Preventing Diabetic Nerve Disorders
Keeping your blood glucose levels as close to the normal range as possible is the BEST way to prevent neuropathy. And it is important to be aware of this fact from the moment you are diagnosed with diabetes, because symptoms of diabetic neuropathies usually take years to manifest. By then the damage has already been done.
Regular monitoring and good medication taking is the key to maintaining consistent blood glucose levels. Large shifts in blood glucose are thought to accelerate the damage to nerve fibers.
At least twice a year, your doctor should ask for a blood test called the A1C test. This gives an idea of your average blood glucose readings over the past two to three months.
What Are The Treatments For Neuropathy
Since neuropathy once started cannot be cured totally, most treatments focus on neuropathy management and relieve symptoms, mainly pain. In most cases where no underlying causes are involved, the neuropathy may improve over time with lifestyle and alternative medicinal practices.
Even then, pain relievers are mostly prescribed to relieve symptoms. There are different treatment options available today which are highly interdependent and may help in reducing symptoms or improving the condition temporarily or permanently. The different treatment options include medications, therapies, alternative medicine, lifestyle changes, and home remedies.
Types Of Diabetic Neuropathy
There are several types of neuropathy that may develop in relation to diabetes. Some people experience just one of these types, while others may have more than one.
- Peripheral neuropathy is the most common type of neuropathy. It affects the extremities, such as toes, feet, fingers, and hands, but may also involve the legs and arms.
- Autonomic neuropathy affects the nerves that control body systems and are responsible for everyday body functioning, such as blood pressure, sweating, and digestion.
- Proximal neuropathy is a rare form of nerve damage affecting the hip, thigh, or buttocks. It usually affects only one side of the body.
- Focal neuropathy affects a single nerve, such as in the wrist or the back, and may also affect the nerve that controls the eye muscles. It is less common than peripheral or autonomic neuropathy.
Other less common forms of neuropathy include:
- Femoral neuropathy
- Inability to sense low blood sugar signs
- Double vision
Proximal neuropathy can cause pain in a hip, buttock, or thigh, and weakness and loss of muscle in the corresponding leg. The weakness may make it difficult to stand up.
Focal neuropathy, by definition, affects one nerve. If a nerve in the arm or hand is damaged, it can lead to pain, numbness, or weakness of that hand. If a nerve in the face is affected, Bell’s palsy might result. Damage to an eye nerve might lead to double vision.
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Prevention Of Diabetic Neuropathy
Be guided by your doctor, but general suggestions to reduce the risk of diabetic neuropathy include:
- Maintain blood glucose levels within the target ranges.
- Exercise regularly.
- Maintain a healthy weight for your height.
- Stop smoking.
- Reduce your blood pressure and lipid levels through diet and lifestyle changes, and medication where appropriate
- Consult your doctor promptly if you have symptoms including pain, numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
- Have your feet checked at least yearly by your doctor, podiatrist or diabetes educator, or more often if you have signs of problems with your feet or other complications of your diabetes.
How To Prevent Neuropathy
Preventive measures are best for diseases like neuropathy since no cure has been found yet. Lifestyle changes from early life can be the most effective way of preventing neuropathy, mostly of diabetic origin.
Dietary changes – Diet and exercise are the major preventive factors.
You can avoid high-sugar diets if you have a diabetic or neuropathic history in your family or you have diabetes. Include more fruits, veggies, lean proteins, high fiber diet on a regular basis. Avoid junk food as far as possible and intake of toxins into the body both of which can be fatal to the nervous system. Also, avoid packaged or processed foods, white bread products, and limit saturated or trans fats.
Try to consume a balanced diet every day and if not possible, consume vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent or slow down neuropathy. Vitamin deficiency plays a major role in the development of neuropathy. Most importantly, keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels. Vitamin B12 is known to slow the progression of different stages of neuropathy.
Exercise – Exercise regularly from an early stage of life which is extremely beneficial to keep away different types of neuropathy. Research shows regular light walking is beneficial for better circulation and in turn nourishment of damaged nerve fibers, especially in the feet area. This can reverse neuropathic pain.
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How To Identify The Causes
Because there are so many different possible causes of diabetic nerve pain, getting to the root cause can be difficult. Medical professionals may recommend that you visit a specialist in order to get to the source. The specialist will collaborate with your doctor to help identify the best treatment option for your particular case. With specialized knowledge, they can better identify an effective treatment option that has a much better chance of success at bringing you relief from your condition.
What Causes Diabetic Nerve Pain
While medical professionals can guess at what causes diabetic neuropathy pain, it is still unclear exactly what is happening inside the body to bring about this condition. After many years of research and study it has been concluded that this painful situation is the result of blood glucose levels being out of control.
According to a study conducted in 1993 published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers have learned that when blood glucose levels are under control this can reduce the number of flare-ups of this painful condition. Often to better manage these blood glucose levels your doctor may prescribe treatments like insulin therapy to help.
