Dietary supplement may become future treatment for spinal cord injury
Americans looking to buy cheap vitamins and other dietary supplements can shop at Canadian internet pharmacies, where they can buy over the counter meds and supplies at a fraction of the cost.
Americans looking to buy cheap vitamins and other dietary supplements can shop at Canadian internet pharmacies, where they can buy over the counter meds and supplies at a fraction of the cost. Among the medications sold is prescription strength Carnitor, a variation of supplements containing the essential compound carnitine.
New research shows that a dietary supplement containing acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), another form of carnitine, may also be helpful in repairing spinal cord injuries.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky's Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) conducted a study in which paralysis-inducing injuries were modeled in two groups of mice. One group received ALC, while the other did not. The former recovered the ability to walk after one month.
The nerve cells involved in a spinal cord injury die because the mitochondria within the cells are too stressed out to produce energy. The scientists at SCoBIRC speculate that ALC can help preserve the mitochondria.
Further research will be needed to verify whether ALC can be used as an early treatment for humans with a spinal cord injury and potentially preventing paralysis. Adding to its promise is the fact that ALC can be taken orally and that it is well-tolerated in high doses, the researchers said.
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