Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Therapy
NAD+ Therapy – for Energy, for Longevity
Do a quick search for doctors providing NAD+ therapy, and most of what you’ll find focuses largely on treating addiction or boosting energy. While those are two common and effective uses of NAD+, they’re just the beginning.
Emerging research suggests it can be a powerful new tool in anti-aging medicine in general – and one that more patients are asking us about all the time here in our West Los Angeles functional medicine clinic.
Just What Is NAD+ anyway?
NAD+ stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It’s a natural coenzyme of vitamin B3 (niacin), and it’s in every single cell of your body. NAD+ is what drives your metabolic pathways to produce energy. It’s the critical factor in a process that leads to the production of ATP in the mitochondria of your cells. ATP is the body’s primary energy molecule.
So it’s easy to see how supplemental NAD+ could give a person a real energy boost!
But that’s not all NAD+ does. It also controls your calcium levels, acts as a powerful antioxidant, and plays a role in gene expression associated with diseases of aging, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.
All this makes it an increasingly indispensable tool in an integrative doctor’s toolkit.
The Benefits of NAD+ Therapy
As you age, your mitochondria deteriorate and lose some of their ATP-generating power. This, in turn, can speed up aging and slow you down, physically and mentally. NAD+ helps support mitochondrial function and energy production by maintaining the crucial metabolic pathways needed for this. Here are some of the main areas that have shown real benefit so far:
- Addiction recovery
- Pain reduction
- Improving cognitive function
- Boosting energy
- Improving athletic performance
- Weight management
- Reversing signs of aging
- Delaying or preventing age-related diseases
In fact, as one Harvard biologist specializing in aging has said, “NAD+ is the closest we’ve gotten to a fountain of youth.”
What Evidence Is There That NAD+ Works?
Some of the evidence we have for NAD+’s anti-aging properties comes from animal studies, such as one published in the esteemed journal Science which found that raising NAD+ levels in mice actually reversed signs of tissue aging. The change was so great that the researchers actually had a hard time telling the difference between the tissues of a 2-year old mouse and a 4-month old mouse!
Human studies are much more preliminary at this point but ongoing and just as promising. Scientists have documented improvements in cardiovascular health, metabolic conditions such as diabetes, neurological problems such as Parkinson’s, body composition, and cognitive decline, among other health issues.
While long-term trials remain to be done to see if there are any complications over time, the literature so far suggests that NAD+ therapy is safe and well-tolerated by most people, with no significant side effects.
“Although the research is limited,” says Dr. Joe, “it’s very exciting. I love it. I use it, and I find that it’s a valuable adjunct for many patients.”
How NAD+ Therapy Is Done
Once Dr. Joe has gained the fullest picture possible of your medical history, current health status, and goals, he will customize a course of therapy expressly for you.
But unlike many integrative practitioners, Dr. Joe favors subcutaneous NAD+ injections (shots) instead of intravenous drips. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is the matter of convenience. Instead of periodically coming in for hours at a time to receive IV treatments, you can give yourself the shots at home.
Yet you still get the benefit of bypassing the gut and the nutrient loss associated with oral intake so the NAD+ you inject is readily available for your body to use.
What Can I Expect After a NAD+ Injection?
Many people report fairly quick results, with more energy and mental clarity within a few injections. For others, it can take additional treatments before its effects become more noticeable. In general, the effects can last anywhere from a handful of days up to two weeks before the next injection is needed.
That said, everyone is unique. Responses to treatment can be different – especially if you pursue NAD+ therapy in conjunction with other anti-aging treatments. Before you begin your course of therapy, Dr. Joe can give you an idea of what you can reasonably expect through your individualized course of treatment.
Ready to get started? Give us a call today!