Still, even with this knowledge, it is difficult to understand how the blood glucose level can have an impact on the nerves. While it is known that elevated glucose levels can in fact damage the nerve connections, it is a condition that is not evident in all diabetics. It is estimated that approximately 70% of diabetics actually develop this kind of condition during the course of their disease.
Therefore there must be additional contributing factors that are promoting the development of this disorder. So, the development of diabetic nerve pain is often the result of a combination of conditions all working together to damage the body’s nervous system causing the painful flare ups.
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Diabetic Nerve Pain Clinical Study
If you have diabetes and shooting, burning, pins and needles pain in your feet or hands, you could have painful diabetic peripheral neuropathyalso known as diabetic nerve pain . It is a common complication of diabetes. The most common cause is poorly controlled blood sugar over time. High blood sugar can injure nerve fibers throughout your body, but diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in your legs and feet.
Diabetic nerve pain can take years to develop. In the early stages, you may have no signs at all, and then only start to feel a tingling or numbness in your feet. As it progresses, you may also feel the pain in your hands and it is often worse at night. This means that your nerves may be damaged for a long time before you experience painful symptoms.
A clinical research study and trial is being conducted to review the efficacy and safety of an investigation drug NYX-2925. Dr. Bhatias Neuro Pain Clinic is one of the 35 centers in the United States conducting this clinical trial and is actively recruiting patients who have Type 2 diabetes and have pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The trial will last about 6 to 9 weeks, and all eligible patients will receive study related care and study related drugs at no cost.
Give Your Feet Some Tlc
Nerve damage in your feet can cause them to lose sensation. “So you may not realize that you scratched or cut your foot until much later,” Sackheim says. As a result, you may develop a more serious problem, like an ulcer or infection. To avoid this, Sackheim says you should clean and examine your feet at the end of each day. “Also make sure that you wear comfortable shoes.” Pairs that are too tight can pinch your feet and lead to injury.
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How To Avoid Diabetic Neuropathy
About one-third to one-half of people with diabetes have some kind of nerve damage, reports the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases .
Anyone with diabetes can get nerve damage at anytime, explains Dr. Bolash. There is an association with very high levels ofblood sugar and the development of diabetic neuropathy, but the two do notalways go hand in hand.
Unfortunately, even patients with very mild cases ofdiabetes may be affected with severe cases of nerve pain, he says, while otherscan be spared. According to the NIDDK, the highest rates of nerve damageare among people who have had diabetes 25 years or longer.
To avoid diabetic neuropathy, Dr. Bolash advises:Control your blood sugar and keep it as close to nondiabeticlevels as possible.
Natural Diabetic Neuropathy Treatments That Work
Diabetes itself is extremely common, affecting about one in every three adults in the U.S., and diabetic neuropathy is one of the most likely complications to develop as a side effect because high blood sugar levels affect nerve fibers throughout the body. Neuropathy is a pathological condition that encompasses more than 100 different forms and manifestations of nerve damage, both in people with diabetes and those without.
Diabetic neuropathy is the term for nerve damage caused by diabetes, a chronic condition that occurs when the body doesnt use the hormone insulin properly. Neuropathy can form anywhere but is most likely to affect nerves running through the limbs, hands and feet.
Not every person with diabetes symptoms develops complications such as neuropathy, but many do. In fact, up to 60 percent to 70 percent of all diabetics experience some form of neuropathy. For some people, only mild symptoms develop from nerve damage, such as tingling or numbness in the limbs. But for others, neuropathy causes a good amount of pain, digestive issues, problems with the heart and blood vessels, the inability to go about life normally, and even death if major organs are affected badly enough.
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Can Diabetic Neuropathy Be Reversed
Diabetic neuropathy cant be cured or reversed but it can be managed.
There are different diabetic treatments that can help diabetic neuropathy, such as medication and physical therapy.
It is best to catch diabetic neuropathy before it worsens so you dont experience the worst symptoms.
If you have symptoms of neuropathy its important to work with your doctor on a treatment plan that gets your blood sugars in range and manages your pain.
What Is Diabetic Nerve Pain Or Diabetic Neuropathy
Neuropathy is an over-arching term that means nerve pain. There are four types of neuropathy, including:
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Radiculoplexus neuropathy
- Mononeuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy refers to nerve pain that is experienced on the periphery of your body, like the hands and feet. This area is enervated by the peripheral nervous system .
There are many conditions that can result in nerve pain in the farthest reaches of the body, including:
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Certain medications
The most common cause of peripheral neuropathy, though, is poorly controlled diabetes.
The hallmark of diabetes is a nearly constant fluctuation of the blood sugar, with spiky highs and cavernous lows. This constant fluctuation damages the capillary walls responsible for delivering blood to the nerves, especially in the hands and feet. As the capillaries become more damaged, diabetic neuropathy symptoms begin to appear.
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How To Find Relief If You Already Have Neuropathy
If youre already suffering from neuropathy, Dr.Bolash says some of the best ways to find relief include:
- Oral medications, including prescription antidepressants and anticonvulsants, can reduce the sensation of pain. .
