Table 1. Identification of relevant search terms using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) framework.

RCT: randomized controlled trial

	Search terms
Population	“diabetes” OR “diabetic neuropathy” OR “neuropathy” OR “nerve damage” OR “fibromyalgia pain”
Intervention	“alpha-lipoic acid” OR “⍺-lipoic acid” OR “lipoic acid”
Comparison	“standard of care” OR “conventional treatment”
Outcome	“total symptom score” OR “symptoms” OR “pain reduction” OR “pain”
Study design	“randomized controlled trial” OR “RCT”