Top INDEX
• Basics: Enhancement.
• About: Lipoic Acid.
• Health: Uses of Alpha Lipoic Acid.
• Article: Alpha Lipoic Acid - FAQs, NatureWorks.
• Dangers: Alpha Lipoic Acid in Health.
• Technical: The Andy Cutler Protocol.
• Scientific: Burton Berkson, M.D., PhD.

  Product Possibilities, NOT Recommendations.

  Product: Lipoic Acid - DHLA., Atrium Biotechnolgies

  Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid 300 T. R., Atrium Biotechnolgies

  Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Kripps Pharmacy.

  Product: R+ Alpha Lipoic Acid, Prairie Naturals.

  Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid, CanPrev.

  Product: High Dose R-Lipoic Acid, AOR.

  Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid, 600 mg, CanPrev.

• Insight: Down regulation of inflammatory cytokines.
• Insight: Metabolism of ALA releases energy resources.
• Insight: ALA can increase side effects in a mercury toxic person.
• Insight: ALA can inhibit replication of HIV-1 and other viruses.
• Insight: Acetyl L-Carnitine combined with ALA otptimizes energy.

• -Focus-: Monographs on Toxins and Enhancers.

Basics: Enhancement. INDEX
https://www.drugs.com/npp/alpha-lipoic-acid.html
LINK 2: https://www.alphalipoicacid.com/
LINK 3: http://www.anoasisofhealing.com/benefits-of-alpha-lipoic-acid/

Lipoic acid (LA) is a fat-soluble, sulfur-containing, vitamin-like antioxidant.
It is not a true vitamin because it can be synthesized in the body and is not necessary in the diet of animals.
LA functions in the same manner as many B-complex vitamins. Good sources of LA are yeast and liver.

In the 1930s, it was found that a certain potato growth factor was necessary for growth of some bacteria.
In 1951, a fat-soluble coenzyme factor was discovered from lactic acid bacteria.
Researchers isolated and identified alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and found it to be an important growth factor for many bacteria and protozoa.

Increasing evidence shows that mitochondrial dysfunction due to the oxidation of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids plays an important role in brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington disease.

Mitochondria provide energy for basic metabolic processes, produce oxidants as inevitable by-products, and decay with age, impairing cellular metabolism and leading to cellular decline. Various mechanisms of LA's positive effects on cognitive function have been suggested, including improvement of memory-related signaling pathways, reduction of oxidative stress, and improvement of mitochondrial function. ALA may also restore the activity of acetylcholinesterase and Na + , K + -ATPase. The activity of acetylcholinesterase was decreased in the cerebral corex, cerebellum, striatum, hippocampus, and hypothalamus in aged rats, while administration of LA reversed the decrease in the activity in the discrete brain regions. Treatment with LA also protected cortical neurons against cytotoxicity induced by beta-amyloid or hydrogen peroxide.

ALA has a protective effect on encephalomyelitis development not only by affecting the migratory capacity of monocytes, but also by stabilizing the blood-brain barrier. ... LA inhibited expression of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) by CNS endothelial cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. LA was also effective in preventing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis development in a dose-dependent fashion. It was shown that reactive oxygen species are important mediators of injury in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and that generation of reactive oxygen species can be decreased by LA. LA also decreased the migration of monocytes across the blood-brain barrier, which correlated with clinical improvement seen in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. In other studies, LA decreased the phagocytosis of myelin by macrophages by inhibiting the generation of reactive oxygen species.

ALA improves age-associated cognitive dysfunction associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
ALA improved cognitive function in healthy older mice, as well as longer-term memory of aged female nuclear magnetic resonance imaging mice. ALA also demonstrated improvement with cognitive function in senescence-accelerated mice and in chemically-induced, aging-accelerated mice. ALA improved hippocampal-dependent memory deficits of Tg2576 mice, a transgenic model of cerebral amyloidosis associated with Alzheimer disease. It also showed improvement of cognitive function in X-irradiation-induced memory impaired in mice.

The use of ALA supplementation with hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the management of chronic wounds.
Down regulation of inflammatory cytokines and growth factors affecting matrix metalloproteinase expression was observed. Disruption of the positive autocrine feedback loop that maintains the chronic wound state promotes progression of the healing process. ...

ALA is easily absorbed and transported across cell membranes; thus, free radical protection occurs both inside and outside of cells. It is water- and fat-soluble, which makes it more effective against a broader range of free radicals than vitamin C (water-soluble) and vitamin E (fat-soluble) alone. ALA administration also increases intracellular levels of glutathione, an important antioxidant. ...

ALA has been shown to be beneficial in types 1 and 2 diabetes, preventing various pathologies associated with the disease, such as reperfusion injury, macular degeneration, cataracts, and neuropathy.

The retina is markedly sensitive to oxygen free radical damage, due to its high levels of polyunsaturated lipids.
A study in mice tested the effect of LA on the retina after a short diabetic insult. The results showed that after 3 weeks of diabetes, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the retina were increased when compared with controls and that LA was able to prevent this effect. MDA is a well-accepted oxidative stress marker for pathological processes. ... LA may prevent formation of experimentally induced cataracts by increasing glutathione, ascorbate, and vitamin E levels. In turn, LA restores glutathione, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate free radical-reductase activity. The effect was seen in the lenses of 60% of rats treated with L-buthionnine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis.

ALA improves the diabetic condition by facilitating more efficient conversion of sugar into energy, therefore improving blood sugar metabolism. ...

