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8 Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

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Yes, Diabetic Neuropathy is nasty. It happens once in a while then goes away, leaving you without a clue. It bothers the hands and feet described as weakness, tingling sensation, sometimes paralysis and occasionally a throbbing pain. But what is really distressing about it? Think about those days when neuropathy runs your life. It's like an animal biting your nerves, muscle, and organ that you cannot catch because it hides everywhere. It stops you from doing what you ought to do and as if it detains you with an excruciating feeling like no one else can define what kind or where that pain came from. It's never easy to live with it. Its kinda typical to find some remedies that can help relieve it. You mean ease it now, or else suffer the entire period.

In this post, we are going to talk about the following:

  • Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy
  • What do you mean by Diabetic Neuropathy? Including the cause, types and the actions to be done when you have experience it.

Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy
"Is there a cure for diabetic neuropathy?" Well, until now there is none but the good news is, there are ways to manage it, even delay or lessen its effects and halt its progression. Not all diabetic people have develop neuropathy to some extent, however, majority of diabetic cases were able to live through it. For some diabetics, its only mild symptoms like numbness of the feet and prickling sometimes, but there are others who felt the most painful share of it like unbearable pain in the lower back/hips, high blood pressure and tachycardia on moderate exertion, inability to ambulate and even loss of life if major organs are affected. This is such an upsetting problem to deal with but fortunately some people were able to keep it under control.

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Here are the 8 Natural Remedies for Diabetic Neuropathy

1. Operation Blood sugar control

Keep your blood sugar level at least close to normal in every way as possible. There is not much guarantee you can ever take from controlling your blood sugar except the prevention of unrelenting consequences of diabetes complication. Now, when to start this operation of blood glucose management? The decision immediately starts right away, as in, at this moment while you are asking yourself. It is urgent. For the reason that all of the bad prognosis of diabetes come from prolong high blood sugar, sedentary lifestyle and uncontrolled eating, then its time to make it up to your body. The benefits are proven by DCCT 10 years investigation.

2. Look after your Diet

Remember the Carbohydrate Counting and glycemic index in your meal planning and snacks. Low carbohydrate diet can be an effort to some who are used to getting almost all the food that they like in the store but this time, cutting your carbs is one of the primary solution. There are also diets that may be indicated to you like Atkins Diet which can massively lessen your weight and High fiber diet with direct supervision of a registered dietitian, or diabetic educator. There is nothing wrong with cutting yourself from too much carbohydrates because it is super good for you.

3. Exercise or Team up with your physical therapist

Exercise has a lot of benefits like weight loss or weight control, increase insulin sensitivity in your body, enhance your sense of well-being and body circulation, reduce cholesterol, helps you manage stress and high blood pressure, increase your strength and flexibility and lastly,boost your immune system. It goes to show that exercise will help your body become lively again and again. But most of all, regular exercise gives you a narrow focus of controlling your blood sugar and prevent sudden approach of complications.

4. Quit smoking and alcohol intake

When you are a smoker, your chances of getting a nerve damage is higher than those who are non-smokers. Alcohol intake makes your body insensitive to hypoglycemia episodes. Both smoking and alcohol will take you towards a threat of getting a heart attack, diabetes complications like DKA, hypoglycemia, and neuropathy.

5. Refrain exposure to toxic materials

This is a way of taking good care of your kidneys and lungs. Please be careful of what you eat and keep your diabetic diet in your presence of mind, avoid excessive and careless intake of over the counter medications and keep yourself away from the pesticides and lead containing products. Do not give diabetes an opportunity to take you down and hurt you by exaggerating a debilitating disease condition like kidney stones and anemia.

6. Stress Management

Stress will make your body insulin resistant plus unhealthy coping will make you eat unconsciously. Take into account that healthy food will grant you a healthy mind and exercise will energize your body and boost your self-worth. Whatever it takes, never ever forget the responsibility of taking good care of you. You can also try acupuncture, a Chinese traditional therapy of relieving pain cause by neuropathy.

7. Keep your blood pressure under control

Your risk of developing neuropathy and macro vascular complications will jump up if your blood pressure is high. Simply because, high blood pressure damages your blood vessels leading to a reduce blood flow on vital organs and nerves.

