Do you ever have those days where you get on your own nerves?
Sometimes it’s for things that probably could have been helped (like eating that third cookie when you told yourself “just one,” forgetting to return a library book…again, watching another season of Indian Matchmaker even though you never seem to get the closure you need from it). But other times it’s easy to get irritated with ourselves for things that are more outside of our control, which is hardly fair. Like when you drop things because of the numbness in your hands from peripheral neuropathy or like how you have to wear shoes two sizes too big because anything touching your feet hurts (also from peripheral neuropathy).
Peripheral Neuropathy is the pain, discomfort and numbness caused by nerve damage of the peripheral nervous system.
(Central nervous system: brain and spinal cord, Peripheral nervous system: all the other nerves in your body). The nerves in a human body can lose blood supply due to constriction which causes them to degenerate. As nerve damage progresses, they start sending abnormal signals to the brain. And this is what people with neuropathy experience.
Various illnesses or injury can cause peripheral neuropathy, but some of the top offenders are:
- Diabetes
- B12 Deficiency
- Chemotherapy
- Kidney Disease
- Toxins or Infections
People with Peripheral Neuropathy describe the pain as stabbing, burning, or tingling (fun right?). Some will experience numbness as the nerve damage progresses. Once sensation is lost in the feet, balance problems start to occur and you may be at risk of falling. If neuropathy is in your hands, you may experience weakened grip and begin to drop things. What most people don’t know, is that acupuncture is the unsung hero of peripheral neuropathy treatments.
“It’s incredible at restoring blood flow and stimulating the regrowth of damaged nerves to prevent them from dying off completely,”
says Gina Butler (our highly skilled acupuncturist). “We take our treatments a step further by also integrating electro acupuncture, microcurrent therapy and custom herbal prescriptions for neuropathy.” The procedures are quick and painless, so you’re in and out of the office in 30 minutes.
Four goals of treatment
- Increase blood flow
- Stimulate nerve fibers
- Decrease brain based pain
- Enhance your quality of life!
Our clinic has an amazing success rate in treating neuropathy and would love to help you too! If you or someone you know has peripheral neuropathy, click the link below to make an appointment or forward this email to a friend.