Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Many people face mild cognitive impairment that can impact their memory, ability to learn and more. The good news is that there are nutrients that can help.
Many people suffer from diabetic neuropathy, which is nerve pain or loss due to high blood sugar levels. The good news is that there are nutrients that can help protect the nerves from this issue.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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One today’s episode, we are going to discuss a really common nutrient that oftentimes gets overlooked. It plays an important role in what happens at a cellular level through the aging process. We will be discussing what we can all be doing to make sure we are maintaining the health of our cells.
Most of us know someone who has some type of a chronic disease. Maybe your know someone who is effected by diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol or arthritis to name a few. In a very simplistic approach, if we look at our cells as being either deficient in something or toxic in something, then we can have a better way to target what our cells are actually needing. We have a toxicity coming from free radicals assault on the cell, then we can start ridding the body of all of those bad free radicals and start to replenish the good.
The Benefits of L-Carnitine
Let’s look at a few different examples. We can start by looking at the amino acid L-Carnitine. Now, this particular amino acid is incredibly important. It acts as a taxi driver by picking up the fatty acids that are on the outside of your cell and it gives them a ride to the inside of the cell. Inside of the cell is your mitochondria. It is at that point that they can be converted into an energy source. Now, the really interesting part about all of this, is if we add an acetyl group to the amino acid L-Carnitine, we have facilitated the easy crossing of L-Carnitine over the blood-brain barrier. This is why Alcar, or acetyl-l-carntine, has been studied so extensively for its support of the neurons and for its free radical fighting properties.
What exactly is Alcar?
Alcar is acetyl-l-carnitine. This is an indoginous (naturally-occurring), mitochondrial membrane compound that helps to maintain the mitochondrial bioenergetics. It is an energy-producing amino acid. Acetyl-l-carntine has also been shown to lower the increased oxidative stress that is associated with aging. It plays an essential role in thermogensis (or fat burning), memory support, and glycation reactions.
A study from Stanford University School of Medicine looked at the effects of acetyl-l-carnitine on patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This was a double-blind, placebo controlled trial where they found that Alcar was actually slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This is because Alcar demonstrates protective effects against neurotoxicities, such as beta-amaloid plaque build up. The University of Pittsburgh performed a small study back in 1995 that showed all of the beneficial effects on the clinical presentation of Alzeheimer’s disease looking at different neurochemical markers. It was from there that researchers from Stanford University took off with their further research on the protective effects in the human brain.
Learn about the many brain benefits of Alcar with ALA. Listen now >>
If we are lacking carnitine, in terms of dietary intake, and if our naturally-occurring amount of acetyl-l-carntine is not where it should be, then we are leaving ourselves more prone to nerve damage, to cognitive decline, to fat burning.
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Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
Alcar and ALA are two nutrients that are natural to the human brain that have numerous health benefits, including brain energy production. But they also play a major role for memory. Here’s what you need to know.
Today we are discussing the many benefits that Alcar and ALA have on the brain. There is a huge impact on your brain when you use these two nutrients together. These nutrients are involved with energy production and so much more.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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The most common cause of chronic pain (persistent pain) is lower back pain. In addition to a disc problem, arthritis of the spine, or spinal degeneration many of the causes of low back pain have to do with nerve damage or nerve compression including sciatica and also a pinched-compressed nerve.
The second common cause is arthritis – the second most common cause of chronic pain; we cover common forms of arthritis in other episodes.
Then there’s nerve pain. Nerve pain is a catchall term including but not limited to peripheral neuropathy; you often see this in diabetics. It is a shingles-related nerve pain which occurs more commonly in stressed out older people, and sciatica which seems to happen to so many people at some point in their life. We will cover each of these, there causes, customary treatment, and supplements that can help.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Neuropathy is damage to the nerve that causes pain – numbness, tingling, that crawling feeling on your skin. Peripheral means outside of the brain or spine – the peripheral nerves. The most common cause is diabetes. Others include, autoimmune diseases, HIV or abusing alcohol.
If damage is happening to the nerves in your hands and feet, it is also happening to the nerves in your digestive tract and your heart. This is important to note.
-Jerry Hickey, Ph.
Common treatments include anti-depressants, which reduce nerve pain by about 15%. Others include convulsion medications and opioid medications. I strongly recommend you avoid those.
Nerve Health Supporting Nutrients
ALCAR is a supplement often used for mental focus, brain energy, and memory. It may even help a common hearing issue called tinnitus (ringing in the ears).†
ALCAR – which is the abbreviation for Acetyl L-Carnitine – is an amino acid-related supplement. It easily crosses over the brains protective blood brain barrier to improve brain health. However, it works really well for nerve health, especially if you mix it with a second supplement Alpha-Lipoic Acid or ALA. Both ALCAR and ALA are involved with converting calories to energy and some research shows that combining them gives much greater levels of benefit for the brain or nerve health.†
One meta-analysis published in PLOS One, reported four randomized controlled, human clinical studies with ALCAR (523 patients) significantly improved nerve pain according to the patients. It worked best for diabetic nerve pain.
Another review from the Integrative Medical Center in Oklahoma City from the Department of Neurology reports that exercise, a better diet, vitamin B-12, ALCAR, ALA and vitamin D all help with nerve pain.
In the journal Diabetes Care, from the University Hospital Dusseldorf in Germany, 460 diabetic patients with mild to mod diabetic nerve pain. With just ALA, they found that ALA helped support nerve health – leg function and leg health improved. Nerve pain declined.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
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