Its my sciatic, says the man hobbling into the doctors office. Most everyone knows about this nerve. It comes out of your spinal cord in the area of your low lumbar and sacral areas. When it hurts, you know it!
Many types of spinal degeneration can lead to lots of sciatic-type pain. Orthodox medicine has little to offer for help except chemicals to dull the pain. Furthermore, an animal study suggests that compression of the nerve can lead to apoptosis of the nerve cells. That is not good. Apoptosis means cell death. When the nerve cells die, they wont cause pain any longer, but they might permanently affect your ability to function normally. So preventing the compression and cell death is very important. And this same study has a solution.
The researchers loosely tied the sciatic nerve in rats to simulate compression. Then they gave the mice the supplement acetyl-L carnitine (ALC). Holistic doctors have used ALC for cognitive problems for many years. Its a form of carnitine that is more bioavailable. As a result, your brain and nervous system can actively absorb it.
When they gave ALC to the mice, the researchers found that it protected the nerve from apoptosis. Interestingly, carnitine itself did not offer protection. Neither did the drug Gabapentin, so strongly pushed by the medical doctors when they do not know what other chemical to prescribe.
The authors also suggested ALC as a treatment for patients with peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy has many causes. One is compression from degeneration. Another is heavy metals. Interference fields in your nervous system from dental problems, TMJ, and scars can precipitate the problem.
I do not have any experience with ALC and peripheral neuropathy. But its completely safe. It has a track record for helping brain function. And this study shows it can help your nerves. So, it has promise to help. I suggest starting at a dose of 500 mg once or twice a day. Please let me know how this works for you.
Ref: Di Cesare Mannelli, L., C. Ghelardini, et al. Protective effect of acetyl-l-carnitine on the apoptotic pathway of peripheral neuropathy, Eur J Neurosci, 2007; 26(4): 820-827.