Naturopathic Remedy for Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain results from dysfunction or damage involving the nerve fibers of the peripheral or central nervous system. Symptoms, which are often chronic, include tingling, burning, numbness and shooting pain. Some of the many conditions that can cause neuropathic pain include diabetes, multiple sclerosis, amputation and shingles. Neuropathic conditions should be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. However, many people turn to holistic, naturopathic remedies to soothe symptoms, and many report relief.
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Naturopathic Medicine
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If you're considering naturopathic medicine as a way to complement your conventional medical treatment for neuropathic pain, you have plenty of company. According to the National Pain Foundation, 40 percent of Americans currently use some form of complementary or alternative treatments. Naturopathic medicine, which focuses on the healing power of nature, uses non-toxic, holistic methods to optimize wellness and prevent disease. A broad range of therapies--including clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy and acupuncture--are classified as naturopathic.
Naturopathic physicians, or NDs, are primary health care providers, and have studied at a four-year graduate-level medical naturopathic school, studying the same basic sciences as medical doctors.
Botanicals
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Botanicals that your naturopath might recommend for neuropathic pain include capsaicin--the principal ingredient in cayenne pepper, and a natural analgesic--as well as passionflower tea, often used to soothe fibromyalgia symptoms. She may also prescribe massages with assorted oils, such as oil of juniper and St. John's Wort oil. Kava kava, the root of the piper methysticum plant, alters the amount of neurotransmitters in the blood and has a relaxant and pain-relieving effect. Many naturopaths also recommend devil's claw, which has anti-inflammatory properties, as a tonic and general pain reliever.
With so many natural herbal and botanical remedies to draw from, you and your naturopath may well to able to design a treatment to alleviate your neuropathic pain.
Precautions
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Be sure to check with your medical doctor before beginning any complementary treatments, vitamins or medicines; sometimes these can interact with prescription medications and techniques. To learn about side effects of herbal remedies, visit the US Library of Medicine in the Resource section below.
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