Alpha Lipoic Acid

gibbledygook · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:40 am Post subject: Alpha Lipoic Acid

I have mislaid a link taking one to a cheap provider of alpha lipoic acid. I note that this supplement is said to inhibit the expression of ICAM and VCAM in CNS endothelial cells. These assist the migration of T cells across the bbb. I think. Anyway I'm planning on increasing the quantity of alpha lipoic acid to several grams a day but Solgar is a total rip off. Any suggestions?
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1st traceable symptoms Jan 01, last edss by doctor 6.5. Feeling better on ginkgo, salvia, capsaicin, curcumin, scutellaria. Interested in other vascular strengthening herbs; pycnogenol, butcher's broom, horsechestnut, centenella, hersperidin

NHE · Volunteer Moderator Joined: Nov 21, 2004 Posts: 760

Hi Gibbledy,
Have you seen my earlier post on R vs. S lipoic acid?
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopicp-29715.html#29715

You might want to look into getting some R lipoic as I've read that it can be 6 to 12 times more effective than S lipoic and products simply labeled as "alpha lipoic acid" usually contain 50% of the S isomer.

NHE

gibbledygook · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:03 am Post subject:

Hi,

Thanks for that. I have seen this form promoted on Life Extension whose curcumin I think is rather good. Trouble is they are rather expensive. Still, nothing ventured nothing gained.
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1st traceable symptoms Jan 01, last edss by doctor 6.5. Feeling better on ginkgo, salvia, capsaicin, curcumin, scutellaria. Interested in other vascular strengthening herbs; pycnogenol, butcher's broom, horsechestnut, centenella, hersperidin

DIM · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:26 am Post subject:

You can take ALA with L-carnitine and Q10 to increase it's effectiveness, I give to my wife this product that is pharmaceutical quality and cheaper than most others: http://www.biosynergy.com/endur.htm
2 caps per day of the above and two caps simple L-carnitine 500mg each caps every 4 hours as it helps also in fatique!

Longing4Cheese

I got a POUND of N-Acetyl L-Carnitine for about $32 (incl. shipping) from www.trueprotein.com, a body-building supplements site.

It was hard to find the supplements area at first; click on Formulas and then pull down to Custom Solutions. You can dial in custom blends of supplements by percentages; you can add flavorings, etc.

I ordered a pound of ALCAR and a pound of L-Arginine, as well as 2 lbs of pea protein. They come in either a heavy duty plastic bag if you wanna go really minimal, or for 60 cents per pound a white plastic canister with a simple label. I have received mine almost instantly after ordering, too.

So then I went online and bought a capsule filling setup (24 at a time) and a bunch of size 00 vegetable-based capsules. Tonight I made my first batch of ALCAR and Arginine (separately) capsules, and it was very easy. It was funny dealing with white powders and smoothing it around with a plastic card -- looked like a cocaine-cutting scene in a movie. All we needed were some guns on the table and some twitchy characters hanging around.

Seriously, I got tired of paying $23 + tax at Whole Foods or CVS for a small bottle of 500 mg capsules. I could see that it was going to cost too much to take ALCAR this way, and I think this little investment is going to save me a LOT of money pretty quickly.

I've seen a couple of other bodybuilding sites that offer supplements in HUGE MANLY CONTAINERS, but I went with this one, since a friend (a vegan with big muscles) recommended it to me.

Best of luck...

L4C
Jack Sprat