Peripheral neuropathy is a term given to nerve pain usually at the extremities – that is wrists, hands or feet. It is often associated with diabetes or chemotherapy.
Dr Mercola explains this condition and provides a few options for supporting, relieving, and (dare I say) alleviating this type of nerve pain:
- Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a widespread complication of diabetes, leading to nerve damage that causes pain and numbness, significantly affecting quality of life.
- Holistic treatments for DPN include vitamin supplementation, exercise, and stress relief techniques, which may provide additional symptom relief alongside conventional methods.
- Schwann cells are crucial for nerve repair, but high glucose levels in diabetes disrupt their function, leading to nerve damage. Targeting these disruptions could offer new therapeutic strategies.
- Effective management requires maintaining stable blood sugar, limiting linoleic acid (as in Omega 6 vegetable oils) intake to 5 grams daily, optimizing protein consumption, regular exercise, and practicing stress relief techniques.
- Natural remedies such as vitamin B and D supplements*, capsaicin creams, warm baths, meditation, and acupuncture can help alleviate symptoms and enhance overall well-being.
* Any supplements should be dispensed by a qualified natural medicine practitioner following comprehensive assessment of your individual needs.
While peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a complication of diabetes, it can also appear in people who have not been diagnosed with diabetes but who do experience blood sugar imbalances. A further contributor is poor circulation, especially to the hands and feet as this impairs nutrients needed by cell tissue.
There is another contributor to PN: Toxins. In short, nerves hate toxins. It doesn’t matter which toxins it is and let’s also add acidity and inflammation to the list of issues that aggravate nerve tissue.
In order to clear toxins, we need to firstly avoid as many as possible. Then we need to support the body’s natural detoxification pathways which can become overloaded with the marked increase of environmental chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis. You’ll find a lot of information relating to environmental toxins, where to find them and how to avoid them in my book, How to Have a Healthy Baby.
As you can see, there is no single one-size-fits-all approach when trying to resolve PN. This is where the naturopathic approach is beneficial as it focuses on the whole person, which is why I always recommend you consult a qualified practitioner and never self-prescribe.