Do your feet and hands feel like they are on fire? Do your feet feel like you are walking on pins and needles? If so, you may be suffering from peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is a common condition that happens from damage to the nerves in the feet and hands. In this blog, we will look at how natural neuropathy treatments like chiropractic care works.
What is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Do you remember the last time you had to reset a tripped breaker in your breaker panel? The overload of electricity caused the breaker to shut down. This happens in your body as well. We call this the nervous system. As the signals from the brain to the nerves in the spinal cord are interrupted the body’s breaker panel begins to shut down causing dysfunction in your body’s system. This is what leads to neuropathy.
Your peripheral nervous system is your main connection from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. When you lose the main connection, the nerves will begin to malfunction causing numbness, weakness, and tingling sensations in your feet, arms, or hands. This malfunction of the nerves is what we know as Peripheral Neuropathy.
What Are Some Common Causes of Neuropathy?
There are many things that can cause Neuropathy such as diabetes, chemotherapy, certain medications, injuries, infections, and vitamin deficiencies. Here we break down how each can be the cause of your neuropathy.
Type II Diabetes: The most common reason for getting neuropathy. High blood sugar levels damage the nerves.
Injuries: second most common cause. When you damage a muscle or tissue, the surrounding tissue begins to swell, putting pressure on the surrounding nerves.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: The protective layer around the nerves (myelin sheath) becomes damaged.
Chemotherapy: can damage nerves throughout the body.
Toxins: pesticides or poisons.
Infections: attacks the tissue in the nervous system.
Thankfully, there are natural neuropathy treatments that make it possible to both treat and prevent the causes of neuropathy.
Types of Neuropathy
There are many types of neuropathy, but the most common are:
Sensorimotor neuropathy causes pain and numbness.
Motor neuropathy causes weakness.
Autonomic neuropathy affects the organs and glands.
Mononeuropathy causes damage to a single nerve.
How to Diagnose Neuropathy?
To know if you suffer from neuropathy, a comprehensive exam must be conducted by a trained professional. The doctor will go over your medical history, do a physical exam, and order tests. The most common test used to diagnose neuropathy is nerve conduction studies.
Chiropractic Treatment for Neuropathy
Chiropractic Care for neuropathy is a natural, drug-free approach to neuropathy treatment that can help to improve nerve function and reduce or eliminate neuropathy symptoms. If you are suffering from neuropathy, contact a chiropractor today to see how they can help you.
Treatments for Neuropathy:
There are many natural treatments for neuropathy. At Eastern Acupuncture and Wellness we pride ourselves on providing each of our patients with integrative treatment solutions. We provide treatments for neuropathy, you can see our full list of services here.
Here is how natural Chiropractic Treatments help prevent and treat neuropathy:
Physical Therapy: When you suffer from neuropathy, chiropractic care is a great option for treatment. Chiropractic care works by taking pressure off of the nerves. When the pressure is taken off of the nerves, they are able to heal and function properly. This is a non-invasive and drug-free treatment option.
Cold Laser Therapy: This is a non-invasive drug-free approach to assist in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy. This is a type of chiropractic treatment that is gentle. The laser is designed to use specific wavelengths of red light to stimulate healing on a cellular level by increasing blood circulation, and reducing pain while decreasing swelling.
Spinal Decompression: Spinal decompression is a type of motorized traction that helps to take pressure off the spine. Spinal decompression works gently by stretching the spine. The gentle stretch will create negative pressure in the disc which in turn takes the pressure off nerves that are causing the neuropathy. The benefits of decompression are not solely reserved for Peripheral Neuropathy. This treatment process has been shown to improve the regeneration of compressed disks, allowing irritated nerves to heal and function properly.
While chiropractic care can reduce or eliminate the symptoms and problems associated with Peripheral Neuropathy, the condition itself is a warning sign that another major health disorder could exist.
Neuropathy Symptoms and Their Meaning
Neuropathy symptoms can vary depending on the type of neuropathy you have. Some common neuropathy symptoms include:
Numbness: A common neuropathy symptom is numbness or a pins-and-needles feeling. Numbness is a result of damaged nerves not being able to send the proper signals to the brain.
Pain: Neuropathy pain is often described as burning, searing, or shooting pain. It is most common in your hands, feet, arms, and legs, however, it can happen in any part of your body.
Weakness: When neuropathy affects your motor nerves, it can cause muscle weakness. Which can make it hard to do everyday activities, such as walking or buttoning your shirt.
Loss of balance: neuropathy can cause problems with your sense of touch and proprioception, which is your ability to know where your body is in space. This can lead to loss of balance and falling.
Digestive problems: neuropathy can affect the nerves that control your digestive system, leading to constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Urinary problems: neuropathy can affect the nerves that control your bladder, leading to urinary incontinence or urinary retention.
Sexual problems: neuropathy can affect the nerves that control sexual function, leading to problems with erections, ejaculation, and orgasm.
Natural Treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy
There are many natural treatments that can help to ease neuropathy symptoms and improve nerve function. Some natural neuropathy treatments include:
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine treatment that involves inserting thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body. Acupuncture stimulates the nerves and releases endorphins, which can help to relieve pain. You can learn more about our acupuncture offerings here.
Vitamins
There are many vitamins that are essential for nerve health, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Taking a vitamin supplement can help to ease neuropathy symptoms and improve nerve function. At Eastern Acupuncture and Wellness we offer herbal and vitamin supplements, which are an integrative part of neuropathy treatment.
Exercise
Exercise is important for overall health, but it is also important for nerve health. Exercise can help to improve blood circulation and reduce neuropathy symptoms.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a type of exercise that involves slow, gentle movements and deep breathing. Neuropathy patients have reported reduced neuropathy symptoms after practicing Tai Chi. Tai Chi can help to improve balance and coordination, which can help to prevent falls.
Yoga
Yoga is a type of exercise that combines physical poses with breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga can help to ease neuropathy symptoms by reducing stress and improving blood circulation. Our sister non-profit AcuMantras offers weekly Yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation classes, which you can check out here.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is a natural, drug-free approach to neuropathy treatment that can help to improve nerve function and reduce or eliminate neuropathy symptoms. If you are suffering from neuropathy, you can contact us. Dr. Carswell is our in-house chiropractor; she'll be able to come up with a treatment plan that is right for you.
You can call us today for a complimentary consultation or book here!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Neuropathy is a complex and often debilitating condition that can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort. If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from neuropathy, we hope that you have found this information helpful. We encourage you to discuss your treatment options with your doctor and to explore natural treatments such as chiropractic care. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to neuropathy, but there are many potential treatments available that may be able to help lessen your symptoms.
