For some people the constant tingling in their feet is the wrost part. Others feel like their feet are being stabbed or burned, or that their extremities are simply lifeless. All these folks suffer from peripheral neuropathy, nerve damage that afflicts nearly 30% of people with diabetes aged 40 and older. And if the discomforting sensations are not enough, neuropathy can lead to falls, wounds that wont heal, even amputations.
Untold numbers of individuals have been helped by alpha lipoic acid (ALA), a supplement that European practitioners have used as a standard neuropathy treatment for 30 years. ALA (also known as thioctic acid) assist in the chemical reaction that generates energy within cells. It serves as a universal antioxidant - a substance that can fight tissue-damaging free radicals in both the fatty and watery parts of a cell - and helps the body create additional free-radical fighters, such as glutathione. ALA can even help regenerate several other antioxidants, including coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10_ and vitamans C and E.