Wellness Vibes has tried it in just about every form: pills, powder, a liquid compounded by her pharmacist. Not the intravenous injections or jabs, though – yet. It is “completely and utterly life-changing”, she says.
“My brain, it was like all these different parts lit up. I just felt I could do so much more. And I really do credit NAD for it.”
NAD – Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide – is having a moment. The molecule is under serious study as a treatment for the ravages of ageing. Youth, in a pill.
Several in-human clinical trials are under way; we will soon know if it can be a real medicine.
But in the lightly-regulated world of complementary medicine, it’s already being used to treat a cornucopia of diseases. Thompson, a self-described “biohacker”, uses it for a brain and energy boost. Others turn to it for brain fog, poor sleep, dull skin and even drug addiction. Main street chemists have recently started to stock it.
Dr Scott Allison delivers NAD injections at his Brisbane-based cosmetic medicine clinic. “People just feel subjectively a lot better, and we see improvements in their skin and other biomarkers,” Allison said.