALA can get at and into every cell in the body to either protect it or kill whatever is attacking the mitochondria.
I HAVE FOUND THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
So how would you like to look and feel younger? Come on, I know you do, who doesn’t at some point in their lives? Look at my picture on my About Me page. Do I look 50 years old in that picture? Well I am and actually I just turned 51 in October of 2013. What is my secret? There is no secret because I have listed and promoted on this website 3 of the nutrients I take daily that all help to slow down the aging process at the cellular level.
What are they? Alpha Lipoic Acid, Resveratrol from either Red Wine or a supplement, and Ubiquinol CoQ10 which can be strengthened by ALA as stated above in this post. All three of these nutrients work at the cellular level to protect the mitochondria of every cell in the body. Since all forms of aging start in the mitochondria, any nutrient that works its antioxidant powers there, I want to take and do take on a daily basis for quite some time.
You maybe asking yourself, what exactly is the mitochondria? Well mitochondria (plural of mitochondrion) can be simply described as the power plant in the cells of our bodies. Everything about our bodies start and in some cases end at the cellular level. When the mitochondria become ill, they lose power. Just like a power outage at a power plant can disrupt a major cities proper functioning, so is true with a power outage within our own cells.
When the mitochondria is attacked by any type of free radical cells (damaged or cancerous) the DNA structure of the mitochondria can have bad effects to our health. This is part of the beginnings to disease and aging within our bodies. Because Alpha Lipoic Acid as well as CoQ10 can be manufactured in the body within small amounts, they both reside inside of cells to help the mitochondria work properly.
TAKE ACTION TO SAVE YOUR LIFE
All of this knowledge I am sharing with you I am sure you are amazed with and if you think I am making all of this up, well that’s your right to think that way. But I can say with 100% certainty that what I am sharing here does work and works for hundreds of thousands of people just in this country alone.
My doctor promotes and practices this approach to health and wellness and many world famous doctors of alternative medicine do as well. If it weren’t true do you really think these doctors would be able to keep their medical licenses from the American Medical Association and other associations from around the world?
The only way you will benefit from this knowledge is if you take positive steps to implement them into your lives. The first major step is to find a doctor that will work with you and that really isn’t as hard as it was when I first started on this journey 27 years ago.
There are several doctors who I follow online and on twitter like Dr. Julian Whitaker (he’s my favorite), Dr. Burt Berkson, Dr. Oz, and Dr. John Cannell, just to name a few. If you want to find a doctor in your area, check out my How to Find a Doctor page on this website. In the meantime, if you have diabetes or are borderline diabetic, 800mg (400mg twice a day) will definitely help you tremendously.
If you have any further questions or comments about anything I have covered here or haven’t covered here, please leave them below in the comments area and I will return with a response within 24 hours.
I am going to pass this information along to my mom. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thank you for reading it James. What inspired me to write this article was that a good friend of mine was just diagnosed borderline diabetic and I knew a couple of years ago that it would eventually happened because of the junk he would eat and drink. Like the saying goes, You are what you eat. So he asked me the other day what kind of supplement could he take to reverse his condition. Of course I said well taking the supplement will only be part of the solution but you should take Alpha Lipoic Acid 800mg per day. So that is why I wrote this article because something so cheap in price does WAY BETTER than expensive drugs that do more harm than good.
Very timely flu season information. It’s nice to see a non drug approach.
I have lived the Non Drug approach for 27 years and it has worked above and beyond any type of drug approach conventional medicine has to offer because the natural way cures and the conventional way manages the problems. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to be cured than to live with the problem and manage it with drugs that can give me other problems too. I don’t see any logic to that approach. So it has been the All Natural Non Drug approach for me and more and more of my family and friends are following in my footsteps and reaping the benefits. – Thank you for reading my article Barb!
