Natural Remedies For Nerve Problems

Nerve conditions can be extremely painful and frustrating. They can interfere with quality sleep and contribute to depression or anxiety. The medications given for nerve problems aren’t always very effective and can have undesirable side effects. Fortunately, there are natural options that work for most people.

Neuropathy means nerve damage or inflammation that can lead to pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in one or more parts of the body. Several different things can cause neuropathy; one of the most common is diabetes. There are ways to protect your nerves, as well as reduce the symptoms if you have already been diagnosed with neuropathy.

It is thought that 60 percent of people with diabetes eventually develop neuropathy. Nerve damage is responsible for many of the complications of diabetes; it is the leading cause of lower limb amputations in diabetics. You are more likely to develop neuropathy if you have poor control over your blood sugar or you have sustained high blood sugar. Rates of diabetes are climbing rapidly all across the world. People are also developing type 2 diabetes at a younger age than has previously occurred. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they are to develop neuropathy. It can be an extremely painful and uncomfortable condition.

Possible symptoms of neuropathy

• Numbness, prickling, or tingling sensations in the feet or hands. Symptoms can spread upwards into the arms and legs
• Sharp, jabbing or throbbing sensations
• Freezing sensations
• Burning hot feet or legs. This can interfere with sleep
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Poor coordination and increased incidence of falling
• Numbness of the feet and not feeling your feet while walking
• Muscle weakness
• Bowel, bladder, or digestive problems can occur if nerves to those organs are affected

Most common causes of neuropathy

• Diabetes
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• AIDS
• Long term high alcohol intake
• Chemotherapy and radiation
• B vitamin deficiencies or excess B6
• Some medications, particularly antibiotics
• Tumors affecting the spine
• Pressure on a nerve, such as caused by an injury

How to protect your nerves and ease nerve pain

• Drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake. Avoid sugar and the foods and drinks that contain it. You may need to avoid or cut down on grains, cereals and starches as well. Avoid industrial seed oil and every food that contains it. The only safe vegetable oils to consume are cold pressed olive oil, cold pressed macadamia nut oil or organic coconut oil. Animal fats are safe and beneficial.
• The cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins can cause neuropathy, along with a host of other side effects. Examples of statins are Lipitor, Pravachol, Zocor and Lipex. If you are taking one of these drugs and suffer with neuropathy, you may want to discuss this with your doctor. My book Cholesterol the Real Truth gives you a treatment plan to lower your cholesterol.
• Have a blood test for vitamin B12 and B6. Deficiency of B12 is extremely common, and apart from neuropathy can cause fatigue, foggy head, low mood and low motivation. The diabetes medication metformin can cause B12 deficiency. Excess vitamin B6 can cause nerve problems. Some people accumulate it in their body and can reach toxic levels even from a low intake in supplements.
• Almost no one eats sufficient protein. It is very important to eat protein at each meal. This will help to keep your blood sugar stable and significantly reduce the risk of carb and sugar cravings. It is easier to maintain a healthy diet if you are feeling satiated. Meat, seafood, poultry, and eggs are all excellent sources of protein. Plant foods like legumes, nuts, and seeds do contain some protein, but they also contain quite a lot of carbohydrate or fat, and the protein in them is poorly digested (not very bio-available). Whey is another great source of protein and having a smoothie with quality protein powder is quick and convenient when you don’t have the time to cook a proper meal.
• You need sufficient minerals for healthy blood sugar control, especially chromium and magnesium. It is very difficult to obtain enough of these minerals through modern diets, and some medication increases the loss of these minerals from your body, particularly diuretics. Chromium and magnesium work best when combined with the herbs Gymnema and bitter melon, such as in Glicemic Balance capsules. People who experience high levels of stress usually need to take a magnesium supplement because stress washes it out of your body.
• Berberine is extremely beneficial for diabetics, pre-diabetics and those with insulin resistance because it helps normalize blood sugar and blood insulin levels. Berberine also helps improve blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides, which are often elevated in diabetics. Berberine can even protect nerves from damage caused by some types of chemotherapy.
• Ensure you have plenty of beneficial fats in your diet, as fat provides a protective coating around your nerves and facilitates their function. You can find beneficial fatty acids in fish, olive oil, avocados, raw nuts and seeds, egg yolks, virgin organic coconut oil and the fat on grass fed red meat.

Reference

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.