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The Center for Integrative Medicine

2522 North Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL 60614

P: 773.296.6700 F: 773.296.1131

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Supplements I Take: Acetyl-L-Carnitine

I ask every new patient what prescription medications and supplements she takes. Occasionally, someone turns the tables and asks me what my daily supplement regimen consists of.

To start, I take two supplements for memory enhancement: acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and phosphatidyl serine. They’re both included in our NeuroEssentials product or you can take them separately.

ALC has been extensively studied and numerous articles on it can be found in conventional medical journals. Carnitine itself is an amino acid involved in energy production, specifically in the mitochondria, the energy centers inside your cells.

Some people use carnitine alone as a “fat burner” for weight loss. From my experience, it works better for women than men, and seems more effective when you have a lot of stored fat–that is, fat concentrated in the tummy, love handles, and thighs. We offer it here in 500-mg capsules. The suggested dose for burning fat is high: two capsules four times a day.

The form of carnitine I take, ALC, differs from carnitine alone in that once it’s absorbed through your intestines, it can pass through the barrier between your bloodstream and your brain, providing enhanced energy for brain cells. This is important clinically because your brain requires more energy to operate than any other part of your body.

Studies on ALC have shown that it works nicely for memory enhancement, mild depression (both with or without prescription antidepressants), chronic fatigue, and symptoms of nerve damage (mainly numbness and tingling), and that it slows the progression of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative brain disorders.

Read more about ALC by clicking here. You can order it here. I take 500 mg, twice a day.

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