Health Solutions Group | Boston Neuropathy Treatment
Chiropractor|Chiropractic Orthopedics|Neuropathy Doctor|
Dr Brian Petrie recently shared the studio with me and discussed the addition of a muscle work technique called Graston in the neuropathy treatment clinics. As we have written about earlier, soft tissue work in chemotherapy neuropathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy can enhance results when properly applied by a NeuropathyDR Clinician.
Watch as Dr Petrie describes this in detail…
Cancer is one of the most persistent scourges of modern medicine. Not only are the various types of cancer extremely dangerous, but the methods to combat them, including chemotherapy, can be aggressive to the point of heavily impacting a person’s health and quality of life. Hundreds of thousands of cancer patients in North America alone receive chemotherapy every year, and many of them experience damage to the peripheral nervous system—chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN.
Like most neuropathy, chemotherapy-caused neuropathy shows up in the form of pain, numbness, tingling, and loss of temperature sensation, most commonly in the extremities. Other symptoms, while less ubiquitous, are still common: loss of bladder control, constipation, loss of body awareness, and difficulty walking or standing. Sometimes the condition is chronic, and will be a factor in the rest of a sufferer’s life. In many cases, however, the pain and discomfort from chemotherapy-caused neuropathy can be effectively managed, allowing a cancer survivor to lead a normal, active life.
So what can you do to help protect yourself from chemotherapy-caused neuropathy? First, report any unusual sensations, pain, or numbness to your doctor or a qualified NeuropathyDR® clinician. Like any neuropathy, the sooner we identify a problem, the better we will be able to control your symptoms. Let your chemotherapy provider know you might be experiencing a complication; in some cases, they may decide to postpone treatments to help your nerves recover.
Second, take steps to protect your peripheral nervous system, which is already under strain from the chemotherapy. Wear gloves when performing manual labor. Make sure your clothing and shoes do not rub against your skin and cause abrasions (loose clothing can aggravate neuropathy symptoms). Work with a NeuropathyDR® clinician to develop a diet and exercise regimen that will contribute to overall nerve stimulation and health. Perhaps most importantly, make sure to abide by your cancer doctor’s orders—managing the underlying condition is the most important factor in treating any kind of neuropathy.
Our patient, Joanne, knows firsthand how hard chemotherapy can be on the nervous system. Joanne is a cancer survivor who, when she came to us, had been recovering from the effects of her chemotherapy for five years. Along with most of the common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, Joanne complained of severe pain in her lumbar back, extreme stiffness in her neck and shoulders, and weakness in her legs. Joanne’s pain, especially in her feet, was intense to the point of affecting her daily lifestyle. She was taking medication for pain, but the medicine was marginally effective at best.
Our treatment plan for Joanne involved a combination of manual therapies to her spine, as well as 2 forms of electro-stimulation to her feet and hands. We treated Joanne three times a week for five weeks; in only four weeks, Joanne was commenting that her symptoms had subsided dramatically. Immediately following each treatment, Joanne noticed a reduction in her pain level. The pain and numbness in her feet subsided a whopping 65-70%!
In a thank-you note Joanne wrote us a long time after the completion of the clinic portion of her NeuropathyDR® treatment plan, Joanne told us she had been able to stop taking her pain medications and was feeling fine, almost entirely pain-free. Her strength had begun to return, and her mobility improved as well.
Cold, burning and tingling, scaling skin and loss of sensation are unfortunate but treatable!
Joanne is a success story we are proud to have to our credit. To be entirely honest, not many patients show the level of improvement we saw in Joanne in such a short time. Even so, it goes to show that not only is there hope for cancer survivors who live with neuropathy pain, but in some cases the recovery can be swift and dramatic. Everyone who experiences neuropathy can learn to manage their symptoms, and our treatment methods are highly effective. If you suffer from CIPN or any other kind of neuropathy, contact us! NeuropathyDR® can answer your questions and put you in touch with a specially-trained clinician who can help you get back to living at your best!
http://www.chemocare.com/managing/numbness__tingling.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chemotherapy-neuropathy/MY01327
If you’re a NeuropathyDR® patient or follow our blog, you already know “no cure” is never the same as “no help!” It’s an unfortunate truth: so far, peripheral neuropathy (sometimes referred to incorrectly as ‘neurophy’) has no actual cure, and most nerve damage is permanent. That may sound discouraging, but the chronic nature of neuropathy only means that developing options for treatment is even more important, not less.
