Handout for Miami conference, part 2

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

FOR ANY NEUROMUSCULAR, DEGENERATIVE CONDITION

These have been clinically studied and well substantiated for conditions similar to PPS. Results have shown that they may can slow down progression of degeneration. They also may improve physical and mental energy, muscle strength and endurance, and muscle pain.

1. Coenzyme Q10 – at least 100 mg. a day. The more the better, up to 1200 mg. a day. Take with a meal containing some fat. Consult your doctor if you’re taking blood-thinning medication. EXTRA IMPORTANT to take at least 100 or 200 mg. a day if you are taking a statin, a tricyclic antidepressant, oral diabetes medicine, or a beta-blocker, or if you have congestive heart failure, periodontal disease or high blood pressure.

For those of you who intend to take fish oil, coenzyme Q10 and the Synergy Version 10 multivitamin, there is a product at vitacost.com that combines the 3 products. It is NSI Synergy Multi-Vitamin Version 10 plus ToCoQ10 & Mega EFA. It costs $15 less than the 3 products taken separately.

2. Creatine (monohydrate) - 5 grams, two to four times daily for five days as a loading dose, with 2 to 5 grams daily thereafter. It is best to take creatine between meals with a small amount of honey or non-acidic juice to enhance its function. Always take with 16 oz. of water or watered-down juice, and try to drink another 48 oz. of water during the rest of the day. Contraindicated if you have kidney damage or disease.

OTHER SUPPLEMENTS THAT MIGHT SLOW DOWN PPS PROGRESSION
(Neuroproctective, mitochondrial energizers, antioxidants, or anti-inflammatory)

1. Acetyl-l-carnitine- Take 1500 to 3000 mg., in divided doses, without food.

2. Ginkgo biloba – The usual dosage is 120 or 240 mg., although lesser dosages MAY have some beneficial effect. See Cautions I and II on page 2.

3. Lipoic acid –
R-lipoic acid is the preferred form. Take 100 to 300 mg. a day with food.

Alpha lipoic acid is usually cheaper, but take 300 to 600 mg. a day.

With either form, I believe the lower dosage to be adequate UNLESS you have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

If you are hypoglycemic, as many polio survivors are, take the lower dosage. If that dosage exacerbates your hypoglycemia, try taking 3000 mcg. (3 mg.) of biotin with the lipoic acid.

4. Resveratrol - (17 to 100 mg. standardized), grapeseed (50 – 300 mg.), green tea extract (50 mg. or more), quercetin (50 mg. or more), and red wine extract (any amount) all work together. You can take them singly, but I recommend formulas containing at least 2 of them.

5. Progesterone cream:Also good for your bone-building cells.

for WOMEN - 20 to 40 mg.

for MEN - 5 mg.

Pregnenolone for women and men (15 to 30 mg.)
You may use either product, or both together.

THESE ARE HORMONES. They are considered by some experts to carry more risk than other supplements. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before taking.
The authoritative source on progesterone is What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, by Dr. John R. Lee.

6. Vitamin E – 800 IU. Always take together with lipoic acid or 500 mg. vitamin C!

The best form: mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols
2^nd best: mixed tocopherols
Also acceptable (and cheaper): alpha tocopherol or d-alpha tocopherol
Not recommended: dl-alpha tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E)
Cautions: Don’t take more than 400 IU (including the amount in your multivitamin) if you are taking blood-thinning medication. Consult doctor.

If you have rheumatic heart disease, high blood pressure (not controlled by medication) or take digitalis drugs, limit vitamin E to 150 IU.

TO LESSEN MUSCLE FATIGUE, WEAKNESS AND PAIN

1. Creatine (see above)

2. Coenzyme Q10 (see above)

3. D-ribose: This "pentose" sugar is a component of ATP, the energy-transporting molecule produced by the mitochondria. A shortage of d-ribose can produce fatigue and muscle pain. Some PPS patients have reported significant improvement when taking on the order of 20 grams/day of d-ribose. Start with 5 grams and try for 2 weeks. Increase every 2 weeks until you notice a difference, up to 20 grams.

4. Whey protein – 20 to 40 grams a day. The more whey protein isolate in the product, the better it will be assimilated. Usually can be tolerated by those sensitive to lactose.

5. Magnesium: Also VERY important for cardiovascular and bone health! May help relieve depression, anxiety, and restless legs.

CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before taking any amount if you have kidney disease, or are taking medications, or are over 65

Dosages vary greatly with individuals. The RDA is around 300 mg. for women and 400 mg. for men. However, polio survivors may get increased benefits with higher dosages, up to 800 mg. a day.

CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before taking more than the RDA.

Other dosage guidelines:

1. If you supplement with calcium, always take at least half as much magnesium as calcium (i.e, 500 mg. magnesium with 1000 mg. calcium). Equal amounts may be even better.

Magnesium competes with calcium for the same absorption site in the intestine, so too much of one of these minerals causes a deficiency in the other one.

2. Check how much magnesium is in your multivitamin, so you can compute your daily total intake.

3. To begin magnesium supplementation, start with 100 or 200 mg. Increase once a week until you reach a 1 to 1 ratio with your calcium supplement, or until your stools become too loose. In that case, decrease to the maximum you can take that does NOT affect your stools.

Recommended forms:
Magnesium aspartate seems to give people the most energy, but ANY form is better absorbed than magnesium oxide.

6. Vitamin D – Because of recent studies, the trend among nutritionists is to raise their recommendation from the RDA of 400 IU to 1000 IU or more, up to 2000 IU. I recommend 400 IU in addition to the 700 IU in the Nutrislim and Synergy RX multis. This isn’t necessary with the Synergy Version 10, which has 1000 IU.

There is evidence that many older people have unnecessary muscle weakness attributable to vitamin D shortfalls that makes them tire easily. The weakness occurs predominantly in the legs, often manifesting itself as a feeling of heaviness in the limbs and difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from a chair. Compromised handgrip strength has been seen, too.