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Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when nerves are damaged. The nerves carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord from and to the rest of the body.

Peripheral neuropathy has long been a serious issue for millions of people around the globe.

In fact, statistics show that 20 million individuals in the U.S. have some type of peripheral neuropathy. For those with poor blood sugar control or diabetes, the prevalence rate is estimated from 6% to up to 51%, making this disease a serious issue for a huge part of the population.

But, what can acupuncture do, and how can it help with peripheral neuropathy? Let’s take a look at the science behind this Chinese practice and the benefits it can offer for restoring biochemical balance and managing this disease.

Peripheral Neuropathy: What Is It, Signs, and Causes

To understand the effects of acupuncture, it’s important to figure out what neuropathy is all about, how to recognize it, and what could be the cause of it.

Peripheral neuropathy is a group of multiple diseases that results in nerve damage to the peripheral nerves. These nerves are located just outside the spinal cord and the brain. There are more than 100 different kinds of this disease, each with its own set of signs and effects. But, the most prominent signs include:

  • Tingle or numbness in the palms, hands, feet that slowly progresses towards the arms and legs
  • Intense vulnerability to touch
  • Sharp poking sensations that burn and hurt
  • Weak muscles
  • No coordination
  • Regular tripping and falling
  • Extreme pain sensations when there shouldn’t be any (ex. Feeling pain after covering up with a blanket or adding pressure to the affected area)
  • Having a strange feeling of being covered up (Ex. Feeling as if you wear socks or clothing that covers the arms and legs where there isn’t any.)
  • Experiencing paralysis when the nerves get damaged

Since peripheral neuropathy is not one disease, it could be the result of various conditions, some of which are: diabetes, cancer, HIV, and various other health complications.

How Can Acupuncture Help?

Conventional treatment for this disease is pretty limiting. Depending on what’s the cause for the disease, most conventional treatments will focus on managing the pain and preventing any additional nerve damage, rather than treating it.

This type of treatment heavily depends on medicines that can help dull the pain, but they often come with side effects such as nausea, dry mouth, insomnia, constipation, dizziness, unstable gate and other complications.

But acupuncture is different. This is a minimally invasive treatment that is completely natural and comes with little to no side effects.

Based on statistics, this treatment is proven to have exceptionally beneficial results for soothing the symptoms of neuropathy in patients who receive medical care. Therefore, combining acupuncture with medical care has the potential to treat the disease and help better manage it. Here is how.

The Mechanism of Acupuncture

Both human and animal studies show that acupuncture boosts brain functions. It stimulates the receptors to promote a healthy flow of nerve fibers that go all the way to the peripheral system and activate the nervous system. The moment the energy reaches the brain, it will trigger a release of hormones and healthy chemicals that help the body soothe the pain.

Acupuncture and Chemo-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

In patients with cancer, chemo is known to cause multiple health complications, including peripheral neuropathy. In fact, it is so common that 68% of patients have a chance of developing it in the first month of chemo, statistics shows.

According to research, acupuncture can be a beneficial and safe treatment for such chemo-induced symptoms, neuropathies in particular. This treatment can help alleviate the discomfort and pain and boost their well-being, allowing patients to enjoy a normal life.

In this trial one group of patients were treated with acupuncture combined with methylcobalamin -a form of vitamin B12 and other group of patients treated with methylcobalamina along. After three cycles of therapy, the pain level decreased in both groups, but patient treated with acupuncture experienced significant improvement to compare with the control group. In addition to improvement of quality of life, acupuncture also showed positive changes in nerve conduction test. There were no changes in the nerve conduction test in the control group.

Effect of Acupuncture on Diabetic Neuropathy

Clinical trials support the effects of acupuncture on neuropathy caused by diabetes, especially when paired with standard medical treatment and hypoglycemic meds. In fact, according to one particular trial that analyzed the effects of acupuncture on this type of neuropathy, the Chinese treatment proved effective in soothing the symptoms for most of the volunteers treated.

For the trial, 65 volunteers were divided into two groups; one was a control group, and the other a treatment group. The treatment group received acupuncture for neuropathy, while the other group had taken inositol orally. After three months, the results were evident. The treatment group had a total of 87.5% success rate, while the control group had a 63.6%. The major difference between the two groups showed that this Chinese treatment has the potential to show extremely positive effects for this type of neuropathy.

Acupuncture and Peripheral Neuropathy in HIV Patients

HIV, on its own, is a serious health condition to deal with, but when paired with peripheral neuropathy, the pain and discomfort can be debilitating. Based on statistics, acupuncture can help with neuropathic signs and deal with the pain. This can be extremely helpful for those looking to improve their well-being with HIV.

Conclusion

For any individual looking for a more natural approach to treating and managing neuropathic pain, it might be a good idea to give acupuncture a try. As long as you book a session at a licensed and experienced professional, you can soothe the pain, ease the discomfort, and boost your quality of life.

 

Sunrise Neuro-Acupuncture Integrative Clinic is an acupuncture and Chinese medicine clinic in Westboro, Ottawa. We provide care for peripheral neuropathy. If you would like to receive more information about this treatment, you can call us at: 613-853-9099

References :

 

  1. “Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet”, NINDS, Publication date: August 2018.

NIH Publication No. 18-NS-4853 https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact- Sheets/Peripheral-Neuropathy-Fact-Sheet

  1. Hicks CW, Selvin E. Epidemiology of Peripheral Neuropathy and Lower Extremity Disease in Diabetes. Curr Diab Rep. 2019;19(10):86. Published 2019 Aug 27. doi:10.1007/s11892-019-1212 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6755905/
  2. Peripheral neuropathy by Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061
  3. Schröder, S., Liepert, J., Remppis, A. and Greten, J.H. (2007), Acupuncture treatment improves nerve conduction in peripheral neuropathy. European Journal of Neurology, 14: 276-281. doi:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2006.01632.x https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17355547
  1. Han, X., Wang, L., Shi, H. et al. Acupuncture combined with methylcobalamin for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma. BMC Cancer 17, 40 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-016-3037-z https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-016-3037-z#rightslink
  1. Cheng ZHANG, Yuan-xu MA, Ye YAN, Clinical Effects of Acupuncture for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy,Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Volume 30, Issue 1,2010,Pages 13-14, ISSN 0254-6272, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0254-6272(10)60003-9. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254627210600039)
  1. Luo LG, Wang S, Xiao E, et al. Effects of acupuncture in diabetes neuropathy: case report. Open Access J Trans Med Res. 2017;1(1):11-13. DOI: 10.15406/oajtmr.2017.01.00004 https://medcraveonline.com/OAJTMR/effects-of-acupuncture-in-diabetes-neuropathy-case-report.html
  1. Kenneth D. Phillips, William D. Skelton, and Gregory A. Effect of Acupuncture Administered in a Group Setting on Pain and Subjective Peripheral Neuropathy in Persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease Hand.The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.Jun 2004.449-455. http://doi.org/10.1089/1075553041323678 Published in Volume: 10 Issue 3: August 25, 2004 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/1075553041323678
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