Natural solutions for peripheral neuropathy.

Pheripheral neuropathy is a painful and debilitating sign of nerve damage. Sharp, stabbing foot pain can keep you from sleeping or walking. Burning, numbness, or tingling in your hands and feet interfere with your quality of life and ability to function. These symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are especially prevalent in diabetics. But there are other common causes. And in today's toxic world, almost everyone at any age is at risk for this painful condition.

There are numerous causes of nerve damage. You might have a negative reaction to chemicals. These can include anything from heavy metal toxicity to chemotherapy drugs and even statins. Trauma, viral or bacterial infections, and nutrient deficiencies can also trigger the pain. In fact, there are so many possible causes that it's often impossible to identify and treat the cause.

That's why traditional medicine treats peripheral neuropathy with pharmaceutical drugs. Doctors will throw everything from antidepressants and anticonvulsants to pain medications, including addictive opiates, hoping to find something that works. These medications can have terrible side effects, though. And many of them interact poorly with other drugs.

If you have peripheral neuropathy, I recommend you try some less toxic therapies first. They're safe. They're readily available. And they just could be the answer you've been looking for.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is one of the most well researched nutrients used to reduce the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. However, until recently, the studies have used intravenous ALA. There was no way to know whether or not oral ALA would be as effective. Now I have good news for you. A recent study found oral ALA works.

Researchers gave a group of diabetic patients different amounts of oral ALA. They gave them either 600, 1,200, or 1,800 mg per day. After five weeks, all patients taking ALA had significant improvement, especially in the area of stabbing and burning pain. And here's even better news. The researchers found that 600 mg taken once a day worked as well as the higher amounts. You can find ALA in all health food stores.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC): The best natural source of ALC is red meat. But you can't get enough of it from your diet to reduce the effects of peripheral neuropathy. Here's why. A hamburger patty has about 95 mg of ALC. But the latest study said it took 1,000 mg of ALC three times a day to alleviate pain in a group of people with peripheral neuropathy. The good news is this dosage actually helped regenerate nerve fibers and was able to reduce the symptoms of neuropathy.

Some chemotherapy drugs, such as oxaliplatin and cisplatin, are highly toxic to the nervous system. The result is often painful neuropathy. ALC protects the nerves from this toxicity. Several studies showed that it significantly reduced chemotherapy-induced neuropathy without interfering with the cancer-preventing effects of chemotherapy drugs.

If 1,000 mg of ALC three times a day is sufficient to treat peripheral neuropathy, consider taking half that amount if you're on chemotherapy and have no symptoms yet. Again, you can find it in health food stores.

Capsaicin is made from hot chili peppers. Many have used it in topical creams to reduce pain from arthritis and neuralgia. It's available in all drug stores as an over-the-counter topical pain ointment. It works by stimulating nerve cells associated with pain, which, in turn, release a pain-relieving chemical called substance P.

Most neuropathy studies using topical capsaicin have been conducted on diabetics. In several of them, patients applied a cream with 0.075% capsaicin to the affected areas four times a day for one to two months. Significant improvement--a 50% reduction in pain--began on the fourth week. So be patient and don't look for immediate improvement. It often works.

Applying capsaicin to your skin over painful areas is helpful. But this improvement is often temporary. A small study measured levels of substance P in diabetics who rubbed the cream on only one foot for eight weeks. Substance P levels increased during the first four weeks of treatment, but then declined. But try it yourself. It's inexpensive and easy to find. You may get best results using it for one month, and then taking a week off.

Magnetic Insoles: Magnets are probably the least researched natural therapy for peripheral neuropathy. Still, many people swear by them. So let's look at the science behind them. In a single, good study of 375 patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, patients were randomly given either magnetic or non-magnetic insoles to wear in their shoes daily for four months. During the third and fourth months, there were statistically significant reductions in pain, numbness, and tingling in the group that used magnetic insoles.

Other information suggests that magnetic insoles usually work quickly--within a week or two--if they're going to reduce pain.

So if you decide to try magnetic therapy, ask if you can return the insoles within 30 days for a refund if they don't work for you, or be willing to pay the price for the experiment. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of NIH (National Institutes of Health) agrees that some studies found magnets useful in reducing pain in various areas of the body. But there isn't enough data to justify their use. In other words, give it a try, but "buyer beware."

Don't use magnets if you have a pacemaker or other medical device, or if you get any medication through a patch on your skin (magnets dilate blood vessels which can affect your dosage). And always discuss a new therapy with your doctor or other health care practitioner, even those that are natural. Side effects are rare, but always possible.

Eat healthy foods

Dozens of studies point to insufficient vitamin E, magnesium, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, and other nutrients as contributing to neuropathy. Eliminate sugar and other refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice) from your diet and replace them with whole foods. You may need a strong multivitamin/ mineral with essential fatty acids, such as Vitality Plus (800-728-2288) before your pain subsides.

If you're diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, don't think drugs are your only choice. You now have several ways to fight the pain without any side effects. And if you don't have peripheral neuropathy, but are at high risk for it, you can take steps now to make sure you never have to experience the pain.

Heavy metals are toxic to the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, and nervous system. Mercury and arsenic are strongly associated with peripheral neuropathy. If you have peripheral neuropathy, you can lower your toxic metal load with PectaSol Chelation Complex (800-728-2288), a formula using modified citrus pectin (MCP) and sodium alginate. I've talked about MCP before, both in articles and in a well-researched little book. It's the first place I start with anyone who has peripheral neuropathy, since it removes both heavy metals and toxic residues from many pharmaceuticals and environmental sources.

"The effects of modified citrus pectin on urinary excretion of toxic elements," Phytotherapy Research, November 2006.

Fuchs, N.K., PhD. Modified Citrus Pectin, Basic Health, 2003.

Head, K.A., ND. "Peripheral neuropathy: pathogenic mechanisms and alternative therapies," Altern Med Rye, December 2006.

Ghirardi, O., et al. "Acetyl-L-Carnitine prevents and reverts experimental chronic neurotoxicity induced by oxaliplatin, without altering its antitumor properties," Anticancer Research, July-August 2005.

Sima, A.A., et al. "Acetyl-L-carnitine improves pain, nerve regeneration, and vibratory perception in patients with chronic diabetic neuropathy: an analysis of two randomized placebo-controlled trials," Diabetes Care, January 2005.

Ziegler, D., et all. "Oral treatment with alpha-lipoic acid improves symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy: the SYDNEY 2 trial," Diabetes Care, November 2006.