Under physiological conditions, metal ions such as iron, copper, and zinc are important and necessary cofactors for normal function of many proteins. Transition metal deficiency or excess can lead to or affect the progression of diseases. Both ALA and DHLA have been shown to chelate metal ions by forming stable complexes with the ions. Consequently, ALA may have therapeutic potential in transition metal-mediated cellular toxicity in diseases. In addition, LA and DHLA contribute to heavy metal detoxification. More recently, it has been suggested that LA may be useful to protect against and reverse arsenic-induced cell toxicity.

... ALA and vitamin E have shown synergistic effects against lipid peroxidation by oxidant radicals in several pathological conditions, such as thromboembolic stroke model in rats from neurological functions, glial reactivity, and neuronal remodeling.

... Various reports on ALA pharmacology include suppression of T-4 metabolism, exerting a lipid-lowering effect in rats, treatment of Wilson disease, and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

... Oral dosage of ALA given in clinical studies ranges from 300 to 1,800 mg daily.
It is also given IV at similar daily dosages. R -LA is more efficiently absorbed and utilized by the body than the racemate, and lower doses may be effective.

... No adverse reactions from ALA supplementation have been reported in either animal or human studies, even with large doses or extended use. Its use in diabetes may warrant a reduction in insulin or other oral diabetic medications. Close monitoring of blood sugar levels must be performed. In addition, ALA use may spare vitamins C and E, as well as other antioxidants.

... Allergic skin conditions are among the few reported adverse reactions of LA administration in humans.

...

About: Lipoic Acid. INDEX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoic_acid

Lipoic acid (LA), also known as a-lipoic acid and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and thioctic acid is an organosulfur compound derived from octanoic acid. It appears physically as a yellow solid.

ALA is made in animals normally, and is essential for aerobic metabolism.
Degradation (metabolisation) of lipoic acid in humans is not understood (2017-10).

Certain bacteria can use lipoic acid as a carbon, sulfur, and energy source.

Apparently mammals are not capable of utilizing lipoic acid as a sulfur source.

It is ... manufactured and is available as a dietary supplement in some countries where it is marketed as an antioxidant, and is available as a pharmaceutical drug in other countries.

The various forms of LA are not bioequivalent.
Very few studies compare individual enantiomers with racemic lipoic acid.
It is unclear if twice as much racemic lipoic acid can replace RLA.

Lipoic acid is cofactor for at least five enzyme systems.
Two of these are in the citric acid cycle through which many organisms turn nutrients into energy.
Lipoylated enzymes have lipoic acid attached to them covalently.
The lipoyl group transfers acyl groups in 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complexes, and methylamine group in the glycine cleavage complex or glycine dehydrogenase.

Lipoic acid is present in almost all foods, but slightly more so in kidney, heart, liver, spinach, broccoli, and yeast extract.

Naturally occurring lipoic acid is always covalently bound and not readily available from dietary sources.

In addition, the amount of lipoic acid present in dietary sources is very low.
For instance, the purification of lipoic acid to determine its structure used an estimated 10 tons of liver residue, which yielded 30 mg of lipoic acid. As a result, all lipoic acid available as a supplement is chemically synthesized.

(2017-10) ... most of the world supply of R/S-LA ((R/S)-lipoic acid) and RLA ((R)-(+)-lipoic acid) is manufactured in China and smaller amounts in Italy, Germany, and Japan. RLA is produced by modifications of a process first described by Georg Lang in a Ph.D. thesis and later patented by DeGussa. Although RLA is favored nutritionally due to its “vitamin-like” role in metabolism, both RLA and R/S-LA are widely available as dietary supplements.

Health: Uses of Alpha Lipoic Acid. INDEX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoic_acid

Potential Benefits include
• antioxidant,
• essential for aerobic metabolism,
• a cofactor in a number of enzymatic systems,
• turns nutrients into energy,
• regeneration of spent antioxidants,
• increases glutathione levels,
• is produced naturally in the body,
• reduces vitamin E and vitamin C deficiencies,
• works both inside the cell, and, on the cell membrane,
• helps replenish important brain signaling molecules,
• assists age-related memory impairment,
• both its oxidized and reduced forms possess antioxidant properties,
• conversion of glucose, fatty acids and other energy sources into chemical energy (ATP),
• it is readily absorbed and transported across cell membranes.

RLA may function in vivo like a B-vitamin and at higher doses like plant-derived nutrients, such as curcumin, sulphoraphane, resveratrol, and other nutritional substances that induce phase II detoxification enzymes, thus acting as cytoprotective agents. This stress response indirectly improves the antioxidant capacity of the cell.

Gastrointestinal absorption is variable and decreases with the use of food.
It is therefore recommended that dietary LA be taken 30–60 minutes before or at least 120 minutes after a meal.

Maximum blood levels of LA are achieved 30–60 minutes after dietary supplementation, and it is thought to be largely metabolized in the liver.

Article: Alpha Lipoic Acid - FAQs, NatureWorks. INDEX
http://www.nwinfo.com/Alpha-Lipoic-faq.html
Copyright® 2000 and published by:
ABKIT, INC.
207 East 94th Street, New York, NY 10128
Tel: 1-800-226-6227 -- Fax: 212-860-8323

... Alpha Lipoic Acid is an essential co-factor in energy metabolism in organisms from microbes to humans.
A co-factor can be simply defined as a substance (such as a co-enzyme) that must be available in order for another substance (such as an enzyme) to produce a specific result (similar to a catalyst). It only requires a small amount of Alpha Lipoic Acid to fulfill this role.

