Do you get a buzzing sensation in your palm or feet like a mini electric shock, or do your arms or legs suddenly fall asleep? Do you get random spasms and cramps in your muscles or lightheadedness when you get up from the chair or bed? These symptoms of neuropathy or nerve damage can be a pain to deal with. It may also leave you wondering, can neuropathy be reversed? Nerve Control 911 is an organic supplement option to calm the symptoms of neuropathy.
In this article, we will help you learn more about neuropathy, understand your symptoms and their causes and if treatment can reverse them.
Contents
What is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is the defect or impairment of one or more peripheral nerves, generally resulting in tingling, burning sensations, weakness, or numbness in the affected area. Neuropathy, commonly referred to as peripheral neuropathy, is any disorder or disease that damages the nerve cells. Neuropathy is a sign of a problem within the peripheral nervous system.
The peripheral nervous system(PNS) refers to the nerves outside the brain and the spinal cord. The PNS is the link between the central nervous system (CNS) and the organs, limbs and skin. The CNS is like a train station where people can board trains. At the same time, the PNS is the train track that allows the train to move to and from and take passengers to their desired locations. The peripheral nervous system helps the brain and spinal cord communicate with other body areas. It is what allows us to react to stimuli in our environment.
Causes of Neuropathy
Neuropathy, which is basically damage to your nerves, can happen for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it’s because of an accident or injury – like if you hurt yourself in a fall or car crash. But for many people, it creeps up on them as they get older or because of other health problems they have.
Some health conditions that can cause peripheral neuropathy include:
Diabetes
This is the big one in the United States. If you have diabetes, your blood has too much sugar in it and over time, this can really mess up your nerves. It’s like the sugar is slowly wearing them down. It’s pretty common too – 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes end up dealing with neuropathy symptoms at some point.
Autoimmune Diseases
These are diseases where your body’s defense system gets confused and starts attacking itself. There are quite a few that can lead to nerve damage:
- Vasculitis (where your blood vessels get inflamed)
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (a rare condition that makes your immune system attack your nerves)
- Lupus (a disease that can affect all sorts of body parts)
- Sjogren’s syndrome (which usually affects parts of your body that produce moisture)
- Rheumatoid arthritis (a type of joint inflammation)
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (a tongue-twister of a name for a disease that attacks the coating around your nerves)
All of these can cause problems for your nerves in different ways.
Viral and Bacterial Infections
Believe it or not, some infections can hurt your nerves too. Here’s a list of some that can cause trouble:
- Hepatitis B and C (liver infections)
- Chicken pox (yep, the childhood disease)
- Lyme disease (which you can get from tick bites)
- Herpes (a common viral infection)
- Polio (thankfully rare these days due to vaccines)
- Shingles (related to chicken pox)
- Leprosy (an old disease that’s still around in some parts of the world)
- HIV (the virus that causes AIDS)
These infections can damage your nerves in different ways, either directly or because of how they affect your body overall.
Other Health Conditions
Health disorders like kidney diseases, cancerous or non-cancerous tumors, lymphoma, leukemia and connective tissue disorders cause nerve damage.
Other causes of peripheral neuropathy include:
- Being deficient in niacin, vitamin E, vitamin C and Vitamin B (especially vitamins B-1 (thiamine), B-6(pyridoxine) and B-12(cobalamin)) can cause problems with your nerves.
- Chemotherapy and other medication for cancer.
- Motor accidents and sports injuries.
- Exposure to toxic substances like industrial chemicals and poisons.
- Repetitive movements like typing on a computer for many hours every day.
- Alcoholism
Symptoms of Neuropathy
People experience neuropathy in different ways. Some people can have no symptoms at all, while others may experience –
- Pain or burning sensations in the back, feet, face, hands, or thigh.
- Tingling. It is often like a pricking or a “pin and needle” sensation in the feet, arms, or legs.
- Numbness or coldness in the hands and legs. It may also feel like your limbs fell asleep.
