Diabetic neuropathy can take many forms, and it’s estimated that 60% to 70% of people with diabetes will develop neuropathy in their lives. With an estimated 48 million people in the US expected to have diabetes by 2050, tens of millions of people can expect to develop diabetic neuropathy.
What is Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is a condition where the nerve cells in the body suffer damage. When these cells are damaged, they can cause issues with:
- Touch
- Sensation
- Movement
Diabetes is the cause of this form of neuropathy due to the high blood sugar content, eventually damaging the person’s nerves over time. A person can suffer from four main types of neuropathy:
- Autonomic. Damage which occurs to the automatic nervous system, such as digestive function, urinary function, sweating and even sexual response.
- Focal. Weakness or pain of the muscles that is sudden.
- Proximal. Numbness or pain that occurs in the lower extremities, including the thighs, hips and buttocks.
- Peripheral. Numbness or pain in the feet, legs, hands, toes or arms.
What are the Most Common Symptoms?
The most common symptom is leg pain and foot pain, but you may experience a wide range of symptoms depending on your condition.
The most common symptoms include:
- Hand or feet numbness
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of coordination when walking
- Loss of touch sensitivity
- Dizziness when standing
- Change in sweating
- Bladder problems
- Bloating or fullness
- Vomiting
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Burning sensation in the feet
- Vision trouble
- Erectile dysfunction
- Vaginal dryness
Are There Any Natural Treatments Available?
Can diabetic neuropathy be reversed?
Researchers are trying to determine if the condition can be reversed. There is an interesting study that will end in December 2019 that takes 40 participants and tries to determine if diabetic peripheral neuropathy can be cured with exercise.
I recommend keeping tabs on this study to see if exercise may be able to help you.
The University of Michigan conducted a study that is very promising for people with diabetic neuropathy. The study was conducted on mice that started to suffer nerve damage in the prediabetic stage.
The mice were fed an array of healthy, unsaturated dietary fats.
What researchers found was that mice that were fed diets that contained high levels of unsaturated fats, still within the same caloric intake of other mice, were able to reverse their neuropathy and improve their overall health.
Researchers claim that early intervention is key and can help neuropathy from progressing.
Diets that are healthier have been shown to help neuropathy sufferers by requiring the person to take less medication and may even protect nerves. Supplementation may also be used to help protect nerves in a person that is prediabetic or diabetic and at a higher risk of neuropathy.
The supplements that are suggested include:
- Alpha lipoic acid – An antioxidant that is water soluble and can assist in the repair of damaged cells. Dosages should start at 300mg with each meal.
- L-arginine – An amino acid that improves blood flow and is essential in the repairing of nerves.
- Omega-3s / 6s – Essentially fatty acids, omegas will help provide the fat needed for nerve cell repair.
- B Vitamins – Ideal for peripheral neuropathy. These vitamins can be extremely helpful in repairing damaged nerve cells in the body.
Researchers claim that there is no way to correct or reverse neuropathy, but there are ways to stop the pain that it causes. Fats, as we saw in a previous study, are very promising and may offer a complete reversal of the condition.
Fats are key because the body needs ample fats to be able to repair damaged nerve cells.
Dietary changes and medication may be able to curb the pain and slow the progression of neuropathy.
Strict management of blood glucose levels is also recommended. When you manage these levels, you can help slow the damage and stop the condition from progressing. You should talk to your doctor to find ways to help stop the progression of your neuropathy.
It’s imperative that you take all measures possible to stop the damage before it becomes severe.
A diabetic that just starts suffering from symptoms associated with the condition will be in the best position to reverse the damage that the cells have suffered from. Since there’s a chance that you have lost feeling, you will want to be very careful when exercising.
Check your feet and legs often for injury, and always remain cautious of your extremities which may become injured without you knowing it. Scientists are working on treatments are promising, but they’re still in the early stages of development.