When you and your NeuropathyDR® clinician approach neuropathy treatment, you will really be talking about two things: managing your symptoms, and improving your overall quality of life. We’ve made significant strides in both of these areas, and it’s important to realize how deeply they are interconnected.
NeuropathyDR Clinicians Use Several Methods to Assist Your Unique Neuropathy
In addition to the often-discussed pain, neuropathy has the potential to greatly impact your mobility. Between motor neuropathy (which affects the strength in your limbs directly), difficulty walking due to foot pain and joint stiffness, and difficulty with manual dexterity and fine motor skills, it’s no wonder that many people who live with peripheral neuropathy have trouble doing simple tasks they once found easy; things the people around them still have no trouble doing! The frustration that goes along with mobility loss can be almost as bad as the pain itself. Anesthesia & Analgesia published a clinical study from Queens University which suggested that the impact of neuropathy on your mood alone is enough to be considered a serious symptom!
NeuropathyDR® clinicians use a neuropathy treatment method several known techniques and we are continuously testing newer technologies too! NeuropathyDR® Clinicians actually take new courses every single month, so they are never “stale”!
Your case is unique—no two cases of neuropathy are exactly alike—so it’s important that you and your clinician develop your treatment plan together. Don’t forget feedback! Be sure to let your clinician know what seems to be working, what eases pain, what helps your overall mobility, and what isn’t having any effect for you.
Our patient, Beverly, came to us about six months after major surgery. Beverly had been undergoing radiation for breast cancer, and was experiencing severe pain in her hands and feet, as well as tightness and inflexibility in her spine and limb joints. Over the course of 5 weeks, we treated Beverly with electro- stimulation, among other therapies to address her pain and range of movement.
Beverly’s pain lessened only incrementally over the time we treated her, but she let us know that the real improvement she experienced was in her range of movement! Sure enough, our examination found that her range of movement had increased measurably (in some areas as much as fifty percent), and overall tightness in her back was reduced. Needless to say, being able to move more freely will greatly impact Beverly’s quality of life—many of our patients stress to us that their mobility is what they miss most of all while living with peripheral neuropathy.
One of the factors that allowed us to help Beverly as much as she did was that she was very forthcoming about her symptoms, her improvement, and—also importantly—when a treatment wasn’t helping. Neuropathy is complex, and different people will benefit in various ways from different neuropathy treatments. In Beverly’s case, we were able to provide her with a home care kit which she was able to use to treat her flexibility and pain at home. Even though she still lives with neuropathy, Beverly now knows how to make sure her condition won’t keep her from getting on with life!
Controlling your symptoms and improving your overall quality of life is what we’re all about at NeuropathyDR®. If you suffer from peripheral neuropathy, don’t wait to get in touch with us. We can answer all your neuropathy-related questions and connect you with a NeuropathyDR®-trained clinician who will help you ease your pain, restore your flexibility, and live your life to its fullest!
http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/content/102/5/1473.full
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1262363609000408
http://www.neurology.org/content/68/15/1178.abstract
A lot of people hear that there is no cure for neuropathy, and they get discouraged. They resign themselves to the idea that they will live with their symptoms forever, and might never find relief. One of our favorite things is being able to dispel this misconception and let someone know that NeuropathyDR® has the means to lessen their pain and improve their life. “No cure” isn’t the same thing as “no help!”
A great example of a patient we have been able to help with the NeuropathyDR® methodology is Susan. Susan is a diabetic in middle age who has suffered for more than twenty years with neuropathy symptoms. Most prominently, Susan has tingling and severe pain in her feet, with the same problem less severely in her hands and arms. Susan’s pain was so bad that she had trouble telling hot from cold, and even experienced trouble walking.
