effective for diabetic nerve pain      In patients with nerve pain related to diabetes antidepressant drugs, anticonvulsant drugs, and opium derived pain killers are regularly prescribed to control pain. However, these powerful drugs (loaded with side effects) rarely provide complete pain relief and fail to prevent worsening of neuropathy (a disease of the nervous system that often causes severe pain).       Doctors in the Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston analyzed data from 5 controlled clinical trials consisting of 1160 patients with diabetic nerve damage. In four of the studies (Alpha-Lipoic Acid) provided significant improvement in nerve pain/damage.

     Brain injuries and multiple concussions are common in NFL football players. Thirty retired NFL players with brain damage and cognitive impairment were treated with natural substances at an outpatient neuropsychiatric clinic at UC Irvine School of Medicine.      All patients were supplemented with Fish Oils (55.6 grams per day), a multiple-vitamin, and the following brain enhancing nutrients; Ginkgo and Vinpocetine to enhance blood flow to the brain, ALCAR and Huperzine A to increase the level of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter necessary for learning and memory), plus NAC and ALA (powerful brain antioxidants) on average for six-months.

     Doctors at the University of Catania in Italy treated sixty patients chronically infected with hepatitis C with the drugs Ribavirin and Pegylated Interferon for 12-months. This combination is frequently effective for treating the disease but often is discontinued by the patient prematurely because of side effects that include fatigue and flu like symptoms (headache, muscle ache, fever).      In half the patients they added ALCAR (N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine) to improve quality of life and thereby decrease the risk of discontinuing treatment due to side effects.

Sciatica is a very painful condition. The major nerve that travels down the leg becomes inflamed. Pain can be debilitating.

                       This is a crossover study of obese patients with diabetes performed at the Academic Unit of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Queen Alexandra Hospital in the UK. Patients with diabetes were all placed on appropriate medical care, diet and were supplemented with 600mg of Grape Seed Extract (GSE) daily or inactive placebo for 4 weeks.  Then patients on GSE were switched to placebo and vice versa. The fructosamine level improved dramatically by 9 points on average, on this dosage of GSE.