- Muscle weakness, cramps and spasms in the limbs
- Oversensitivity
- Poor balance and coordination
- Buzzing sensation like an electric shock in the limbs
Peripheral neuropathy also affects specific bodily functions. You may notice some of the following changes in your body.
- Sweating a lot more than usual or not at all
- Feeling dizzy or lightheaded when you stand up
- A sudden increase in heartbeat
- Frequent urination resulting in poor bladder control
- Decline in digestive health, which causes nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or heart urns.
- Difficulty in swallowing food or water
Can Neuropathy be Reversed?
The likelihood of reversing neuropathy depends on the cause of the nerve damage. If the cause of neuropathy is curable, the pain and symptoms may go away completely.
For example, if vitamin deficiency is the cause of neuropathy, it can be treated and cured. However, most patients don’t report their symptoms and get a diagnosis until permanent damage occurs. At this stage, neuropathy can only be managed but not cured.
Unfortunately, neuropathy caused by diabetes is not reversible. The reason is that the body cannot repair damaged nerve tissues. Nevertheless, research is ongoing to find ways to treat nerve damage caused by diabetes. These researchers are recording positive results in their tests and studies.
Treatments For Peripheral Neuropathy
Neurologists, the doctors specializing in nerve problems, create treatment plans tailored just for you. They look at what’s causing your nerve damage and what symptoms you’re dealing with to figure out the best way to help.
Finding the right treatment can take some time. It’s often a bit of trial and error as your doctor works out what helps you the most. For some people, taking medication might be enough to manage their symptoms. But for others, like those with diabetes, the plan might include changing their diet along with taking medication.
Let’s break down some of the common treatments doctors use for neuropathy:
- Medication: This is often the first thing doctors try. There are different types of medicine that can help with nerve pain or other symptoms.
- TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation): This is a fancy name for a treatment that uses small electrical currents to help relieve pain. It sounds scary, but it’s actually pretty simple and can be really helpful for some people.
- Physical Therapy: Working with a physical therapist can help you build strength, improve your balance, and learn exercises that might ease your symptoms.
- Dietary Changes: What you eat can make a big difference, especially if your neuropathy is related to diabetes. Your doctor might suggest changing up your diet to help manage your blood sugar better.
- Immune System Treatments: If your neuropathy is caused by your immune system attacking your nerves, your doctor might give you treatments to calm down your immune system or change how it works.
- Surgery: In some cases, if there’s pressure on a nerve that’s causing problems, surgery might be needed to fix it.
How to Prevent and Manage Neuropathy?
To prevent peripheral neuropathy, you must manage any health conditions like diabetes or autoimmune diseases that may put you at risk. You need to develop a healthy eating habit and lifestyle. Eat food rich in vitamins, fiber, vegetables, nuts and grains and lean meat to stay healthy. Drink enough water. As an adult, you should drink between 9 to 13 cups of water daily. Avoid activities that put pressure on your nerves. Also, it would help if you control your alcohol consumption level.
Make sure you’re taking your medication righteously. Try to keep to doctor’s appointments so you know if you are improving or not. If your condition doesn’t improve, your doctor will try other treatment methods. Furthermore, if you have diabetes, get yourself a blood sugar testing machine. This device will help you monitor your blood sugar level to track your progress without visiting a doctor.
Living With Neuropathy
If you or a loved one are experiencing any of the symptoms discussed above, see a doctor. When you see a physician or specialist in the early stages, you can get an accurate diagnosis and treatment. If you have been experiencing the symptoms for a while, you should still see a doctor. Permanent damage from neuropathy is not reversible. However, you can manage your condition and make the best of life.
Speak to a healthcare provider or physician about facilities you can install or get for your home to make daily tasks easier and reduce pain. You can also join a support group for people living with neuropathy. These support groups provide resources and educational material to learn more about your condition. It is a community that allows you to share your experience and get emotional support.