When she came to us, Susan was taking prescription-strength Advil several times a week for the pain in her hands and feet. Medication has its place, and can be effective in some cases, but it is too often the first—and last—course of action people with neuropathy are given. NeuropathyDR® takes a different approach. We use newer, non-pharmaceutical methods that have been proven to reduce pain and numbness in cases like Susan’s. We are pleased to report that after applying the NeuropathyDR® protocols, Susan’s symptoms subsided drastically and her quality of life began to improve by leaps and bounds.
Welcome relief at the hands of highly trained NeuropathyDR professionals!
Especially in the short term, we want to help reduce the overall level of chronic pain and restore any mobility that might be lost. In a case like Susan’s, the NeuropathyDR® protocols target three specific areas of treatment:
Susan came back for a round of treatments with us three times a week for five weeks, for a total of fifteen treatments. Following each treatment, Susan reported that the level of pain and tingling had subsided by two-thirds or more!
After applying the NeuropathyDR® protocol, Susan noticed a terrific improvement in her lifestyle. In her own words, her energy level tripled, and the inflammation and pain in her feet had reduced by ninety percent. Our objective tests, going by a round before and after the treatments, showed that Susan’s range of motion without pain had also increased, and her ability to sense heat, cold, and vibration had drastically improved. Perhaps the biggest lifestyle-boost of all, Susan experienced much less pain when walking after applying the NeuropathyDR® methods for five weeks.
We followed up with Susan three months after her treatments with us, and she was continuing to do extremely well. She has been diligent about keeping up her assigned home-care treatments, and she visits her clinician as-needed for checkups. Since Susan has struggled with symptoms of diabetic neuropathy for more than twenty years, this kind of progress makes her a real success story!
If you have neuropathy symptoms, whether they are similar to Susan’s or a completely different kind, we are here to help! Remember; never wait when it comes to neuropathy—the sooner we establish there is a problem, the more a clinician will be able to help you! Contact us, and we can put you in touch with a NeuropathyDR® clinician who is specially trained to treat you.
One main factor in many cases of peripheral neuropathy is diet. You probably know that neuropathy is linked to diabetes and other conditions where daily intake of sugars and nutrients is important, but your diet can also influence the condition of nerves in more direct ways, such as in cases where a nutritional deficiency is causing neuropathic damage.
One of the most common links between neuropathy and nutrition is a deficiency in B vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12. Fight neuropathy by eating foods like meat, fish, and eggs that are all high in B vitamins. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, don’t worry! There are many kinds of fortified cereals that contain substantial amounts of B vitamins as well (in addition to supplements, which we’ll talk about in a moment).
The Mayo Clinic recommends a diet high in fruits and vegetables for people who suffer from neuropathy. Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients that have been shown to be effective treating neuropathy. Additionally, if you suffer from diabetes, fresh produce can mellow your blood sugar levels. If numbness or pain in your extremities is severe, keep pre-cut fruit and vegetables at the ready, so you don’t have to worry about the stress involved with preparing them! Just be careful of too much fruit sugars. This means a serving is 1/2 apple, banana, etc. Most non-starchy vegetables like greens and asparagus especially are great for most of us.
Foods that are high in Vitamin E are also good for neuropathy, according to neurology.com. A deficiency of Vitamin E can happen in cases where malabsorption or malnutrition are taking place, such as the case with alcoholic neuropathy. Breakfast cereals, whole grains, vegetables and nuts are all excellent sources of vitamin E.
Lean proteins are also an important part of a healthy diet for people with neuropathy. Saturated fats and fried foods increase risk of diabetes and heart disease, in addition to aggravating nerve decay from lack of nutrients. A variety of foods—skinless white-meat poultry, legumes, tofu, fish, and low-fat yogurt—are good sources of lean protein. If you suffer from diabetes, lean proteins also help to regulate blood sugar levels. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines are good for maintaining levels of Omega-3 acids, healthy fats the body needs but cannot produce on its own.
For specific types of neuropathy, research shows that specific antioxidants may help slow or even reverse nerve damage that has not existed for too long a time. For HIV sensory neuropathy, Acetyl-L-Carnitine has demonstrated good results, and Alpha lipoic acid is being studied for its effects on diabetic nerve damage. Consult your NeuropathyDR® clinician for the latest research before beginning any supplementation or treatment, even with antioxidants.