- Topical medications can target pain thats located in a small area.
- Nerve stimulation is an advanced treatment that can make a big difference and improve function in cases of more severe pain. This treatment can be applied to the skin or placed along the spinal cord to change unpleasant pain into something more tolerable. Recent evidence suggests that spinal cord stimulation may be even more effective then managing the pain with medications.
Stimulation doesnt fix the damage from diabetes,says Dr. Bolash. It tricks the brains ability to sense pain.
If you have diabetes, discuss any nerve pain with yourprimary care physician and be sure to be screened for diabeticcomplications.
Physicians can actually diagnose neuropathy before youfeel it and early intervention can make a substantial difference. The soonernerve damage is detected, the easier it can be treated.
Diagnosis Of Diabetic Neuropathy
The diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy may include:
- taking a medical history for symptoms typical of neuropathy
- checking your feet and legs for responses to stimuli such as temperature, light touch, pain, movement and vibration
- checking the reflexes at your ankles and knees
- tests to exclude other possible causes of neuropathy .
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Peripheral Neuropathy Pain Home Treatments
Among the most effective home remedies for peripheral neuropathy include leading a natural life as much as possible which means replacing artificial commodities used in daily life with natural alternatives. This is the best way to reduce toxin addition to the body which not only relieves symptoms but may also be effective in reversing the condition to a certain extent.
- The easiest changes to start with can be to switch to a natural bamboo toothbrush, using herbal tooth powders, neem sticks, switch to coconut oil for cooking, and so on.
- It is also beneficial to plant herbs and shrubs that cleanses the air naturally or soothes the environment around you.
- Other remedies could be to perform salt or essential oil spas to remove toxins from the body and calm the nerves. Essential oils like Roman Lavender, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Marjoram, etc are highly effective in curing nerve pain.
- Massages on a regular basis are effective in managing the pain although ensure not to go too harsh or for a long duration as it can worsen the nerve damage.
- Epsom salt spa can help control pain and also relieve the stiffness of muscle.
- Apple cider vinegar is a very good home remedy for neuropathy as it contains tons of anti-inflammatory agents apart from minerals. 2-3 tablespoons can be taken every day with lukewarm water both as a preventive and treatment measure.
- What are the stages of neuropathy?
-
There are mainly four stages –
How Does Neuropathic Pain Affect People With Diabetes
Managing Diabetic Nerve Pain Part 1Diabetic nerve pain unfortunately can be very dangerous for people with diabetes.
At an early stage it can impact on day to day activities such as walking, exercising or working with the hands.
At a later stage diabetic nerve pain can make even standing difficult.
One of the dangers of diabetic neuropathy is if it leads to a foot ulcer developing as high blood sugars and poor circulation can both mean the wound may take longer to heal and be more susceptible to infection getting in, which can sometime result in amputation.
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How Is Diabetic Neuropathy Diagnosed
Early diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy gives patients the best chance of effective treatment. But since not all foot or limb pain means diabetic neuropathy, accurate diagnosis is important to ensure appropriate treatment.
Diagnosis of diabetic neuropathies is based on history, clinical examination and supporting laboratory tests. Your doctor may:
- Check muscle strength and reflexes.
- Check muscle sensitivity to position, vibration, temperature and light touch.
- Request additional tests, such as:
-
- Ultrasound to determine how parts of the urinary tract are functioning.
- Electromyography to determine how muscles respond to electrical impulses.
- Nerve conduction studies to check flow of electrical current through a nerve.
- Skin biopsies to evaluate cutaneous nerve innervation.
- Nerve and muscle biopsies for histopathological evaluation.
A comprehensive evaluation including a review of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose screenings combined with more advanced screening, helps the doctor rule out other causes and identify the core problem.
Different Types Of Diabetic Neuropathy
There are four main types of diabetic neuropathy. The symptoms may develop gradually and you may not even notice that anything is wrong or painful until significant nerve damage has occurred.
Peripheral Neuropathy
This type of nerve damage usually affects the legs and feet. It can also affect the hands and arms. It is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy. Symptoms are typically worse at night, and include:
- Numbness and loss of sensitivity to pain & temperature
- Sharp pain or cramps
- Serious foot problems ulcers, infections, joint and bone pain
Focal Neuropathy
Focal neuropathies, or mononeuropathies, are conditions in which there is damage to a single nerve. It is most common in the face, torso, or leg. This type of diabetic neuropathy can cause severe pain and symptoms can appear suddenly. However, there is rarely long-term damage and the symptoms usually go away on their own.
Pain usually occurs in the foot, lower back, pelvis, or chest and abdomen. Focal neuropathy causes nerve problems in the face and eyes which can lead to double vision, paralysis to the face , and trouble focusing.
Autonomic neuropathy
Autonomic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that control your internal organs. It leads to problems with blood pressure and your heart rate, bladder, sweat glands, digestive system, and sex organs.
Common symptoms include:
- Stomach conditions, such as gastroparesis
Proximal neuropathy
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