Thank you for this information! I came to look at your example of a featured image and Alpha Lipoic Acid caught my eye. It happens to be something that I have not heard of yet. I am wondering if it would be effective in treating a pain disease called CRPS which Lyrica is also often prescribed for in regards to nerve pain. I was on Lyrica many years ago and seeing the word alone brings back such awful memories of that evil stuff! I went through a stage of thinking that prescription drugs were the only thing that would lessen the CRPS pain. I have since turned myself around and between a lot of vitamins and keeping my mind busy the pain is usually tolerable. In starting up my own site about natural healing I hope that with each new post I will be a little less ‘in the dark’ learning about all of these wonderful options like Alpha Lipoic Acid. It sounds promising alone as an antioxidant to boost my weak immune system 🙂
A good friend of mine had diabetic neuropathy so bad that he had constant pain in his left foot and leg. When he walked he had to drag his foot because of the intense pain. His doctor put him on Lyrica and told him that it MIGHT help but there really wasn’t much that could be done. He was on it for no more than a year and he finally took my advice and started taking Alpha Lipoic Acid. I told him to take the same amount I take everyday for general wellness, which was at that time 400 MG, and if he felt any improvement that he could double the amount to 800 MG which is what I took when I was diagnosed with borderline diabetes. Well he started at 400 MG / day and after a week felt a little better so he upped it to 800 MG / day and within 10 days he felt so much better and he wasn’t dragging his foot anymore. He said he still had some pain but it was way better then he had felt in a long time. – Fast forward 3 years and he is now Diabetes Free. ALA was what helped him to start getting his condition turned around. – If I were you I would try it for CRPS. Their have been some people that have used it for such and have noticed improvements. ALA is non-toxic even at dosages over the 800 MG / day that I took. Another reason why it’s non-toxic is because our bodies make it from certain foods but after your 20s the body practically stops making it in huge amounts, that’s why supplements are so beneficial.
Just saw your comments on W.A. about ALA. Haveyou heard about Dr. Burt Berksons’ work treating liver cirrhosis with ALA.? The Ezra Protocol by Debra Elkin covers it.
Yes I am quite familiar with Dr. Berkson’s work including his cure for liver failure with ALA.
I have heard that the R-Alpha Lipoic Acid is much stronger and more pure than regular Alpha Lipoic Acid. Do you have any advice on this and how does that affect dosage. Thank you.
Yes Eric, the R-Alpha Lipoic Acid is better though I wouldn’t say stronger. It is more bioavailable, meaning it is better absorbed and practically identical to the ALA that our bodies produced when we were in our teens and 20s. Dosage is basically the same, and since it is a naturally produced nutrient in the body, you cannot overdose on it. Whatever excess the body doesn’t use it just expells via urine. Always follow recommendations on the bottle.
Thanks for the quick response..
You are welcome Eric
I’m 86 & not on any pharmaceuticals!!!!! Been on compounded bio-identical hormones & natural thyroid for about 45 yrs. Severe stress from dealing with late husband’s illness + moving to apartment caused a number of symptoms which appear to be being helped w/herbs & nutrients & chelation,(son suspects some supplements may not be pure).
Was looking up Italian research on ALA preventing flu, which I read a few yrs ago & found your site. If it’s geographically convenient, maybe you could give a talk to a group of people I connected with a few yrs. ago, headed by a functional medicine MD. (I was odd man out for most of my life…Wonderful to find others who think alike! ) .. Most everyone has a spiritual approach as well .
Sorry for my late reply. I have been pursuing my new website on the free cure for cancer that many are being censored from. I would love to share what I know and can back it up with medical research. God bless you for avoiding pharmaceuticals at the age of 86. The majority of pharmaceuicals are a lie because they DO NOT CURE and only manage the symptoms so you have to stay medicated and NOT cured. People need to THINK and realize that what they are told is NOT always the truth!
I have MS and have nerve damage on whole right side , numb leg n arm n arm is allways freezing cold ,would ala help ?