Also, when present in sufficient quantities Alpha Lipoic Acid acts as an antioxidant.
The amount of Alpha Lipoic Acid naturally present in the body may not be adequate to obtain the antioxidant benefits. Increasing the amount of Alpha Lipoic Acid through dietary supplementation can be helpful to perform this vital function. The combination of these two attributes makes Alpha Lipoic Acid a unique metabolic antioxidant molecule.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is a small molecule that is soluble in both water and fat.
This is significant because water soluble antioxidant nutrients (vitamin C for example) are found within the cell and fat soluble antioxidants (vitamin E for example) are found on the cell membrane. Because Alpha Lipoic Acid works both inside the cell and at the membrane level, you get dual protection. At the membrane level you get protection before free radicals enter the cell. Any free radicals that makes it past the first line of protection are combated right in the cell itself.

Alpha Lipoic Acid may exist in its original oxidized form or its reduced form (as dihydrolipoic acid.)
Most antioxidant substances can be oxidized and reduced and usually can only act as antioxidants when they are in their reduced form. Alpha Lipoic Acid is unique in that both its oxidized and reduced forms possess antioxidant properties. In its oxidized form, the surface atoms at the end of the molecule form a ring structure known as the dithiolane ring. It is because of a minute particle of disulfide in this ring that Alpha Lipoic Acid is able to perform its attributed functions as an enzyme catalyst and as an antioxidant. The dithiolane ring is broken when the molecule is reduced, either by enzymes or free radicals. The result is dihydrolipoic acid, which itself is an even more potent antioxidant.

Alpha Lipoic Acid appears to function in two ways in the body.
First, it functions as a co-enzyme in the metabolic process.
Second, at levels which may be achieved through supplementation, it also works as an antioxidant.

Metabolic Function
Alpha Lipoic Acid serves as a co-factor for a number of vital enzymes responsible for the conversion of glucose, fatty acids and other energy sources into chemical energy (ATP). Small amounts of Alpha Lipoic Acid are bound chemically (co-enzyme) at the active site of enzyme complexes. Alpha Lipoic Acid works by becoming reduced and facilitates biological reactions from which energy is harnessed.

Antioxidant Function
Alpha Lipoic Acid also effects the biochemistry of the body when it is in its free form, that is, not bound to enzymes.
The fact that Alpha Lipoic Acid is predisposed to donating an electron to unpaired molecules makes it an ideal antioxidant when confronted by free radicals. Alpha Lipoic Acid is able to inhibit free radical reactions from such diverse sources as those generated from the body's own metabolism or from various environmental sources.

There are four criteria that must be met before any substance can be considered a potent and successful antioxidant.

First, it must be readily absorbable.
Second, it must be easily transported across cell membranes.
Third, there must be pathways in the cell whereby the substance is reduced from the oxidized form
---- to the antioxidant potent reduced form.
Fourth, it must be shown to interact favorably with a variety of more oxidative species.

Since Alpha Lipoic Acid is a relativel small molecule, it is readily absorbed and transported across cell membranes and, therefore, satisfies the first two criteria. In this way, Alpha Lipoic Acid differs from glutathione which is the other major (sulfur containing) antioxidant in the body. Since glutathione cannot be transported across the intestinal tract, glutathione levels cannot be increased by dietary means to augment the antioxidant defense from this substance. In contrast, Alpha Lipoic Acid which is readily absorbed and has, in fact, been found to increase glutathione levels as the result of its ability to regenerate glutathione back to its potent antioxidant form.

As to the third criteria, Alpha Lipoic Acid is readily reduced in cells and tissues.
Once inside the cells, Alpha Lipoic Acid is reduced or broken down to dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA).
Most importantly, both Alpha Lipoic Acid and dihydrolipoic acid (the reduced form of Alpha Lipoic Acid) are antioxidant compounds that react with a number of oxidative species. While both Alpha Lipoic Acid and dihydrolipoic acid perform antioxidant functions, dihydrolipoic acid, (DHLA), the reduced form of Alpha Lipoic Acid, is the more potent form in performing antioxidant functions. Dihydrolipoic acid acts directly to destroy certain oxygen species such as superoxide radicals, hydroperoxy radicals, and hydroxyl radicals.

Alpha Lipoic Acid acts with other antioxidants in two significant ways.
First, through the enhancement of the antioxidant network resulting from increased activity among the antioxidants within the cell. And second, through the regeneration of other antioxidants by bringing them back to their reduced antioxidant-potent form.

The body's major natural antioxidant substances that defend us against free radicals are substances such as vitamin E, and vitamin C, which are essential in the diet. Another important antioxidant is glulathione. Vitamin E is the most lipid soluble (fat soluble) antioxidant preventing cell membrane damage. Vitamin C and glutathione work in the cytoplasms, the aqueous or water-soluble parts of cells. As mentioned previously, one of the unique characteristics of Alpha Lipoic Acid is that it has both water and fat soluble characteristics. Thus, Alpha Lipoic Acid is a molecule which connects the activity of antioxidants in the cell rnembrane with antioxidants in the cytoplasm, strengthening the antioxidant network. Hence, the intake of vitamin E and vitamin C should be coupled with Alpha Lipoic Acid supplementation in order to ensure complete cell protection since vitamin E, vitamin C, and Alpha Lipoic Acid work synergistically.

Alpha Lipoic Acid plays an important role in antioxidant and vitamin recycling.
This process can be viewed as a sort of chain reaction. Antioxidants are most powerful in their reduced form. When antioxidants come into contact with free radicals, they lose their free radical scavenger fighting abilities and return to their oxidized form.

The reduced form of molecules always has an extra electron.
The reduced form of Alpha Lipoic Acid, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), is able to donate this electron to the oxidized or antioxidant-inactive form of glutathione and vitamin C. The oxidized form of glutathione is called glutathione disulfide. The oxidized form of vitamin C is called dehydroascorbate. When Alpha Lipoic Acid donates the electron to either of these molecules, it serves to regenerate them back to their reduced, potent antioxidant forms known as glutathione and ascorbate (vitamin C) respectively. The reduced form of vitamin C (ascorbate), regenerates vitamin E from its oxidized form (chromanoxyl radical to its reduced form (tocopherol) by means of a similar process of electron donation.

