Summary: In this episode of Beating Neuropathy and Chronic Pain, we will go over what we see as critical for managing neuropathy and chronic pain. There is no one thing in particular that will completely treat neuropathy; however, combining treatments has a high success rate. The protocol we recommend is: 1, attention to the musculoskeletal system with manual therapy; 2, improving nutrition through diet and supplmentation, and; 3, "neuro-regenerative" therapies, including the ReBuilder device, a dual-frequency nerve stimulator. Delane asks, "Can my nerve damage be repaired? Can I build muscle mass without my nerves?" Unfortunately, muscle mass needs nerve function to rebuilt. In addition to the methods we outlined above, a recent European study actually showed that a healthy emotional and love life can improve neurologic health. Bonnie asks, "How can I stop the tightness in my feet?" The first thing to do is identify what is causing this. It could be something as simple as wearing improper footwear, or it could come from neuropathy. As long as your kidneys are healthy, you could supplement your diet with magnesium. Keeping your feet warm is important as well. Keeping your core temperature warm will also help keep your extremities warm. Investing in "therapy socks" may be helpful as well. Norman asks, "Can I get anything over the counter to help repair the nerve damage in my lower limbs, and get the feelings back in my feet?" Unfortunately, no. Long term use of acetominiphen as well as taking it while drinking can cause liver damage. For a day or two at a time after acute injury, using these medications is fine, but they were never meant for long-term use. Some supplements have been proven to help repair nerve function. One of these is Acetyl L-Carnitine; it should, however, only be taken under a doctor's supervision. Please continue to submit your questions to us through facebook.com/BeatingNeuropathy or email.
