Neuropathy Explained - Dr. Richard H. Mann

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What is Neuropathy?

What is peripheral neuropathy?

Doctors divide the nervous system into two parts: the central nervous
system, which is the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral
nervous system which is the nerves coming from the brain and the spinal
cord to the rest of the body (the hands, the feet, the trunk, etc.). When
there’s a problem with the nerves in the peripheral nervous system—when
they are damaged or diseased—it’s called a peripheral neuropathy. Often,
it’s just referred to as neuropathy.

Examples of a peripheral neuropathy are the polyneuropathy of diabetes
where your feet become numb, tingling, burning, and shooting pains in a
manner from the toes that ascends up into the feet and legs over time. A
tarsel tunnel syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathy such as
sciatica (compression on the nerve)—these are all examples of peripheral
neuropathy.

What are the causes of neuropathy?

There are over 100 causes of neuropathy. The most common cause of
neuropathy is diabetes. Alcoholism can cause neuropathy, reactions to
certain medications can cause neuropathy. The best example being
chemo-therapeutically induced neuropathy, which occurs after certain
cancer treatments. Infections can cause neuropathy. Neuropathy can be
inherited; the most common example of that is charcot-marie-tooth disease.
Tumors can cause neuropathy when they put compression onto a nerve.
Vitamin deficiencies can cause neuropathy. There are many other possible
causes of neuropathy; this is a partial list.

What treatments are available for neuropathy?

The treatment of a neuropathy depends on the cause of the neuropathy.
Many times with diabetic, alcoholic, or chemo-therapeutically induced
neuropathy, a specialized form of vitamin B1 (a safe nutrient) is
used and is often helpful and successful. Physical therapy can be used
in treatment of neuropathy. Certainly, diabetics should have their blood
sugar well-controlled. If there’s a compression on the nerve, the
compression should be released. Surgery is sometimes indicated for the
treatment of neuropathy. If there’s a vitamin deficiency, a vitamin can
be given to reverse the deficiency and the subsequent peripheral
neuropathy. Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus,
etc. should undergo treatment and hopefully the neuropathy will decrease
in severity with treatment of the primary and causative disease.

How does Dr. Mann treat neuropathy in his office?

How does Dr. Mann handle neuropathy in his office?

After making a diagnosis and hopefully finding a cause for the
neuropathy, Dr. Mann uses many techniques in his office for treatment of
neuropathy. He often starts with nutritional treatment of neuropathy,
many times reversing vitamin B1 deficiency with a specialized nutrient
designed to rapidly reverse this deficiency. It is highly successful. In
fact, Dr. Mann has developed a technique using nutrition which is
incorporated currently in well over a thousand offices.

Additionally, other medications can be used. If the neuropathy is
intractable to all treatment, many times physical therapy or
decompression of compressed nerves can be done.

Types of Neuropathy

What is diabetic neuropathy?

Diabetic neuropathy, more precisely called diabetic polyneuropathy, is
when the nerves of the feet and legs start to dysfunction or work
improperly. Generally, it starts in the big toe and goes up the feet in
legs in the same manner in which you put on stockings, but the
progression takes years usually. The symptoms include numbness, tingling,
burning, and shooting pains. Diabetic polyneuropathy is the most common
type of neuropathy.

With diabetic neuropathy, it’s always a good idea to control your blood
sugar as best you can; to never walk barefooted because you don’t want
to step on anything you can’t feel, and that might result in an
ulceration or a wound that you didn’t know you have because you have
numbness in your feet; or we shake out your shoes to make sure there’s
nothing in your shoes. And be careful where you walk. Don’t walk
barefoot, make sure your shoes fit well and that your socks fit well.

Doctors often treat diabetic neuropathy with anticonvulsant or
antidepressants, but recently we’ve come to realize that nutritional
treatment of diabetic neuropathy is very, very successful without the
side effects associated with other medications. Often, nutritional
treatment of neuropathy, when given properly, can result in some
alleviation of symptoms within a month’s time.

What is alcholic neuropathy?

What is alcoholic neuropathy?

Alcoholic neuropathy is a burning, tingling, numbness, and shooting pain
that occurs in the feet and legs as a result of excessive use of alcohol
over an extended period of time.

It used to be thought that this was primarily due to poor nutrition, but
now scientists believe it’s because of a vitamin B1 deficiency. Vitamin
B1 is absorbed from the intestines, and alcohol is toxic to the intestines
and prevents the absorption of vitamin B1 under normal circumstances. In
order to combat this, many people get relief by using a specialized form
of vitamin B1 that’s absorbed more appropriately.

What is chemo-therapeutically induced neuropathy?

Chemotherapy is often given to people with cancer as a treatment. The
toxic effects of the chemotherapy can affect the nerves of the lower
extremity of the feet and legs, causing burning, tingling, numbness, and
shooting pains. The doctor has to weigh the risk versus benefit when
giving chemotherapy to a patient. In order to try and kill the cancer,
sometimes the nerves are destroyed. Many times, chemo-therapeutically
induced peripheral neuropathy can be helped with the proper nutrition.

What is idiopathic neuropathy?

Idiopathic means we don’t know the reason for it or it comes in and of
itself. People with idiopathic neuropathy have burning, tingling,
numbness, and shooting pains in their feet and legs with no apparent
underlying cause.

It’s very common in older people, as though it was a natural process of
aging of the peripheral nervous system. Sometimes it’s a result of some
hidden disease that after the neuropathy it becomes apparent, the disease
is diagnosed afterwards. Most commonly though, it’s a result of aging.
It often responds to nutrients when the nutrients are given properly.