This must be viewed as a cycle.
After donating the electron, the dihydroliopic acid (DHLA) returns to its oxidized form, Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Each time a molecule in its reduced form donates an electron, it returns to its oxidized form.
Each time a molecule in its oxidized form receives or accepts an electron it returns to its reduced form.
This is known as the "redox cycle".

As stated earlier, one of the unique characteristics of Alpha Lipoic Acid is that it possess antioxidant qualities in both its oxidized and reduced forms. This enables the molecule to perpetuate the regeneration cycle. Thus, Alpha Lipoic Acid is able to supply reducing potential to maintain all of the major antioxidant substances in their biologically active and potent forms.

The reduced form of the antioxidant works in a similar way in combating free radicals.
For example, vitamin E donates an electron to peroxide, a free radical, thus balancing out the unpaired electron in the peroxide molecule to create hydrogen peroxide, a relatively harmless molecule. Now that vitamin E has given up the extra electron it loses its free radical scavenging properties and is in its oxidized state. The presence of Alpha Lipoic Acid initiates the chain of regeneration as described above, ultimately leading to the reduction of vitamin E whereby it regains its antioxidant potencies.

An artificially induced deficiency that leads to severe debilitation is the classic test to determine whether or not a substance is a vitamin. Since Alpha Lipoic Acid is produced naturally in the body, it does not meet the requirements of this test and cannot be classified as a vitamin in the classical sense.

Alpha Lipoic Acid exhibits "vitamin like" effects as shown by its function in an antioxidant network which leads to a general increase in the antioxidant defense mechanism. Vitamin E and vitamin C are well known members of the vitamin family that possess antioxidant functions. Symptoms of vitamin E and vitamin C deficiency may be prevented by Alpha Lipoic Acid supplementation. It was found in 1959 that Alpha Lipoic Acid prevented symptoms of vitamin E and vitamin C deficiency in animals that were on vitamin C or vitamin E deficient diets. These results were reconfirmed in similar observations in 1994.

Dietary Sources:
Alpha Lipoic Acid will be mainly found in food stuffs which have been derived from sources where active energy production is occurring. These are usually high in mitochondria. Mitochondria are round or rod-shaped structures found just outside the cell nucleus. They produce energy for the cell and have abundant fats, protein and enzymes. Since one of the more important functions of Alpha Lipoic Acid involves the production of energy which takes place in the mitochondria of cells, cells or tissues that are mitochondria-rich would be expected to have higher sources of Alpha Lipoic Acid. Alpha Lipoic Acid is present in the leaves of plants containing mitochondria and nonphotosynthetic plant tissues, such as potatoes. A survey of plant tissues rich in Alpha Lipoic Acid is currently underway.

Another source which is very high in mitochondria is red meat.
This is probably the richest source of naturaliy-occurring Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Bearing that in mind, dietary supplementation of Alpha Lipoic Acid may be especially important for vegetarians and those cutting down on red meat consumption.

Under normal conditions, our bodies contain small amounts of Alpha Lipoic Acid.
However, these may not be sufficient levels to provide optimal protection from free radicals.
It may be difficult to consume adequate levels of Alpha Lipoic Acid in the normal diet to prevent free radical damage. Therefore, supplementation of Alpha Lipoic Acid may be necessary to ensure sufficient levels in order to obtain the antioxidant benefits of this nutrient.

As with any antioxidant, the optimum levels of Alpha Lipoic Acid would be expected to vary from individual to individual and with levels of exposure to sun, physical activity, diet and lifestyle, exposure to stress and polluted environments. Factors that increase oxidative stress would be expected to increase the need for antioxidant protection. Therefore, it is very difficult to set an exact daily amount of Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Discovery and Brief History of Alpha Lipoic Acid
It was observed in 1937 that certain bacteria required a component of potato extract for growth.
The so-called "potato growth factor" was, in fact, Alpha Lipoic Acid. In 1947, it was reported that yeast extracts contained an unidentified compound that allowed Streptococcus feacalis to oxidize the carpohydrate pyruvate to acetate. Additional studies with yeast extracts in 1952 led researchers to conclude that the compound they were studying was not a simple fatty acid. Armed with this background information, in 1957, the compound was formally isolated and characterized as Alpha Lipoic Acid.

The in-vitro antioxidant function of Alpha Lipoic Acid was investigated in 1939.
Following this, intensive research over the next five years showed that the antioxidant functions of Alpha Lipoic Acid were able to protect cells from free radicals. Research continues to be conducted throughout the world on this unique metabolic antioxidant nutrient focusing on its metabolic and antioxidant characteristics and the interactive effects and benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid and other nutrients.

Dangers: Alpha Lipoic Acid in Health. INDEX

The toxic dose of Lipoic Acid in cats is much lower than that in humans or dogs and produces hepatocellular toxicity.

Adverse Symptoms
• can result in thiamine (vitamin B1) and biotin (vitamin B7) nutritional deficiencies,
• quickly absorbed by the body and is also quickly excreted,
• hepatocellular toxicity.

Technical: The Andy Cutler Protocol.
ALA – ALPHA LIPOIC ACID (Also known as LIPOIC ACID or THIOCTIC ACID)
INDEX
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/chelation-the-andy-cutler-protocol/

ALA – ALPHA LIPOIC ACID (Also known as LIPOIC ACID or THIOCTIC ACID)
ALA chelates specifically mercury and arsenic.

