That would be great! If I am ever in the area I will let you know!
I am glad the Udo’s is working for you. I take it (almost) daily.
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@Eric, how many total mgs do you take in total per day? and, do you divide up the dosing? (like 3/Day) or all at once?
my Turmeric comes in 600mg capsules but I take 2 of them 3/day (fast, lunch, dinner).
I take 1 of the ALA in the morning.
I have noticed the anti-inflammatory effect on my arthritis, but I haven’t really noticed much pain relief. but, I’ll take anything I can get without having to use something other than an herbal supplement.
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I take 1,000 mg, all at once after a workout. Not every day, but most days. Like maybe 5 times per week.
But I also take the tart cherry, which is another anti-inflammatory.
I’m quoting myself because I want to give an update on this! 
I started taking the Turmeric, the ALA and the B complex supplements early January for the New Year. I took all of these per product instructions in the morning with breakfast. By the next morning I could hardly walk from an aching body, including back pain which I never get! I don’t know if it was coincidental, and probably it was, but I ended up stopping all of them for about a week when I finally recovered.
I decided just to add one, new supplement at a time. I’ve been taking the ALA for about 3 weeks now. I have to say, I noticed an improvement in insulin sensitivity right away. I can’t be certain it is due to the ALA but I didn’t change too much else in my life the last few weeks. I take it in the morning along with a Magnesium capsule usually w/ breakfast, if I eat, or just coffee. If I do eat, it seems like breakfast spikes are almost non existent, rarely over 120, since I started ALA. It does not seem to have quite the same effect in the evening post dinner though.
Yesterday I added the B Complex (with Sublingual B12) supplement, along with the ALA and Magnesium. I don’t know what to expect, but so far, at least I’m not ill! It seems like a good supplement for me since I have thallasemia minor and could use any energy boost! If all goes well this week, I will add Turmeric next week.
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That’s awesome!
I don’t think there is any single thing that does a lot by itself, but the cumulative nature of it all can help - diet, exercise, supplements, etc.
I have been taking ALA since the dark ages!
I wonder if that was related. Please let us know if you figure anything out. I feel like I am much less sore than I used to be before taking the turmeric.
Have you been running much?
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I actually think it was just coincidental rather than due to the new supplements, but it could be that my body just wasn’t accustomed to so MANY supplements all at once. In any case, I’m fine now! I only took the turmeric for a day but hope to add it into my routine from next week. I’ll know more then!
I also bought tart cherry juice! I’ve tried it a few times but not consistently, mostly because I completely forget about it! Maybe I will try it today after my run! As a kid, we had a tart cherry orchard along w/ apples and pears, and loved the tart cherries! They are some of the most beautiful trees esp when in bloom!
Well, I’m not back up to my normal schedule, but I am able to get 4-5 runs / week in since the New Year. My goal is 5-6. I’ve been having more lows during my runs as I add the more frequent runs. I guess it just takes time for my body to get accustomed to the new schedule. 
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@Trying - wanted to let you know that I noticed tart cherry juice at Costco today - in a big, shelf-stabilized container. I forgot to note the price, though, sorry! I haven’t made it to TJs to look at pricing there (Costco and TJs are dangerous for me – our household sinks under the bulk of Costco purchases and under the SNACK of the TJs purchases!). I almost grabbed the Costco tart cherry juice (I was thinking of you!), but thought the better of it – there’s no way I would finish a gallon of it before it went bad! Will buy some when I make it (i.e., allow myself into) to TJs.
@Eric - I’ve been taking the ALA and haven’t noticed any insulin sensitivity improvements. If anything, I’ve become less sensitive, but might be fighting a cold or other virus. Everyone in my family has been sick. I’ve also added B12 (might help with ongoing frozen shoulder issues?) and it seems like one more supplement to the mix and the downing of 10+ pills in a row has made for some stomach upset on some days. So I’ve also not been as consistent in taking all of the supplements every single day.
Ohhh - also, not a supplement, but I have also started taking gabapentin at bedtime as I’ve discovered that it really helps the nerve associated shoulder pain from frozen shoulder that I seem to have every single hour through the night (that wakes me up and forces me to walk around and swing my shoulder around for a few minutes – I was convinced I was going to die from the lack of sleep). The side effects from gabapentin are pretty rotten - I am super groggy in the morning and feel like I can’t see straight when I wake in the middle of the night (which I still do b/c of muscle pain associated with the damn frozen shoulder), but I’ll take them given that I am getting better sleep with the drug. But damn am I feeling overmedicated and like nothing is working well. I wish I had a magic pill? -Jessica
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Thanks, Jessica! I bought mine from Amazon. It says that you could freeze the cherry juice if you can’t finish all of it. I’ve started adding 5 tbsp of it to my water to help from going low while I run. It seems to help, but it is very sweet.
I’m sorry about the pain you experience with your shoulder. I go through that, too. I will take 3 Advil before bed which helps me sleep but I only take it if I am in pain before bed. I hope the gabapentin continues to work for your pain.
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I think the ALA is slightly helpful but it is not a miracle cure or anything, so it may not be very noticeable. Like a lot of these things, it is just small check in the plus-column. You just add them up.
ALA is a naturally occurring anti-oxidant, and it has a lot of benefits, so I don’t think there is any downside to it. Other than cost, I guess.
I don’t have any experience with it, but I think @elver and @MM2 may have some insight on it.
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This thread is interesting - do those of you taking supplements for arthritis find they help? I have bunions that hurt me every day and interfere with exercise. I am desperate to find some sort of pain relief, but taking Advil/Tylenol every day doesn’t seem the best solution. I’ve read about pain relief gel type things, and wonder if they might help. I am open to any suggestions! I have already implemented everything suggested by my podiatrist (good quality wide shoes, custom orthotics, toe spacer thingies, bunion protector thingies, foot stretches and exercises). I haven’t tried ice or a heat pack, so maybe those things would help, but my problem is they don’t typically hurt when I’m just sitting around (sometimes they do, but not daily), only when I’m actually walking for any distance.
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Prior to replacing my knees, I took ALA, MSM, Chodroitin and Glucosamine to help with everyday pain. For years I swore it was an urban legend that these items helped. In my experience over the last 20 years, the 2 that helped the most with arthritis pain are chondroitin and Glucosamine.
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I just picked up a supplement that’s a combination of both of these, so will try it and see if it helps.
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Hi @Jen there are many mixes on the marketplace. The “standard” formulation is 500mg Glucosamine and 400mg Chondroitin. I hope it helps.
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Awesome, thanks for the information, @elver! The one I picked up is 500 mg glucosamine, 400 mg chondroitin, plus a few other things (20 mg vitamin C, 1 mg boron, 0.667 mg maganese). Here’s hoping it helps me because I’d walk a LOT more (and therefore be healthier, lose weight, better blood sugar) if my toes didn’t hurt all the time.
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