Use Tools Like Journaling and Blood Sugar Monitoring Every Day...
So what are the best ways to monitor what you are eating? The easiest way is to keep a food journal. Record everything you eat at meals, for snacks, and any vitamin supplements you might be taking. Your journal will help you and your NeuropathyDR® clinician determine if your diet could be a factor in your neuropathy symptoms! As a bonus, food journaling is a great way to be accountable for your overall nutrition, as well as to help avoid dietary-related conditions other than neuropathy. If you have a goal for weight loss, weight gain, or better overall energy, those are other areas in which keeping a food journal can help! Other ways to monitor what you eat include cooking at home as opposed to going out to restaurants, keeping a shopping list instead of deciding what groceries to buy at the store, and consulting a nutritionist or qualified NeuropathyDR® clinician about the best ways to meet your specific needs.
Dietary supplements can also help manage neuropathic symptoms and nerve degeneration. Supplementing B Vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12, can help regulate your nutrient levels and prevent neuropathy symptoms. Supplementing with fish oil can help replenish Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important if you suffer from type-II diabetes. Many other types of supplements can be beneficial if you suffer from neuropathy; consult your NeuropathyDR® clinician for specific recommendations.
Contact us if you have any questions about proper eating when it comes to your neuropathy. We can help you find the information you need and put you in touch with a NeuropathyDR® clinician who can help you with this and other neuropathy-related questions!
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies
http://www.foundationforpn.org/livingwithperipheralneuropathy/neuropathynutrition/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/82184-foods-fight-neuropathy/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/121841-nutrients-neuropathy/
Since Peripheral neuropathy affects people of so many ages, physical conditions, and other variables, it can often be confusing to find consistent information. Changes in medical research resulting in outdated data, “best guesses” on the parts of sufferers and medical practitioners being reproduced as facts, and just plain likely-sounding rumors all contribute to a host of very basic misinformation about neuropathy. This week, we at NeuropathyDR® will be taking a look at some of the most common rumors we’ve found, and will do our best to set the record straight!
Isn’t neuropathy only found in people with diabetes?
No. While neuropathy is common in diabetic patients and is popularly associated with diabetes, neuropathy affects chemotherapy recipients, those suffering from injuries or illness, people who have lost limbs, even sufferers of common minor ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). If you feel pain, even if you’re not diabetic, neuropathy could be the cause.
Neuropathy is a natural result of aging, right? As people get older, they just start to hurt!
Not necessarily. Neuropathy is more common among seniors, but it affects people of all ages. Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean neuropathy is a fact of life, either. Because neuropathy can be caused by injuries, complications with medication, or metabolic issues (among dozens of other causes), taking the right steps early can keep you from suffering many neuropathic symptoms as you get older.
I have friends with peripheral neuropathy, and my pain isn’t anything like theirs. I must have something else!
Neuropathy can present itself as tingling, sharp pains, numbness, loss of motor control, and even very dangerous complications in organ function. The term describes many different sensations of pain in various areas on the body, so cases can vary wildly from person to person. Remember: if you believe you have symptoms, they are most easily treated early! See your NeuropathyDR® clinician right away.
It's Important To Have a CORRECT Diagnosis First!
There’s no cure, so if I have neuropathy, I just have to learn to live with it.
Well, yes and no. Although most who suffer from nerve damage and neuropathic pain will have to live with some adjustments to their lifestyle and maybe some discomfort (there is, to date, no overall cure), many neuropathy patients can keep their symptoms from getting worse and, in most cases, even reverse the symptoms. A combination proper ReBuilder® Neurostimulation both at home and in the clinic along with the other factors your clinician sees fit can help ensure that you’ll live a much better life. Whatever you do, don’t let neuropathy go untreated!
The ReBuilder 2407 Clinical Co Treatment Kit
This website I found says they can “cure” my neuropathy!
