Nutritional or vitamin imbalances, alcoholism, and exposure to toxins can damage nerves and cause neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess vitamin B6 are the best-known vitamin-related causes. Several medications have been shown to occasionally cause neuropathy.
A: There is no clear treatment for neuropathy that will improve nerve damage, but a combination of pain medications, vitamins, lotions and exercise can help you manage symptoms.
Here's an example: It's not uncommon for people with peripheral neuropathy to have short-circuiting, backfiring neurons and axons that are ill and causing pain. Over time, those fibers may undergo degeneration and die, which means the neuropathy is worse because of the loss of more nerve fibers.
Regular exercise, such as walking three times a week, can lower neuropathy pain, improve muscle strength and help control blood sugar levels. Gentle routines such as yoga and tai chi also might help. If you have painful neuropathy in your feet, you may want to try pool-based exercise such as swimming. Quit smoking.
Magnesium
The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy state that magnesium may help with chemotherapy-related neuropathy, but more research is needed. A study published in Nutrients of people undergoing chemotherapy found that people who had high levels of magnesium in their diet were less likely to experience neuropathy.
The main medicines recommended for neuropathic pain include: amitriptyline – also used for treatment of headaches and depression. duloxetine – also used for treatment of bladder problems and depression. pregabalin and gabapentin – also used to treat epilepsy, headaches or anxiety.
Foods to Avoid: Foods that are high in sugar – Sugar can aggravate nerve pain and discomfort, so it is best to avoid foods that are high in sugar. This includes sugary snacks, desserts, and processed foods. Fried foods – Fried foods are unhealthy and can worsen neuropathy symptoms.
Salty Foods: Foods high in sodium, such as potato chips, cold cuts, and frozen prepared meals, can be an issue for neuropathy patients because high levels of sodium can lead to restricted blood flow, which may cause a flare-up of symptoms.
Drink lots of water
Water should be a staple in any diet, and even more so for those looking to reduce nerve pain. It's critical to stay hydrated throughout the day to reduce inflammation and avoid triggering pain receptors. Aim to drink eight 8-oz. of water each day.
ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Proclaim™ XR spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a debilitating complication of diabetes.
How Nerve Pain Feels. People with nerve pain feel it in different ways. For some, it's a stabbing pain in the middle of the night. For others, symptoms can include a chronic prickling, tingling, or burning they feel all day.
It is best to avoid alcohol if you have peripheral neuropathy. Consuming large amounts of refined sugars can make the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy worse. This is because these sugars are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a spike in blood sugar levels.
Avoid caffeine.
Consuming high amounts of caffeine can cause blood vessels to temporarily narrow, restricting the blood flow to your extremities. This could lead to increased nerve pain.
Causes of nutritional neuropathies include alcohol exposure, thiamine deficiency, niacine deficiency, pyridoxine deficiency and excess, cyanocobalamin deficiency, pantothenic acid deficiency, alpha-tocopherol deficiency, celiac disease, and multifactorial mechanisms.
Mean survival time for those with PN was 10.8 years, compared with 13.9 years for subjects without PN. PN was also indirectly associated through impaired balance.
B vitamins are known for their ability to support healthy nervous system function. Vitamins B-1, B-6, and B-12 have been found to be especially beneficial for treating neuropathy. Vitamin B-1, also known as thiamine, helps to reduce pain and inflammation and vitamin B-6 preserves the covering on nerve endings.
You may begin to notice improvements after about a week of supplementation, but do not waiver from your dose as directed. If you are using transdermal magnesium it works instantly due to the quick absorption through the skin, which bypasses the digestive system.
How long does it take for magnesium to reduce anxiety? In most cases, magnesium starts working within a week, since it's a fast-acting nutrient. You need to take it consistently to reduce anxiety and help you relax.