Peripheral Neuropathy

Annie Sawyer, PhD

Lately we faced lots of questions on peripheral neuropathy- what it is, how it does appear and why, and how it can  be influenced holistically. Peripheral neuropathy is probably one of the largest and hardest to explain illness to diagnose or to cure. It is a disease of the advanced age that starts with numbness in one or both toes, and a funny feeling that is slowly spreading to the heels or arches of one or both feet. One of the main symptoms is the general clumsiness. There might be also chills or the feeling of pins and needles combined with complete loss of a balance, loss of a feeling of where the feet are going, and/or feeling of a strong pain. Soon enough the palms of both hands are starting to feel slightly numb and painful also.

Every effect  or a symptom has a cause and it is well known fact that one thing leads to another. In terms of aging and deteriorating health conditions, your body’s main culprit is almost always chronic inflammation. What makes inflammation so deadly is that it has cumulative effect as a chain of reactions or various cascadial health conditions ranging from arthritis and chronic pain to more serious issues such as atherosclerosis, aneurisms, strokes, brain disorders, cancers, Alzheimer’s and ultimately, death. The key is to accept that everyone has a certain amount of steady inflammation in his/hers body, but often no symptoms or complications are detected. More often than not it is the complication that leads to complication due the above mentioned chronic pro-inflammatory status  behind sudden unexpected chronic diseases as fatal heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer’s etc. Despite, peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common diseases of the advanced age. Most people have never heard of it and those who were diagnosed with it have not been cured up to its best. The disease is either misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, yet upwards of 20 million Americans have peripheral neuropathy.

There are many causes of neuropathy.  According to recent statistics, approximately 30% of neuropathies are “idiopathic,” or a consequence of unknown cause and another 30% of the cases, the cause is either diabetes or cancer. According the same data- half of the neuropathic cases are due to diabetes and metabolic syndrome, considered a "pre-diabetic" phase. Other peripheral neuropathy causes include autoimmune disorders, heredity, trauma, several transient ischemic attacks (TIA), nutritional imbalances, kidney failure, gout, vitamin disbalances and infections or exposure to toxins. It is also known as a side effect of either diabetes, autoimmune diase, cancer or terminal kidney disease.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a "mini-stroke", is an episode of stroke-like symptoms that usually last less than one hour when circulation to a part of the brain is interrupted briefly, and then reversed or restored. This interruption can be caused by a narrowing of a brain artery due to general atherosclerosis or a blood clot that entered the bloodstream and temporarily blocked a minor brain artery.

Peripheral neuropathy may occur in any age, but it is more often diagnosed in advanced older old group aged adults. A study (NHANES,1999) found that 8-9% of all the Medicare patients have peripheral neuropathy as primary or secondary diagnosis. The actual cost represents $3.5 billion of all the Medicare expenses.  Despite the disease is known from centuries ago, very little attention has been implemented by the allopathic medicine to cure or relieve its unpleasant symptomatic.

Peripheral neuropathy is caused by damage to the body’s peripheral nerves.  It is like the body’s wiring system breaking down after a long term use. Just to be understood easier, one must compare this process with electric wires that are getting unwired after multiple years of use. Of course, if ignored, neuropathy can lead to daily numbness, strong pain, or feeling of weakness and problems in walking and body's coordination.  The nerve’s damage disrupts  body's ability to communicate with its proper muscles, tissues, organs, bones, joints and skin. However, if the underlying cause is timely diagnosed, as well as early and properly treated, peripheral neuropathy can often be controlled.

You may also know that in many ocasions peripheral neuropathy may improve with and over time, especially when the underlying illness is in remission or cured.  Generally, allopathic medicine uses antidipresive and antiepileptic drugs to improve neuropathy's painful symptoms. Holistic medicine is oriented to a good multivitamin/ mineral daly use. Vitamin B family is the best choice in supporting the body to cope with the painful pins and needles.One has also to consider adding a good and synergistic antioxidant formula and a good multivitamin/ trace minerals formula for a full support, as well.  

Food (especially fresh organically grown vegetables and fruits) is the best source of antioxidants but it is rather difficult to get enough from food. That's why I prescribe antioxidants and take a number of them daily myself. The main reason is to generally limit damage to your cells. Some of the antioxidants are naturally produced by the body itself- but just in minute quantities. Most of the antioxidants must come from the diet (grass-fed red meats or organ meats). ALA is one of the most powerful free radical scavengers the Mother Nature offer to humans. It affects positively both body and brain. It is also considered the master antioxidants, as it regenerates other antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, glutathione- all key antioxidants working inside the human cells.

One of the best methods of treatment for neuropathy, as well as other nerve disorders, is the magnetic molecular energizer (MME), a machine that transmits powerful electromagnetic energy, allowing the body to heal faster.Those who have undergone the therapy report great success with it, even in some cases, it has completely cured their symptoms( Nutrition & Healing, 2005). Finally, in case if you suffer of peripheral neuropathy you will need to learn what to change in the way of living, what exact changes in your diet, life standard or behavior to consider. You must also learn what exactly nutraceuticals you may need to add to your daily regime. That will be a really good start in coping with this painful and unpleasant disease