How to Treat Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms

A peripheral neuropathy is a general term to describe damage to and dysfunction of the body's peripheral nervous system. Numerous medical disorders can cause or contribute to a peripheral neuropathy; as a result, the diagnostic evaluation can be extensive and very costly. Since many peripheral neuropathies are difficult to measure or quantify the symptoms tend to be very broad and subjective depending on the etiology. Typically most people complain of numbness, weakness, tingling or burning pain in an extremity. The symptoms can be constant or come and go without a specific pattern. Any body part that served by peripheral nerves can be affected though the feet and legs are involved most often. Treating the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can be challenging because damage to peripheral nerves requires significant time to repair. Priority is placed on correcting the underlying medical problem that is causing the peripheral neuropathy. After that, the focus turns to controlling peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Are there any treatments available that might help peripheral neuropathy symptoms regardless of what the cause may be?

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Supplement with vitamin B12. With little agreement internationally as to what the ideal blood levels of vitamin B12 should be it's important to take supplements. This is particularly important for vegetarians or vegans. Oral therapy should be adequate for most people as long as large doses are used. Fortunately, excess vitamin B12 is harmless.

2. Take a super vitamin B complex supplement. Though vitamin B12 deficiency gets most of the attention as a frequent cause of peripheral neuropathy symptoms a lack of any of the water soluble B vitamins including folic acid can cause similar symptoms. Avoid getting too much vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) which can cause neuropathy symptoms.

3. Skip the alcohol. Even small quantities of alcohol can be toxic to peripheral nerves.

4. Consider vitamin D and E supplements. Many adults are vitamin D deficient and don't even know it. Vitamin D deficiency has recently been associated with all types of neuromuscular symptoms including peripheral neuropathy, muscle weakness and pain.

5. Add omega 3 fish oil capsules. This multiple purpose supplement has a myriad of health benefits including powerful anti-inflammatory properties. High levels of fish oils may help to repair damaged peripheral nerves more quickly.

6. Try photo energy therapy to increase blood flow into the microvascular system of an affected extremity. The improvement in blood flow seems to reduce the symptoms of many peripheral neuropathies.

7. Take alpha lipoic acid to alleviate peripheral neuropathy symptoms. This antioxidant supplement has shown some promise in several small trials.

8. Begin a medication such as Cymbalta, Lyrica or Neurontin. These and other similar anti-depressant and anti-epileptic medications are routinely prescribed to mitigate peripheral neuropathy symptoms.

Tips & Warnings

• Peripheral neuropathy symptoms should always be evaluated by a doctor. The list of potential causes is long and the evaluation quite complicated.
• Many peripheral neuropathies never completely resolve despite aggressive therapy.