6 Things You Should Know About Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a very painful condition, it can also be a lifetime condition and treatments have to target pain while maintaining quality of life. Peripheral nerves are very long, stretching to the hands and feet. Injury to these nerves can cause numbness and tingling but some develop extreme pain and weakness. Up to 20 million people in the US experience this condition and it’s important to learn about it if someone you love is suffering from it.

Diabetes is the number one cause of peripheral (diabetic) neuropathy. Monitoring and improving blood sugar can prevent neuropathy or improve it in 70 percent of diabetic patients who get neuropathy. Preventing diabetes through diet and exercise is important and treating diabetes with diet and exercise can prevent or alleviate neuropathy. There are other frequent causes as well. Vitamin B12 deficiency is another reason and a recent study, the drug metformin that treats diabetes can cause neuropathy due to a B12 deficiency. Other causes include alcoholism, chemotherapy, exposure to toxins and traumatic injury. Others with idiopathic neuropathy, have no known cause.

There are three types of neuropathy. Sensory neuropathy causes pain. Motor neuropathy can cause muscles to be weak or nonfunctional. Autonomic neuropathy can affect breathing,sweating and blood pressure.

Diets should be low in sugar, artificial sweeteners and refined grains, things that can harm nerves. A diet full of whole foods, that is low and fat and in conjunction with exercise is the best treatment or prevention if neuropathy.