Yes, ALA helps with everything because it is a naturally occuring antioxidant within the human body. I take 600 mg every day for general wellness, 300 mg in the morning and 300 mg at night. Though you may need more, taking 600 mg per day in divided doses will not hurt you becuse it is a natural substance tha occurs in the body and delines with age. For MS there are other naturally occurring bodily nutrients that you may need. But taking 600 mg of ALA in divided doses will help you, no doubt.
can you tell me EXACTLY what Brand you take pls and if you have ever tried rAla and at what dose? dibetic husband needs help. thx.
The majority of the supplements I take are the brand by Dr. Whitaker. They can be a tiny bit pricier but the quality and results are AWESOME! Just go to DrWhitaker.com and click on Shop Vitamins & Supplements. These supplements are proven and he has used them with his patients for the past 30+ years.
I started using this a year ago for burning tongue syndrome. When I start having the symptoms I take 800 mgs daily until symptoms subside. This has been a life changer for me…..
It has been called a “miracle antioxidant” that works much better and safer than many dugs on the market.
In Jan 2005 I contracted a blood infection leading to sepsis. It left me with 7 ulcers one of which, on the plantar, is still open. In addition I have peripheral neuropathy (fingers and toes). Initially I was taking Neurounton but it was suggested I replace with Lyrica which seems to help me go to sleep. I lost one of my salivary glands, some of the nerves in my tongue, and lips. I have dry mouth especially when lying down but its not clear from Lyrica or the lack of a salivary gland. Would ALA in leu of Lyrica help.
In my personal opinion, Yes. ALA is far superior than Lyrica and has no negative effects. For a professional doctor’s opinion I suggest you check out the website of Dr. Whitaker MD. He uses ALA to treat and cure many of his patients with diabetic neuropathy. Just do a Google search for Whitaker Wellness Institute. He has far more information on ALA than I have and he successfully uses it with all of his patients. I actually learned about ALA from him.
My mother has 9% left of her kidneys. She is diabetic, high blood pressure, heart failure. Will R-Alpha Lipoic Acid help her? I started day one with 100mg with her supper. She began feeling dizzy 2 hours after taking it. The next day, I cut her dose into only 50 mg and she was fine. The first night she broke into big sweat in the middle of the night, but she said she felt better after the big sweat.
Yes R-Type Alpha Lipoic Acid will help her. It works wonders with people who have not just diabetes but also cancer and most immune system diseases because ALA is a naturally occurring antioxidant that our bodies make when we are healthy. As a person gets older and cannot make it on their own, this is when people will get sick.
I have never heard of anyone getting dizzy or sweating from taking ALA, unless the supplements you were using were bad in some way. If you want some real expert advice on diabetes care, go to the website of Dr. Julian Whitaker MD at this link http://whitakerwellness.com He is an authority on healing people with both types of diabetes and has some AWESOME advice on what diabetics should do and should not do.
He has been healing people with diabetes since the late 1970s, as well as many other diseases and disorders. Even if you cannot go to his medical clinic in Newport Beach, California, the information and recommendations you can get from his website and newsletters are life-saving. I accredit the majority of my natural health knowledge from what this doctor has taught me over the years. He is AWESOME.
My Podiatrist had recommended ALA for my diabetic Neuropathy (that is very mild at this point). After taking ALA for about two weeks, all of a sudden I realized I no longer had Vertigo. If I got up during the night I had to sit on side of bed for few seconds before getting up and it was also much worse when I would turn on my right side in bed. Also, when I would tilt my head backwards. I never wanted anyone to try the method of twisting my head to get rid of the Vertigo as I have had bone spurs in my neck so have put up with the Vertigo. I’ve not read ALA is beneficial for Vertigo but I think it has cured mine as that is the only thing I have done new.
It doesn’t surprise me that it has had a positive effect on your Vertigo. ALA is beneficial for dozens of illnesses and disorder far beyond Diabetes. I even used it as one of the primary supplements for the total natural healing of my cancer back in 2000.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid is a super antioxidant that our body produces in mass quantities when we are younger but steadily declines when we reach our 30s and 40s. Various health conditions can also prevent the body from making it.
One of the many disorders that ALA is known for treating is Altitude Sickness. Though this is not the same as Vertigo, Altitude Sickness does have similar symptoms and if ALA effectively treats Altitude Sickness I can see it having a positive impact on Vertigo too.
