ABOUT neuropathy

Have you been told to take gabapentin and live your neuropathy? Don't worry we can help...

Peripheral neuropathy can be likened to the deprivation of blood or oxygen to any part of the body. Consider what would happen if the blood supply to your hand were cut off. Gradually, you would experience tingling, pain, changes in color, and eventually, tissue deterioration, decay, and necrosis. This parallels the experience of an individual experiencing peripheral neuropathy.

For various reasons, people with peripheral neuropathy find that adequate blood and  oxygen flow to their hands, toes, feet, ankles, and sometimes lower legs is compromised. Medically speaking, peripheral neuropathy is characterized as a chronic progressive, degenerative condition resulting from the insufficient circulation of blood and oxygen to these tissues.

What does this mean? If no proactive measures are taken to treat and improve the condition, and the longer these tissues remain deprived of adequate blood and oxygen, the more we can expect the nerves to deteriorate.

Nerve tissue is particularly vulnerable to oxygen deprivation, which is why neuropathy symptoms often manifest there first.  As the nerves fail to receive sufficient oxygen, they undergo atrophy and deformation, and during their decline or final stages of function, they generate symptoms such as pain, numbness, electric shocks, stabbing sensations, pins and needles, and temperature irregularities.

In a way, these symptoms serve as the body's alarm system or early warning signs that a problem exists, prompting individuals to take action before the situation worsens. Similar to a canary in a coal mine or a siren preceding an impending storm, the symptoms caution you to take action now because there are more severe consequences coming if the condition goes untreated.

In fact, when contemplating the various symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, it is akin to tightly wrapping a rubber band around a finger multiple times. The finger would gradually exhibit discoloration, followed by a numbing sensation, then pins and needles, and eventually intense pain. If the rubber band is left in place, what is the eventual outcome? As you may have guessed, the finger will die and fall off like a sheep's tail.

Regrettably, such scenarios occur all too frequently. Individuals often delay seeking help until their toes assume a purple hue or their feet exhibit pallid white or deep red tones, or in severe cases, their toes may have already turned black. Consequently, some individuals require toe or foot amputations.

It is important to remember that there is no medication that can restore the affected tissues to their normal state. The true solution lies in harnessing the body's innate physiological processes to facilitate healing.

What causes the diminished blood flow to the nerves? This is an excellent question. The leading cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes (1). Other common causes include chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, alcoholism, autoimmune diseases, infections, and hereditary factors (some people get poor circulation as they age).

Roughly a quarter of individuals diagnosed with diabetes encounter peripheral neuropathy, a significant concern within the realm of public health [4-7]. Peripheral neuropathy is a crucial factor in the development of foot ulcers, osteoarthropathy, osteomyelitis, and, in severe cases, results in amputation of the lower limb. Interestingly, the prevalence of amputations is fifteen times higher among diabetic patients compared to the general population [5, 8].

 1. Bansal V, Kalita J, Misra UK. Diabetic neuropathy. Postgrad Med J. 2006;82:95–100.
2. Rev Diabet Stud. Peripheral Neuropathy Management Strategies. Rev Diabet Stud. 2009 Winter; 6(4): 230–236. Published online 2010 Feb 10. doi: 10.1900/RDS.2009.6.230
3. Abdelhalim, A. A., & Alghamdi, S. A. (2017). Multi-objective optimization of PID controller for an AVR system using a modified NSGA-II. Journal of King Saud University - Engineering Sciences, 29(2), 140-147. 
4. Shaw JE, Zimmet PZ, Gries FA, Ziegler D. Epidemiology of diabetic neuropathy. In: Gries FA, Cameron NE, Low PA, Ziegler D, editors. Textbook of Diabetic Neuropathy. Thieme; New York: 2003. pp. 64–82. 
5. Boulton AJ, Malik RA, Arezzo JC, Sosenko JM. Diabetic somatic neuropathies. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:1458–1486. 
6. Boulton AJ, Vinik AL, Arezzo JC, Bril V, Feldman EL, Freeman R, Malik RA, Maser RE, Sosenko JM, Ziegler D. Diabetic neuropathies: a statement by the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:956–962.
7. Coppini DV, Bowtell PA, Weng C, Young PJ, Sonksen PH. Showing neuropathy is related to increased mortality in diabetic patients: a survival analysis using an accelerated failure time model. J Clin Epidemiol. 2000;53:519–523. 
8. Ziegler D. Treatment of Diabetic Polyneuropathy. Update 2006. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006;1084:250–266.

WARNING! Neuropathy can reach a point where it is no longer treatable. DO NOT DELAY TREATMENT!