ALA is the most important ingredient in oral chelation.
ALA chelates both intracellular and extracellular mercury (and arsenic) – in the brain and in the body – making it essential to successful detox, while DMSA and DMPS are optional components to help reduce side-effects and open up an accessory route of elimination via the urine.

ALA is a disulfide.
It is water and fat soluble which makes it able to pass the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and is thus able to clear mercury from the brain and inside the organs. You can successfully clear mercury with ALA alone. ALA is essential to detox, while DMSA/DMPS is not. ALA has a half-life of three hours.

Start ALA at low doses of 12.5 mg to ensure few or no adverse effects, and add it after many rounds of DMSA alone.

ALA can increase side effects in a mercury toxic person and you may need to reduce the dose to 6.25 mg if that is the case.
The maximum dose of ALA per day is 1200 mg over twenty-four hours, that is very high and can cause bad or intolerable side effects in some, so work up SLOWLY. It can take you years to get to this point. Starting low and working up is the safest way to proceed to avoid exacerbating symptoms. The higher dosage seems to make a more dramatic difference ultimately, but it takes a long time to get there safely.

ALA is not as easy to tolerate as DMSA for some, as you are mobilizing mercury from the brain and inside the cells.
So it is difficult to ‘expect’ a symptom-free round with it, and especially the day after the round has finished. Usually side-effects are worse when coming off of an ALA-round when the mercury is redistributing. The most common side-effect is fatigue. If the side effects are too harsh lower the dosage before proceeding with your next round.

If you have removed your mercury amalgams a long time ago, use DMSA on its own for a few months before adding ALA.
In this way you can know which supplement is causing a problem if it occurs.

The brain will not detox mercury on its own and only over a lifetime would it be able to eliminate it to a small degree.
Only ALA is able to allow mercury to be excreted from the brain.
People with significant brain mercury will not be able to improve unless they use enough ALA for a long enough time.
Those that improve greatly on DMSA alone, do not usually have as much brain toxicity.

ALA is excreted mainly through the biliary system (bile ducts) from the liver and into the gastro-intestinal tract and also through the kidneys. This means these pathways of elimination should be flowing well to assist detoxification.

ALA is available from most health shops in far too high a dosage without appropriate warnings or directions of usage.
Do not use R-ALA.

Scientific: Burton Berkson, M.D., PhD. INDEX
http://www.drberkson.com/
(Global Health Solutions,
Fatty Liver Disease Docu-Class
NaturalHealth365 https://stopfattyliver.com/1-SLF/
Above LINK was only available for Dec 14/15 weekend, 2020
Episode 1 premiered Tuesday, December 3rd, 2020
Jonathan Landsman, Interviewer
Video 1: 2:32 hr --- Video 2: 41 min )

The below are notes from the Fatty Liver Disease Docu-Class.

Burton Berkson, M.D., PhD. was fired from the USA FDA after 23 years of Responsible and Pioneering SCIENTIFIC work. He would NOT defraud the public and taxpayers who wanted health PROTECTION as every democratic government promises to provide.

He was working in an Internal Medicine Department assisting patients dying from liver cancer with peers who expressed a fatalistic attitude. The FDA told him that the patients were in Stage 4 cancer and were expected to die in 2 weeks. He was to take notes, and watch them die.

Instead, he called Dr. Fred Barter, Chief at the National Institute of Health and asked if anything would regrow a liver. Barter was studying Alpha Lipoic Acid, ALA, as a wonder drug for the reversal of diabetes and diabetic neuropathy. Dr. Berkson understood that the ALA stimulated Stem Cells to regenerate organs. He sent Dr. Barter evidence of 2 cases of ALA use in which each of 2 patients regrew their livers.

Dr. Barter was so impressed that he brought a team of peers up to where Dr. Berkson was, set up a Regeneration Conference and asked Dr. Berkson to be the lead speaker. Dr. Berkson's superiors were unhappy with this because they had asked him to WATCH, had told the families of the patients that their relative would be dead in 2 weeks, and now the patients were still alive. "You made us look like fools and also used a drug that wasn't in our formulary and the formulary committee doesn't meet for 2 months. You could be fired for this!"

Dr. Barter supported Dr. Berkson's efforts and together they gave ALA to 79 people across the country who were waiting for liver transplants. 75 of the 79 regenerated their livers within a month. Dr. Berkson was appointed the FDA Chief Investigator. Then he received a call from a large well respected Medical Center and the Chief there asked if he thought it would reverse Diabetic Neuropathy. Dr. Berkson confirmed that this was its original application and he sent the Medical Center Chief many cases. He never heard from him again.

A few years later, Dr. Berkson read an article describing how a group had given patients intravenous ALA to 1200 people who had been waiting to possibly have their toes amputated. Within 3 weeks, they grew new blood vessels and new nerves in the toes and no longer required amputation. This is the early80's. Dr. Berkson thought this would make ALA a prescription drug. The Canter Center stopped using it.

Dr. Berkson called a drug company, introduced himself as the FDA Chief Investigator for IV Support and asked why this group stopped using ALA after excellent results. The drug company representative said, off the record, this Center is a big place with 1000's of employees, lots of equipment, several hospitals. If they regrow the toes, the Center loses the patient. If they cut them off, they make a lot of money. Then, next year, they come back and have a foot amputated, then a lower leg, then an upper leg, then the other limb. This drug (ALA) was bad for their business. That's why they stopped. They have to do expensive surgeries to stay in business. Profits over People. I've seen this in many, not all, cases.

