Q: Do you know of any treatments for peripheral neuropathy?

My hubby us suffering from peripheral neuropathy in his feet and legs. He is not diabetic and a nonsmoker. No B vitamins etc have helped. He cannot feel his feet and the problem is slowly going up his legs. He has much plaque in his legs. What do you suggest?

A: Have you considered alpha-lipoic acid?

In Germany, alpha-lipoic acid is an approved medical treatment for peripheral neuropathy, which is a common complication of diabetes. It accomplishes this by speeding the removal of glucose from the bloodstream, by enhancing insulin function, and by reducing insulin resistance.

Alpha-lipoic acid plays an important role in the synergism of antioxidants, i.e., it helps all the antioxidants to work together as a team. We have Lester Packer, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, to thank for this nutritional discovery.

He says alpha-lipoic acid: "…extends the metabolic lifespans of vitamin C, glutathione, and coenzyme Q10, and it indirectly renews vitamin E." Apparently, it quenches peroxynitrite radicals, an especially dangerous type of oxidant that plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis, lung disease, chronic inflammation, and neurological disorders.

You can buy alpha-lipoic acid in most health food stores. The therapeutic dose is 600 mg/day.

If you'd rather eat your alpha- lipoic acid, the richest food source is red meat. And that means rare or raw, not "Western style"- which is cremated.