Treating Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

The toes burn and tingle and sharp pains shoot into your legs. The bed sheets feel uncomfortable on the feet as you toss and turn, trying to get some rest. Your feet felt numb throughout the day, but now feel like they are on fire. Nothing seems to help as you watch the hours on the clock pass by, hoping to fall asleep.

Burning, numbness, tingling, hot and cold sensations, shooting and electrical pain are common sensations felt at rest in painful peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is an abnormality of the nervous system. There are many different types of neuropathy, but the most common neuropathy effecting diabetics is peripheral neuropathy.

Diabetic neuropathy is described as a loss of sensation that starts in the tips of the toes and gradually works its way up the legs, and in severe case into the hands. It is sometimes referred to as a stocking glove neuropathy because it progresses as if one was pulling on a stocking.

Sixty percent of diabetics have some type of neuropathy in their feet. Five percent of diabetics will experience painful diabetic neuropathy and the incidence increases with age. Over 45% of individuals who have had diabetes for over 25 years will experience some symptoms of painful diabetic neuropathy.

The cause of diabetic neuropathy is not clearly understood. Many believe that the damage to the small vessels surrounding the nerves, from the diabetes, causes damage to the nerves. Others believe the increase in blood sugar causes damage to the nerves. Despite the different theories, studies have shown better blood sugar control helps prevent progression of the neuropathy.

There are currently no treatments to help reverse diabetic neuropathy. There are no treatments which help reduce the numbness. But, there are many treatments to help decrease the pain associated with the neuropathy.

Your doctor may prescribe medications to help with the pain. There are many options, but until recently none were FDA approved for the treatment of painful neuropathy. Cymbalta®, duloxetine HCl, was recently approved by the FDA in September of 2004 for use in diabetic peripheral neuropathy at doses of 60 and 120 mg per day. This is the first drug approved for this use. Similar medications, like amitriptyline, desipramine and nortriptyline, have been used to help decrease pain and help with sleep.

Gabapentin, also known as Neurontin®, has been a successful treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy. Neurontin® was originally approved by the FDA for adjunctive use in seizures, but the benefits of this drug for other conditions, like neuropathy, soon became known. The manufacturers of Neurontin® were caught up in a controversy regarding their marketing tactics for this off label use. Many physicians still use this drug despite the controversy. Tegretol and Dilantin, common seizure medications, can be used in more severe cases. New treatments include lidocaine 5% cream, acetyl-L-canitine, nerve growth factor and Annodyne ®, infrared therapy.

To help treat painful peripheral neuropathy without prescription medications, consider the following tips:

1. Keep your blood sugar in control: Studies have shown that when blood sugars remain high, or roller coaster from high to low, peripheral neuropathy will worsen.

2. Exercise. This is probably the last thing you wanted to hear. Exercise helps increase circulation and stimulates the growth of new vessels which help slow the progression of the neuropathy. Exercising also helps to increase your pain threshold and to provide a distraction from the nerve pain in your feet.

3. Eat healthy. Besides helping to control your blood sugar, eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables will add anti-oxidants to your diet. Anti-oxidants will combat the damaging oxidative effects glucose has on your nerves. In particular, try dark-green, leafy vegetables, yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes.

4. Try red pepper powder. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chile peppers. When applied to the feet it acts as a counter-irritant and can help decrease neuropathic pain. Capsaicin can be purchased at your local drug store. If you cannot afford capsaicin, try mixing 1 tablespoon of dry chile powder with 2 tablespoons of baby powder. Place the mixture in a sock and use the socks at night.

5. Try alpha lipoic acid. ALA is an effective anti-oxidant that has been shown to relieve pain associated with neuropathy in multiple studies. To help relieve pain, the dose must be at least 600mg a day. It is advisable to start with a lower dose, as higher doses can cause nausea, stomach upset, fatigue, insomnia and can lower blood sugar. In general, ALA is a safe supplement.

6. Try gamma linolenic acid. GLA is an essential fatty acid found in evening primrose oil. Most of the studies have shown modest results, but the possibilities are still encouraging. Take 360mg/day. Many indications require higher dosages, but side effects with long term use at higher doses may include inflammation, thrombosis (blood clots), or decreased immune system functioning.

Treating painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy is very difficult and many of the above mentioned therapies should be tried and combined. Don't expect any "cures" and make sure you give each therapy a chance to work.

Christine Dobrowolski is a podiatrist and the author of Those Aching Feet: Your Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Foot Problems. To learn more about Dr. Dobrowolski and her book visit http://www.skipublishing.com/ or http://www.northcoastfootcare.com

