is this true

I found this on the website I posted previously


* If there's any chance you are mercury toxic, DO NOT take alpha lipoic acid (used often for peripheral nerve damage) as this will cause mercury re-distribution. (read the work of Dr. Andrew Cutler.) This applies to any amount of mercury in your system; vaccines, fillings, eating fish, living in an area of mercury water, etc..



A substance

oh...I didn't know that

Krimpet, where did you find that information? I'm taking both ALA and thyroid meds, but I don't believe it's interfering. I'd like to start reading on it though, no reason to shoot myself in the foot, you know!



Carla, I would say not necessarily true, on the article you read though. I'm finding credible sources that are stating that ALA is a good way to detox mercury. ALA turns into glutithione in the liver.

A few of the articles I'm seeing saying to use ALA:
www.altmedrev.com/publications/7/6/456.pdf

www.naturalnews.com/043849_ALA_Alzheimers_heavy_metal_detox.html

including this one: /chriskresser.com/could-mercury-toxicity-be-causing-your-symptoms/, which interestingly says this and has references:
"The definitive way to test for mercury poisoning is to take 12 or 25 mg of alpha lipoic acid every 3 hours for 3 days (only if you don’t have dental amalgams in place, as ALA will redistribute mercury to the brain). If this improves or worsens symptoms, then you have mercury toxicity. If there is no effect you keep doubling the dose until you get to 200 mg every 3 hours. Chelators must be taken at a period equal to, or less than the half-life to maintain a constant concentration in the blood to prevent redistribution."

Here you go.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1815532
Abstract
The influence of alpha-lipoic acid (LA, thioctic acid, CAS 62-46-4) on thyroid hormone metabolism and serum lipid-, protein- and glucose levels was investigated. In the first setup of experiments administration of LA together with thyroxine (T4) for 9 days suppressed the T4 induced increase of T3 generation by 56%. This suppression was similar to that affected by 6-propylthiouracil (54%). LA or T4 alone did not affect the cholesterol level, but together they led to a reduction. LA decreased the triglyceride level by 45%; the decrease induced by T4 or LA plus T4 was not significant. Total protein and albumin levels decreased by LA plus T4 treatment when compared to the LA control. The slight increase in glucose level by LA or T4 alone was not observed when they were administered together. In the second setup of experiments the administration of T4 for 22 days increased the serum T3 level 3-fold. When LA was combined with T4 and the treatment continued, the T3 production decreased by 22%. T4 reduced cholesterol level by 30%, and LA plus T4 further reduced it by 47%. The triglycerides were not affected. A moderate decrease in total protein was observed after treatment with T4 plus LA; T4 and LA plus T4 decreased the albumin level. The decrease in serum glucose by T4 recovers by LA treatment. These results demonstrate that LA interferes with the production of T3 from T4 when it is co-administered with T4. The elevated level of T3, after T4 administration, is reduced by treatment with LA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/alphalipoic-acid

Possible Interactions

If you are being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use alpha-lipoic acid without first talking to your health care provider.

Medications for diabetes -- Apha-lipoic acid can combine with these drugs to lower blood sugar levels, raising the risk of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Ask your health care provider before taking alpha-lipoic acid, and watch your blood sugar levels closely. Your health care provider may need to adjust your medication doses.

Chemotherapy medications -- Alpha-lipoic acid may interfere with some chemotherapy medications. Always ask your oncologist before taking any herb or supplement, including alpha-lipoic acid.

Thyroid medications, Levothyroxine -- Apha-lipoic acid may lower levels of thyroid hormone. Your health care provider should monitor blood hormone levels and thyroid function tests closely.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) -- Alpha lipoic acid can lower the level of vitamin B1 (Thiamine) in the body. This can be particularly dangerous in alcoholics where malnutrition is often already present.