8. Lower Pain through alternative treatments

Alternative medicine can aid in alleviating the peripheral neuropathic pain. These are the natural substitute which will help minimize the symptoms:

  • Alpha-lipoic Acid, Gamma linolenic acid and fatty acids are found to be effective in improving micro-circulation of nerves resulting to a better blood flow and reduction of symptoms. (Alternative Medicine Therapy Review by Kathleen A. Head. 2006)
  • Vitamin B complex is a supplement form that can help in glucose conversion and its utilization by the body tissues, helps boost immune system and strengthens the body in times of stress. However, consider consulting your doctor for the proper dosage and prevent untoward side effects. Studies also shows that neuropathies can occur to those people who have vitamin B deficiency.
  • Capsaicin is a topical anti-inflammatory cream that lessens burning sensation to those people who are experiencing muscle and joint pain.
  • L-Carnitine is an amino acids or a building blocks of protein which can be acquired via intake of red meat, peanut butter and dairy products. This is a type of protein that helps the body produce energy for the heart, brain and muscles to function well. There are also L-carnitine supplements available in some pharmacies and other stores.

By the way, What is diabetic neuropathy?

Diabetic neuropathy is a disease affecting all the types of nerves characterized by impairment of movement, sensation, and organ function, depending on the what type of nerve is affected. The incidence increases with age and the duration of the disease. This means that if you have diabetes for about 20 years and above, the higher your risk for developing neuropathy. This disease is more appealing to women than men in terms of painful neuropathic symptoms. In addition, those who have diabetes type 2 are more likely to manifest neuropathy and aching symptoms than those who have diabetes type 1 in spite of differences in age adjustment. The cause of diabetic neuropathy is due to elevated blood sugar for many years and controlling the blood glucose level to normal or at least close to normal shows a decrease prevalence of neuropathy by 60% as shown in DCCT study. Other diseases like alcoholism, Vitamin B deficiency, autoimmune illness (lupus,rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy) tumors, Lyme disease, diphtheria, bone marrow disorders, and cancer treatments can cause also neuropathy.

What are the types of Diabetic Neuropathy?

  • Peripheral Neuropathy/ Diabetic Nerve pain

This type of neuropathy commonly occur among diabetes population. It attacks the nerves in your extremities like feet, hands, arms and legs.The nerves going to your feet is so long and is most frequently damaged. The nerve fiber deterioration is more likely related to hyperglycemia reducing its ability to transmit nerve conduction signals from the brain. It also weakens the capillary walls of the vessels that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. The matter of fact is, this is the common cause of lower leg amputation. The usual signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are: paresthesias, tingling and burning sensation, and numbness. That is why a diabetic is prone to undetected injury and foot infections. Moreover, it is important to inspect your foot everyday, cut your toe nails carefully, apply lotion when dryness of skin is noted and most of all, wear a well-fitted and comfortable shoes.

  • Proximal Neuropathy/ Diabetic Amyotrophy

The word "myo" means muscles because this can bring about muscle weakness affecting thigh, hips, buttocks and lower legs described as muscle wasting, weakness, pain and dull sensation of the legs. This degeneration of contractile cells is due to hyperglycemia over a period of years and smoking leading to a poor circulation and nerve damage. The possible complications are severe muscle weakness and inability to stand up without assistance. The treatment include are medications to manage pain and physical therapy. This is why it is necessary to control the blood sugar as close to the normal level, proper diet, exercise to maintain a healthy body weight, quit smoking and for the last time, limit alcohol intake.

  • Focal Neuropathy

Focal neuropathy is a "focused"neuropathy affecting one specified nerve. It quite opposite to polyneuropathy which involves many nerves like peripheral, proximal and autonomic neuropathy. It affects the nerve located in the head, torso and leg. The symptoms include eye pain, bell's palsy, severe lower back or leg pain, serious aches around the abdomen or chest, weakness and pain located on the lower back extending towards the thigh that sometimes causes paralysis. It is way better to avoid putting points on the joints and muscles like leaning your elbow on a hard surface or crossing your legs towards the other.

  • Autonomic Neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy causes damage on your autonomic nervous system. Autonomic nervous system is also known as involuntary nervous system that involves in the proper functioning of the heart, lungs, kidney, liver, stomach and brain without your own knowledge. It is a part of the body that solely maintains balance especially whenever you feel sick, stress or in a trauma. It automatically works to keep you alive. However, due to many years of having diabetes, high blood sugar affects the autonomic nervous system causing problems on the affected organs.The signs and symptoms depends on the affected organ system. For example, urinary problems like urinary tract infection due to difficulty of urination or inability of sensing a full bladder; loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation and cardiovascular problems such as tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension and hypertension.

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