Dr. Berkson asked the VP of the drug company "Are you going to put ALA as a drug on the market?" The VP said, "It will never get on the market." "Why not?" Berkson asked. "If it is given for diabetic neuropathy, it also very effectively lowers blood sugar, and, we lose money on our diabetic drugs and insulin. You've proven it regrows livers. We lose money on our liver drugs. It gets in the heart, dissolves the plaque and we lose money on our heart drugs. It seems to stimulate the stem cells in the lungs so we'll lose money on our lung drugs. It changes cancer metabolism from anaerobic to aerobic so we lose money on those drugs. This is the worst drug that has ever been around."

A few weeks later, Dr. Berkson got a letter from the FDA saying "We're sorry but you are no longer the principal investigator and we are dropping ALA as a possible prescription drug." They later justified terminating him because he wasn't sending in enough reports. What was happening was that he would send a report on to them and it would be sent back with the note that it had been sent to the wrong place, so he would send it to the place they suggested. That department would then send it back with the reply to send it yet elsewhere. One night, while on call, he received a call from the Chief of Medicine who asked that he please give a female patient an injection of a certain drug, qunidine. Dr. Berkson informed him that the patient was allergic to it. The Chief replied that he had asked Berkson to give the injection and didn't want any flack from him. Dr. Berkson refused to do it.

The Chief complained that Dr. Berkson was the most difficult resident they had ever had, because he refused to follow orders. The Chief asked another resident to give the patient the shot. The patient died right afterward from an allergic reaction. The next morning, while D. Berkson was doing his rounds, one of the nurses handed him a sheet of paper. She said "This is the original record that the sub resident gave the shot to the patient who died. When the Chief came in, he asked me to alter the record and make it look like you gave the person the injection and the person died." This was, or should be a felony. This was in the late 1970s.

It is a pervasive culture in (USA) medical training that doctors must follow orders, or else.
Then the patients are treated as if they don't follow orders they will be abandoned by the medical profession.
Originally, when Dr. Berkson started medicine in Chicago, he was told by one of the professors "This is a club you are getting into, if everybody does the same thing, nobody gets in trouble." Dr. Berkson queried: "What about new ideas?" "Maybe, if someone is really stubborn, after 50 years it'll get accepted."

Dr. Berkson originally quit medical school, went to university, got a Masters and PhD. in microbiology at Rutger's University ... where he remained for several years. He then decided to pick up 2 years of Medical School, the hospital years ... with the expectation of being a professor, not a practitioner ... more power, more money, and able to protect self at university. Dr. Berkson had written a book about The Alpha Lipoic Breakthrough, and, Dr. Julian Whittaker had written the forward. He wrote that "After 37 years as a doctor, most doctors would rather have their patients die than do something different and I think most doctors are afraid of anything different, but there are exceptions." "I think the (medical) culture is 'Be Quiet, Behave yourself, go through your residency, do everything like everybody else, you earn a good living, you'll never get in trouble."

Dr. Berkson was a professor before becoming a doctor. He had 8 years of education above an MD .. it's very difficult for such a person to get along .... Many studies now (2020?) are trying to change the ALA molecule so it can be patented as a new drug, but so far, all of these corrupted molecules don't work as well as the original. Every one of our cells produces ALA in small amounts and it converts your food into energy so without it we would all die. There is an enzyme and ALA is the major part of this enzyme. When people are sick, they are not producing much of it. A small child produces tremendous amounts of ALA. An 80-year-old man hardly produces it any more. It seems to reverse hangovers. It can reverse alcoholic cirrhosis, reverse weak abdominal muscles, .. in 2 years they look entirely different. The Western medical approach would be a liver transplant.

NASH (Non-Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis) ... a fatty liver from a poor diet ... fast foods and sodas every day ... liver can't handle it so lays down fat which eventually becomes fibrotic and then serotic and forms patches of scar tissue and nodules all over the liver and then one gets liver cancer. Hepatitis A is often acquired from contaminated food and is usually self limiting. Hepatitis B is a very dangerous virus that surgeons often contract by exposure to contaminated blood. Hepatitis C is often acquired from blood transfusions in hospitals, or from IV drug use ... more prevalent in hospitals than expected. Dr. Berkson published a paper on 3 patients with Hep C and liver disease in a year, with 3 antioxidants ... they all regenerated their liver. ALA orally and in IV, Selenium (against Hep C) and Silymarin (Milk Thistle, protects liver from further damage) were used.

Dr. Berkson's paper was published in Germany and the government put it on PubMed and sent it to all doctors. It was important to start with a low dose IV (20mg) as too much produced side effects and lowered blood sugar. Taken without food, the patient could develop hyperglycemia. If a patient was a diabetic, the ALA is given in a glucose solution and is highly monitored. When ALA is taken orally, it goes from the digestive track into the Portal Vein and straight to the liver ... one can smell it in the urine in 15 minutes. But, if the patient is sick with cirrhosis, there is free radical damage all over the body, and so if only to the liver, only a partial treatment occurs. IV dosages cross the blood-brain barrier, goes into the heart, lungs, everywhere and turns food into energy ... leaving the patient feeling well quickly.

At the Las Crucas Clinic, Dr. Berkson had been doing the following protocol for over 40 years with no problems, IF, done with German products. Many doctors who were members of ACHEM and other integrative organizations were able to do this. Selenium (200 mcg), ALA (600 to 900 mg/daily), and, Silymarin (2000 mg) were given in divided doses.

Las Cruces Primary Care LLC
1745 Avenida de Mercado
Las Cruces, NM 88005
Phone: (575) 323-1799

ALA neutralizes the free radicals produced by chemotherapy when taken a few days after the chemo treatment.
IV Vitamin C is taken in the am (at the New Mexico clinic) then the patient eats, then ALA is given in the afternoon. The ALA recycles the Vitamin C for a 30% benefit at up to 75 gm of Vitamin C per day. ALA confuses cancer cells by turning cells from anaerobic to aerobic and they die from exposure to more oxygen. If too much ALA is taken one's mitochondria heats up and blows up becoming fatal.
Cancers are not "cured". They are regressed, and then patients feel better.