Be careful! Even though there are some well-meaning, informed, and helpful websites for people with neuropathy, there are also scammers who will try to exploit your pain and cash in on your desire to be neuropathy-free. Be especially wary of any claims of a cure—no actual cure for peripheral neuropathy is known to exist, so any claims to that effect are insincere. Where treatments are concerned, remember that it is almost impossible for a proper treatment plan to be developed without examining you, the patient. Any products or treatments claiming to help without even knowing your specific symptoms are most likely ineffective at best, and could be dangerous. Consult a NeuropathyDR® clinician before beginning any treatment program.
Avoiding some of these myths might seem like common sense, but it can be tricky to sort out the good advice from the fiction and hearsay. Above all, be sure your information is coming from a good source; don’t believe everything you hear or read! Your NeuropathyDR® clinicians are the only ones fully trained and educated in the facts about neuropathy, the complete usages of the ReBuilder® and how to treat many forms of neuropathy. Contact us and we can answer your questions and put you in touch with a doctor who can help you.
http://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-peripheral-neuropathy-basics
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131
http://www.medicinenet.com/neuropathic_pain/article.htm
http://www.footpaincenter.com/blog/?p=26
Alternative Therapies for Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy, you know what the side effects can be. Most side effects are well known, even to the person who has never experienced them.
- Nausea
- Hair Loss
- Digestive problems
Another less widely discussed side effect is chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).
It’s virtually impossible to predict which chemotherapy patients will develop chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy. Some never do. Others suffer terribly with symptoms like[1]
- Shooting pain
- Burning and numbness
- Tingling in the hands and feet
- Inability to sleep because of the pain
For many, their symptoms last well beyond their chemotherapy.
If you suffer from CIPN, there are drugs that can be prescribed to help deal with the pain. If you want to be even more proactive and do everything you can to alleviate your current symptoms and lessen the possibility of permanent nerve damage, you might want to check into additional, alternative therapies to help you deal with the chemotherapy induced neuropathy symptoms.
What Else Can You Do?
While many think of anything outside of conventional medicine as “alternative”, that’s really not accurate. Alternative treatments are defined as anything not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The treatments we’re talking about here are more complementary or integrative therapies. In other words, they’re therapies you use in addition to and to complement traditional medicine, not take the place of it.
Because of the growing popularity (and effectiveness) of these complementary and integrative therapies, the medical community has actually named them – Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Some complementary and alternative therapies providing good results for chemotherapy induced chemotherapy patients are:
- Cancer treatment specific diets
- Herbal supplements
- Non-herbal supplements (like Vitamins B6 and B12, alpha lipoic acid)
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy and Reflexology
The NeuropathyDR Protocol is Based Upon Combination Therapies
- Exercise
- Homeopathic and ayurvedic medicine
Any of these therapies, in the hands of skilled practitioner, is a great complement to your chemotherapy and other cancer treatment and can provide substantial relief from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy pain[2].
Talk to Your Oncologist
Before you start any Complementary and Alternative Medicine regimen, talk to your oncologist. Make sure that what you’re planning to do will not have an adverse effect on your chemotherapy regimen (some antioxidants do). Always keep your oncologist in the loop on what you’re doing to complement your chemotherapy regimen.
Many of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine regimens we mentioned above will help you deal with and even alleviate some of your chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms.
The body is a finely tuned instrument and all the systems work together. Massage therapy, acupuncture and Reflexology can help with muscle pain and stimulate the systems within your body you need to fight your cancer.
Herbal and non-herbal supplements can help give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs to repair itself and eliminate the possibility of permanent nerve damage caused by your chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy.
Your Treatment Specialists Need to Get Acquainted
None of the medical specialties you employ to help you fight your cancer and treat your chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy operates in a vacuum. They all need to know what the others are doing.
Luckily, most oncologists these days are familiar with the Complementary and Alternative Therapies chemotherapy patients are turning to for relief from the chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Make sure your treaters are communicating with each other. That will help them help you and design an effective treatment program that will get you the optimum results you deserve.
The ReBuilder Can Be Used In a Variety of Ways in our Centers To Enhance Results...
For more information on complementary and alternative therapies to deal with your chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms, get your Free E-Book and subscription to the Weekly Ezine “Beating Neuropathy” at http://neuropathydr.com.