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:44:32 GMT US infant mortality ranks lower - San Jose Mercury News Chatter Shmatter US infant mortality ranks lower San Jose Mercury News - 2 hours ago By Mary Engel After a century of declines, the US infant mortality rate barely budged from 2000 to 2005, causing the United States to slip further behind other developed countries despite spending more on health care, according to a report released ... Infant Mortality: US Ranks 29th WebMD Infant Deaths Drop in US, but Rate Is Still High New York Times Washington Post - MedHeadlines - Bloomberg - MedPage Today all 37 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:11:36 GMT New MacBooks Shine Light On Nvidia, Intel, SSDs - CRN DailyTech New MacBooks Shine Light On Nvidia, Intel, SSDs CRN - 2 hours ago Apple launched its new family of MacBooks to great fanfare at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters Tuesday. After the initial flurry of speeds and feeds, here are some thoughts about the new lineup and what it means for the industry. Enterprise Mac | Tom Yager InfoWorld New Macbook lineup to feature GeForce 9400M GPUs Neoseeker PC World - IGN - Slashdot - PC Magazine all 1,228 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:07:24 GMT Movie Review - Entertainment Weekly Wall Street Journal Movie Review Entertainment Weekly - 4 hours ago DUBYA Josh Brolin stands out as the soon-to-be former president in Oliver Stone's W. By Lisa Schwarzbaum As his second term as the 43rd President of the United States concludes in national financial upheaval, the real George W. Bush is a figure more ... Video: George Bush on the Big Screen AssociatedPress Where's Dubya? The Star-Ledger - NJ.com The Week Magazine - San Jose Mercury News - Los Angeles Times - New York Times all 469 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:01:30 GMT McCain brings up '60s radical in questioning Obama - The Associated Press ringsidereport.com McCain brings up '60s radical in questioning Obama The Associated Press - 30 minutes ago NEW YORK (AP) - Republican John McCain is raising rival Barack Obama's link to a 1960s radical in the final presidential debate. What We Want to Hear Washington Post Where is the room for John McCain to Succeed? CNN Political Ticker AsianWeek - Kansas City Star - Wall Street Journal Blogs - ringsidereport.com all 286 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:13:48 GMT Madonna, queen of reinvention, to divorce again - Reuters Reuters Madonna, queen of reinvention, to divorce again Reuters - 1 hour ago LONDON (Reuters) - The key to Madonna's enduring appeal has been to stay one step ahead of the game in the famously fickle world of pop. Video: AP Exclusive: Madonna, Guy Ritchie to Divorce AssociatedPress Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie announce plans to divorce Reality TV World E! Online - Financial Times - People Magazine - China Daily all 2,013 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:53:05 GMT Drinking and the Shrinking Brain - Washington Post Canada.com Drinking and the Shrinking Brain Washington Post - 15 hours ago Nobody wants to think about their brain's shrinking. But our brains do so as we age. They decrease in size by about 2 percent per decade; and the brains of drinkers may shrink more quickly, according to a study published Monday in the Archives of ... Alcohol shrinks your brain! ...True, sad story CollegeOTR Is Drinking Shrinking Your Brain? FOXNews ChattahBox - eFluxMedia - CNN - dBTechno all 165 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:02:40 GMT Hill's late jumper lifts Suns past Hawks, 102-100 - USA Today CBC.ca Hill's late jumper lifts Suns past Hawks, 102-100 USA Today - 33 minutes ago ATLANTA (AP) - Grant Hill made an 18-foot jump shot with 5.6 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-100 in a preseason game Wednesday night. Nash leaves preseason game vs. Hawks Sports Network Suns superstar Nash leaves pre-season game with sprained ankle The Canadian Press HoopsWorld all 38 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:10:47 GMT Automatic Blogging Add RSS Feeds to My Website

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Discover the Positive Effects of Exercise for Diabetes Sufferers

There are two main types of diabetes, type I and... Read More

Diabetes Awareness: Will They Recognize You?

Imagine how it feels to look younger, feel younger, and... Read More

Benfotiamine - A New Tool In Preventing Diabetic Complications?

Benfotiamine made headlines globally in 2003 when researchers released information... Read More

Diabetes: Diabetics Fight Back

Many cases of diabetes go unnoticed or unchecked before a... Read More

Raising Happy Diabetic Kids

This is the first in a series of articles I... Read More

Diabetes

The following information is for educational purposes only and is... Read More

Treating Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

The toes burn and tingle and sharp pains shoot into... Read More

Living with Diabetes and Celiac Disease

Living with multiple health problems can complicate things. As a... Read More

Recognizing Early Symptoms Diabetes

Early symptoms diabetesStay alert in recognizing early symptoms of diabetes.... Read More

Medicinal Properties of Bitter Melon - Good for Diabetics

Bitter Melon is the English name of Momordica charantia, a... Read More

Exercise ? The Only Hope for Diabetes!

Why is it that the smallest paragraph in diabetes prevention... Read More

Have Diabetes, But Enjoy Quality Food? Try Diabetic Recipes!

Having diabetes certainly limits some of the food you can... Read More

Ascensia Breeze Glucometer Rated

Simple Testing Over and Over* simple and easy testing. Simple... Read More

Type I Diabetes: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes

Type I diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or... Read More

I Have Diabetes or Another Chronic Condition - Should I Use an HSA?

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are becoming quite popular for people... Read More

Diabetes Awareness: The Downside... a New Wardrobe?

Here is some commonsense thinking:I can't understand why anyone who... Read More

Get More Out Of Life While Managing Your Diabetes

When I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at... Read More

Diabetes: Calling For Double Trouble!

Diabetes!!!Open your eyes to the catastrophic effects of Diabetes. The... Read More

Accu-Check Aviva Glucometer - New for Diabetes Testing

Now you can help make every test strip count as... Read More

Get Rid of Your Diabetes

People at risk of getting the disease drop by a... Read More

Diabetes Awareness: Family of Diabetics

Thousands, if not millions of people have diabetes in their... Read More

STAT-LET? Auto Safety Lancets - Makes Diabetes Testing Easy!

Stat Medical Hardware, Inc (SMD) was founded in 1988 and... Read More

Pancreas Transplants - A Solution For Type 1 Diabetes Sufferers?

Type 1 diabetes was formerly known as juvenile diabetes or... Read More

Diabetes And The Long Term Dangers

Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue... Read More

Diabetes Symptoms, Causes & Types

Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles carbohydrates,... Read More