Product: Lipoic Acid - DHLA., Atrium Biotechnolgies INDEX
https://www.hepatitiscfree.com/appieshop/
index.cgi?mhhepatiSTORE:CKIE:prodLIPA-DHLA+
LINK 2: http://www.atrium-bio.com
$ 39.95, liquid, 2 fl oz.
Suggested Use: Mix ¼ tbsp. or more in ¼ cup liquid, Sip Slowly for best effect
Shake gently before use, Use 1 to 2 times daily

Stabilized DHLA (natural-source) may prove to be one of the most significant antioxidant compounds ever created, since it can accomplish all the feats attributed to ALA and more, but without ALA’s negative effects. In fact, some authors believe that the benefits ascribed to ALA are in fact, actually due to the internal generation of DHLA (after ALA consumption). For the very first time, stabilized DHLA is now available that can offer significant and reliable amounts of DHLA, without the need to consume synthetic precursors.

Promotes brain, memory, metabolism and ATP synthesis**

DHLA, the ultimate DNA, anti-aging protector, can quench e every known radical**

Resveratrol promotes ideal cell resonance and DNA health**

Ingredients: Stabilized DHLA (80 mg), Resveratrol (5 mg) (Polygonum cusp.), Turmeric (rhizome) (Curcuma l.) Bifidobacterium Species (breve ss. breve, infantis ss. infantis, longum), Enterococcus Species (faecalis TH10, faecium), Lactobacillus Species (acidophilus, bulgaricus, casei ss. Casei, fermentum, helveticus. ss. jagurti, plantarum), Strep. Thermopolis.

NOTE: There are certainly cheaper forms of ALA.
Those can have side effects and not have the added supportive and enhancing influences.

Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid 300 T. R., Atrium Biotechnolgies INDEX
https://www.hepatitiscfree.com/appieshop/index.cgi?mhhepatiSTORE:CKIE:prodLIPA3+
LINK 2: http://www.atrium-bio.com
$ 21.00, 60 or 120 - 300mg caplets
Vegetarian, Time Release, by Dynamic Nutritional Products

Sustained Release Alpha Lipoic Acid is a unique antioxidant formulated to release over a five hour period. ALA also plays an important role in energy production by helping to regulate glucose metabolism.

Alpha-lipoic acid is a vitamin-like antioxidant used in Europe to restore liver health and to confer protective benefits against oxidative processes involved in degenerative diseases. It is more potent than vitamins C, E and Co-Q10, and, according to Dr. Ester Packer, professor of molecular Biology at UC Berkley, may be the most important antioxidant ever discovered:

Vitamins C, E and Glutathione work together to deactivate and prevent free radicals from causing uncontrolled damage in the body. But at this stage we run into a limiting factor regarding availability of glutathione which is an important free-radical deactivator offering protection against cataract formation, as well as immune enhancement, liver protection, cancer protection and heavy-metal detoxification.

Glutathione, when taken orally like Vitamins C and E, is broken down in the stomach before it reaches the bloodstream.
What does end up being absorbed can raise serum levels, but the effect inside of cells is minimal.

Alpha-lipoic acid proved to be the missing link.
Not only is ALA a powerful antioxidant in its own right, but it also regenerates glutathione, giving cells a double dose of antioxidant protection. It also is easily absorbed when taken orally, and once inside cells is quickly converted to its most potent form, dihydrolipoic acid, and an even more potent free-radical neutralizer than ALA. Because both alpha-lipoic acid and dihydrolipoic acid are antioxidants, their combined actions give them greater antioxidant potency than any other natural antioxidant now known.

Scientists have also found that lipoic acid can inhibit replication of HIV-1 and other viruses through its ability to bind directly to DNA (40). ...

Please keep in mind, I'm not a doctor.
I am a patient, who was very disappointed after spending a fortune trying to get information from doctors, and who then set out on my own to save my life.

Many, I'm sure, won't realize what a horrendous quest this was or how devastated I was because of what I discovered about our institutions.

I may write things you find offensive while others may find them quite hilarious. I didn’t mean to transmit any insults. My words are the way I saw it. Being at the “DOOR OF DEATH” was very different than contemplating it.

Truth is stranger than fiction.
This book is about truth. It's about me.
I'm well and I tested negative for Hepatitis C.
Whether or not my mind is regimented in a way you can take is not my concern. The remedy I put before you worked on me, and has proven to be successful on several others. Healers have used much of this remedy all over the world since ancient times. A very small segment of individuals, called naturopaths, in addition to chiropractors and holistic healers have also learned things beyond what the FDA allows.

Alpha-lipoic acid occurs naturally in potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, yams, and red meat. ...

Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Kripps Pharmacy. INDEX
http://www.krippspharmacy.com/store/KrippsProductCatalogue.pdf

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is both a coenzyme necessary for the metabolism of energy from food and also a powerful scavenger of free radicals. It is called a “universal antioxidant” because it is both water and fat (lipid) soluble and therefore it can provide protection both in the lipid environment of the cell membrane and in the aqueous environment in the interior of the cell. Also, ALA appears to enhance the activity of a network of antioxidants including: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and glutathione.

Free radicals are major factors in many diseases, including cardiovascular, cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, etc.
This powerful antioxidant destroys free radicals and helps prevent these diseases, or alleviates their side effects.