I am a functional nutritionist and agree and recommend Alpha Lipoic Acid to nearly everyone, and have found it very beneficial in diabetes at drastically reducing HBA1C. However, you do need to be aware that the doctors in forum who use ALA had high doses to treat, for example HEP C have found that it causes thyroid dysfunction. This may be a small price to pay to get rid of HEP C, but it is something to be aware of. 300-400 mg a day are considered safe.
Thank you for that information. When I was in the process of naturally curing my cancer my doctor told me to take 600 mg, 300 mg with morning meal and 300 mg with evening meal. I had no negative effects and was told that even 800 mg was the highest one cold go before starting to notice some very minor and temporary negative effects.
Thank you for your article. I have severe feet and hand neauropathy, plus muscle weakness in legs and arms. I have ordered some ALA and can’t wait for it’s arrival.
Sue
You are welcome Sue. ALA works better than prescription drugs and has no negative side effects.
I too experienced a sudden, intense feverish sweat about an hour after taking my first 600mg ALA capsule. It can happen, but as Bonnie’s mother said, after it passed I felt better than prior to taling it. I’ve just had my second capsule but this time with food so hopefully it won’t happen again.
It was intense! Goigle searches say that’s a side effect, if it continues I’ll empty the capsules to half (300mg) and see if that’s better.
I would not recommend taking 600 mg in one capsule. It is best to take two 300 mg capsules a few hours apart and with food and water. Never take 600 mg at once, especially if you are just starting to take ALA. You need to build up slowly.
Robert, I came across your site by searching “edema alpha lipoi acid”.
I have been using ALA myself for a number of years and would like to add my bit.
ALA can be augmented with carnitine – I use ALCAR (Acetyl L Carnitine).
Carnitine has long been known as a life extender – I have a suspicion that it works indirectly in this regard.
ALA is alleged to promote telomerase which extends telomeres, if the ALA is potentiated by carnitine then it follows that the two in combination will extend telomere length and hence life through healthy cell replacement.
ALA depletes B vitamins, therefore, it is advisable to supplement with a quality B complex or bioavailable quality individual supplementation: B1 as Benfotiamine, B3 as NADH, B6 as P5P (Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate), B9 as methyl folate (NOT folic acid) and B12 as methyl cobalamine (this may be taken transdermally if dissolved in DMSO).
Other than the above caveat, I agree ALA is something of a miracle worker.
Out of interest (you did mention resveratrol), are you aware of fisetin as a means of targetting senescent cells – it is thought more effective than resveratrol or quercetin?
Another adjunct I use to help deliver supplements is vinpocetin (a semi-synthetic vasodilatory compound extracted from the periwinkle – nature’s viagra).
Please don’t take my word for anything, of course, but if you are not familiar with any of the above, and are interested, the research is facinating – possibly life changing…
Sam
Thanks Sam. A broad spectrum of B vitamins should always be taken regardless of whether someone takes ALA or not because our bodies expel B vitamins in our urine everyday. So if anyone reading this is not taking a robust multi vitamin supplement with adequate levels of B vitamins, you definitely need to start, especially when taking ALA. If your urine does not have a yellow color to it, that is a clear indicator that your body is deficient in B vitamins.
I have damaged auditory nerves which is causing me tinnitus. I also have neuropathy and I believe the tinnitus is a by product of the neuropathy. Would ALA help me to heal the damaged auditory nerves so that my tinnitus goes away? Any advice is appreciated. Thankyou.
YES. Alpha Lipoic Acid is very beneficial for both Neuropathy and its symptoms. Dr. Julian Whitaker, Retired, used to say that if the drug companies could patent ALA, they would do it in a heartbeat. He used it in his practice for thirty plus years to help treat and heal patients with Diabetes, Heart Disease and their complications. I also learned from another doctor that he has spoken about, that ALA is also good for the treatment of cancer, which is why my doctor told me to take it when I had cancer many years ago.