If you’re taking chemotherapy to fight cancer and you’re suffering from
Talk to your local NeuropathyDR™ clinician or other medical professional about diet planning.
You can help yourself heal without resorting to even more medication.
By giving your body the nutrients and vitamins that it needs for repair and recovery.
If you’re suffering from loss of appetite, telling you to eat may sound crazy but you have options. You can eat a healthy diet, with foods that are appetizing, and give yourself a head start on healing.
Nutrition and Cancer
Chemotherapy wreaks havoc on your immune system[1]. You need to give yourself every ounce of immune support possible. A diet of whole foods that are easy on your sensitive digestive tract is your best option.
Get plenty of anti-oxidants and protein. Your chemotherapy nutrition plan must include foods rich in vitamins, especially vitamins C, D and E and nutrients like soy isoflavones, amino acids, folic acid, l-glutamine, calcium and carotenoids. Make sure you stay well hydrated (especially if you are nauseated) and forget about counting calories. Eat every calorie you can get your hands on – this is not time to worry about weight issues.
If you’re having problems with digesting food, invest in a good juicer. A juicer will make it easy for your digestive system to break down the food you take in and still get the nutrition your body desperately needs to build itself back up.
The Best Foods For The Chemotherapy Patient
To make it easy for you to remember which foods you need[2], here is a simple cheat sheet of foods that will ensure that your body is being well nourished while undergoing chemotherapy:
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Carotenoids
Soy Isoflavones
Folic Acid
Talk to your local NeuropathyDR™ clinician or other medical professional about diet planning to make sure that you’re getting everything from your food that you need to rebuild your immune system.
The Beauty of Herbs and Spices
Adding herbs and spices to your food will not only make them taste better (which is vital if you have no appetite), many herbs and spices have medicinal properties. Some really good options are:
Again, talk to your NeuropathyDR™ treatment specialist about cancer recovery nutrition and diet planning. Sit down and formulate what you need to eat and gather recipe ideas that sound appealing to you. By working with your medical professionals and doing what you can on your own to rebuild your immune system, you will have a much better chance of recovery, both from your cancer and your chemotherapy treatment. By giving your body what it needs, you can also give yourself a better chance of fewer long term effects from post chemotherapy neuropathy.
Have this article handy for your next doctor appointment and take it with you when you go to the grocery store. It’s a great reference for planning your weekly diet and making sure you’re eating the right foods for chemotherapy recovery.
For more information on nutrition to help you fight cancer and post chemotherapy neuropathyget your Free E-Book and subscription to the Weekly Ezine “Beating Neuropathy” at http://neuropathydr.com.
It’s that time of year again…
For the average, healthy person getting a flu shot is a no-brainer.
Pre-flu season…
And everywhere you look are signs advertising “Flu Shots – Walk Ins Welcome” or “Get Your Flu Shot Today.”
For the average, healthy person getting a flu shot is a no-brainer.
After all, the flu accounts for 200,000 hospitalizations every year and up to 36,000 deaths. If you can take a shot and avoid that, why wouldn’t you?
But if you have peripheral neuropathy caused by
You may think that a flu shot isn’t for you.
HIV patients tend to be especially skeptical about receiving the vaccine.
If you have peripheral neuropathy caused by any of these underlying illnesses, you need to make an informed choice about whether or not to get a flu shot.
This is what you need to know.
The Flu Vaccine Will Not Actually Make You Sick
Contrary to urban myth, the flu vaccine will not make you sick. It works by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies that actually fight the virus. It does not give you the flu.
You also need to know that there is no evidence that the flu shot will make your neuropathy symptoms worse if your neuropathy is caused by any of the underlying illnesses we listed above. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control strongly recommends that peripheral neuropathy patients with any of these illnesses receive a flu shot every year because they’re more prone to developing serious complications if they get the flu.
A Word of Caution for Guillain-Barre Syndrome or CIDP Patients
If your peripheral neuropathy is caused by Guillain-Barre Syndrome or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), talk to your NeuropathyDR clinician or other medical professional before you receive the flu vaccine.
Because the vaccine keeps you from getting the flu by tricking your immune system into producing antibodies to fight it off, if you have neuropathy caused by Guillain-Barre Syndrome or CIDP, this immune stimulation may actually cause a relapse in patients with a history of either of these illnesses.