Alpha Lipoic Acid supplementation also reduces damage to proteins and normalizes blood sugar levels.
However, there is one problem in getting optimal protection from ALA.
This nutrient is quickly absorbed by the body and is also quickly excreted.
Thus, one gets protection for only part of the day.

Kripps Pharmacy provides ALA in a slow release base, which extends the protective power continuously through the day.
R(+) Alpha Lipoic Acid is the natural form of Alpha Lipoic Acid.

The combination of Alpha Lipoic Acid and Acetyl L-Carnitine has extraordinary effects, which were shown in a study by biochemist Bruce Ames, Ph.D., at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Ames believes that the production of energy in the mitochondria in human cells is highly efficient; nonetheless, minor elements of inefficiency release free radicals that are a primary cause of aging. Dr. Ames found that Acetyl l-Carnitine helps the cells produce more energy, although they still generate free radicals.

... as people age the free radicals reduce the effectiveness of the mitochondrial energy production, thus releasing even more free radicals. However, ALA offsets these free radicals. Dr. Ames’ commented in the article on the effectiveness of a combination of ALC and ALA combination: “With these two supplements, these old rats got up and did the Macarena. The brain looked better, they were full of energy. It was the equivalent of making an 80 year-old person look and act middle-aged” [“Readers’ Digest”, November, 2003].

Acetyl l-Carnitine [ALC] ... is an important transport molecule in mitochondrial energy production, resulting in improved cellular oxygenation and the prevention of cellular damage. It can cross the blood-brain barrier, where it acts as a source of acetyl groups for synthesis of acetylcholine. It also decreases lactic acid accumulation and spares glycogen, and therefore plays a role in delaying fatigue. ALC has beneficial effects in maintaining cardiovascular wellness and maintaining healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. ALC’s other properties include restorative and protective actions against aging processes and neuro-degeneration, which makes it effective for syndromes such as Alzheimer’s, Depression, and Parkinson’s.

Product: R+ Alpha Lipoic Acid, Prairie Naturals. INDEX
http://shop.naturesfare.com/health-wellness-vitamins-supplements-antioxidants/
488-prairie-naturals-r-alpha-lipoic-acid-100mg-60-vc-.html
$23.99 Regular -- $19.99 Special, 200 mg, 60 caps

• promotes healthy aging,
• balances blood sugar,
• advanced form of ALA,
• works more effectively to prevent oxidation,
• Prevents insulin resistance

The newest way to promote healthy aging and balanced blood sugar.
This newer, advanced form of alpha lipoic acid works more effectively to prevent the oxidation that leads to accelerated cellular aging, vision deterioration and many other age-related diseases including insulin resistance.

Recent research indicates that R+Alpha Lipoic Acid is the more natural, biologically active component that is responsible for lipoic acid's stunning effects. As a powerful antioxidant that is both fat and water soluble, R+Alpha Lipoic Acid also helps prevent cell damage throughout the body especially to the brain and liver.

Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid, CanPrev INDEX
https://well.ca/products/canprev-alpha-lipoic-acid_28191.html
Regular: $29.99 --- Special: $25.49 --- 60 vegetarian capsules

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is made by the body and is found in every cell; it helps turn glucose into energy.
Thus, ALA can help promote healthy blood sugar levels, and also quench free radicals. Free radicals cause harmful chemical reactions that can damage cells in the body.

CanPrev’s Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg contains 600 mg of DL-ALA, a stable and safe form of alpha lipoic acid.

CanPrev’s Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg is supported with thiamine (vitamin B1) and biotin (vitamin B7) to help prevent potential nutritional deficiencies that can occur with Alpha Lipoic Acid supplementation.

Ingredients: 
    600 mg -- DL-Alpha lipoic acid 
     20 mg -- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) 
   200mcg --  Biotin 

Product: High Dose R-Lipoic Acid, AOR. INDEX
https://well.ca/products/aor-high-dose-r-lipoic-acid_104118.html
Regular: $54.99 -- Special: $??.00 --- 60 Capsules

AOR High Dose R-Lipoic Acid helps to promote healthy glucose metabolism and provides antioxidants for the maintenance of good health. AOR’s High Dose R-Lipoic Acid provides only the natural ‘R’ form of this vital antioxidant produced in the body, unlike most alpha-lipoic acid supplements which also contain equal amounts of the synthetic, inactive ‘S’ form.

Benefits:
• A phospholipid that plays an essential role in brain cell membrane structure
• Helps replenish important brain signaling molecules
• Helps with age-related memory impairment
• Gluten Free
• Vegan

Ingredients: 
    95% -- R(a)-Lipoic acid 
 30 mg -- Sodium 

Adult Dosage: Take 1 capsule twice daily with/without food

Product: Alpha Lipoic Acid, 600 mg, CanPrev. INDEX
https://well.ca/products/canprev-alpha-lipoic-acid_28191.html
60 vegetarian capsules -- 600 mg
Regular: Ca $29.99 -- Special: Ca $25.49

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is made by the body and is found in every cell; it helps turn glucose into energy.
Thus, ALA can help promote healthy blood sugar levels, and also quench free radicals. Free radicals cause harmful chemical reactions that can damage cells in the body.

CanPrev’s Alpha Lipoic Acid 600 mg contains 600 mg of DL-ALA, a stable and safe form of alpha lipoic acid.
CanPrev’s Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg is supported with thiamine (vitamin B1) and biotin (vitamin B7) to help prevent potential nutritional deficiencies that can occur with Alpha Lipoic Acid supplementation.

Ingredients:

600 mg    DL-Alpha lipoic acid 	
 20 mg    Thiamine (Vitamin B1) 	
200 mcg    Biotin 	 

INDEX