If you have had Guillain-Barre Syndrome and the resultant peripheral neuropathy in the past, it might be a good idea to wait at least one year after your symptoms are gone before you receive the flu shot.
If you have CIDP and your symptoms are still present, you might want to avoid the flu vaccine. Talk to your NeuropathyDR clinician or other medical professional and consider the chances of complications from the vaccine as opposed to the health risks of actually getting the flu. Take into account:
Who Should Get a Flu Shot?
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that you receive the flu shot every year if you fall into any of these groups:
In the end, the decision to get the flu shot or take a pass on it is up to you. Talk to your NeuropathyDR clinician or other medical professional before you make your decision and do what’s best for you.
For more information on coping with your peripheral neuropathy, get our Free E-Book and subscription to the Weekly Ezine “Beating Neuropathy” at http://neuropathydr.com/.
If you have
Diabetics are not the only people susceptible to peripheral neuropathy in their feet and hands.
You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from your disease. Your doctor has probably given you a list of symptoms that you’re likely to experience, if you’re not experiencing them already.
But if in addition to the symptoms you were expecting, you’re having[1]
You could be developing another symptom that your doctor might not have told you about.
And it could cause permanent nerve damage.
You could have peripheral neuropathy in your feet and/or hands.
What is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy[2] is a condition that develops when your peripheral nerves are damaged. That damage can occur because of your diabetes, as a result of toxic chemotherapy, nerves being damaged by shingles, a lack of oxygen to the nerves caused by some other underlying condition or even as a result of HIV.
If you have the symptoms listed above, the nerves in your hands and feet have probably been damaged by your illness.
Granted, when you’re dealing with the debilitating effects of diabetes or cancer or HIV/AIDS, peripheral neuropathy may sound like nothing to really worry about.
But you know how miserable it is to have constant nerve pain…to be unable to feel the simplest sensation in your hands and feet…or on the opposite end of the spectrum, to go to bed at night and be so hypersensitive that even the sheets touching your hands and feet is torture.
How Serious is Hand/Foot Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy can be very serious. How many diabetic patients have you seen with amputations below the knee?
Those amputations are usually caused by damage to the circulatory and nervous system caused by their diabetes. Peripheral neuropathy plays a big part in these complications.
Diabetics are not the only people susceptible to peripheral neuropathy in their feet and hands. If you are taking chemotherapy, if you have HIV/AIDS, if you’ve had shingles, or even if you’ve had some other infectious disease, you’re a candidate for peripheral neuropathy.
The damage caused by peripheral neuropathy can be so gradual that you don’t think much about it.
One day you have a small cut on one of your feet. The nerves in your feet are damaged so you don’t really feel it and you don’t know it’s there if you don’t pay really close attention to the condition of your feet.
That small wound becomes infected. Your immune system and circulatory system are compromised so the tissue doesn’t heal properly. Before you know it, you have a serious infection and you lose your foot.
You’re a little less likely to have that problem with your hands simply because you see them all the time and you’re much more likely to notice if something is wrong. That means you’ll seek treatment faster.
What To Do If You Think You’re Developing Peripheral Neuropathy
The first thing you need to do is make sure your treating physician is aware of the problems you’re having with your feet and hands. Then you can take steps to help yourself.
First, find a local medical professional specializing in treating patients with peripheral neuropathy, like a NeuropathyDR® clinician. Make an appointment as soon as possible.
To get ready for your appointment –
Get started with treatment as quickly as possible to avoid additional nerve damage and possibly even reverse the damage that’s already there. Your NeuropathyDR® clinician will work with you to treat your symptoms, adjust your diet if you’re not eating like you should in light of your underlying condition and give you information and help on coping with the effects of peripheral neuropathy.
It’s critical that you seek treatment immediately.
For more information on determining whether or not you have peripheral neuropathy and how to cope with it if you do, get your Free E-Book and subscription to the Weekly Ezine “Beating Neuropathy” at http://neuropathydr.com.
[1] http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/detail_peripheralneuropathy.htm
[2] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131/METHOD
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