Neuropathy: What It Is and Treatment Options

Neuropathy affects millions of people, and yet most people don’t know what it is until they or someone they care about experiences its life-altering symptoms for themselves.It can lead to numbness, tingling, burning pain, and weakness. Suffice to say, this condition impacts daily life in a huge way. Modern medicine’s main pain-management plan revolves around medication, but that’s not the only avenue to healing and management.

To better understand how to combat the limiting effects of neuropathy, we need to understand what it is. Simply put, neuropathy is nerve damage. This nerve damage disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body. It can most commonly be found in the extremities, but symptoms can pop up anywhere in the body.

Neuropathy can develop from:

• Diabetes. This is the leading cause of neuropathy, since high blood sugar can damage nerves over time.
• Autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune conditions can attack the nervous system, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Injuries or trauma. Accidents, surgeries, or repetitive strain can damage nerves.
• Medications. Certain prescription drugs and chemotherapy often damage nerves.

There are some conventional approaches to treating neuropathy. These approaches, such as pain medications, steroid injections, and surgery, can have lasting side effects. Pain medication, while offering short term relief, doesn’t treat the actual cause of neuropathy pain. Steroid injections can reduce inflammation for a short period of time, but this can weaken tissue and lead to bone loss. Surgery is a permanent solution that comes with possible risk. Recovery time can take quite a while and there’s no guarantee of success.

Sometimes, drastic treatments and modern medicine are absolutely necessary. Luckily, negative and permanent side effects can be avoided by some. There are holistic treatment options that can help restore nerve function naturally, leading to sustainable nerve pain improvement. Instead of masking symptoms, these holistic approaches focus on supporting nerve regeneration, improving circulation to affected areas, and reducing overall inflammation. These can include:

• Chiropractic. Realigning the spine and joints can relieve nerve pressure and un-pinch nerves.
• Acupuncture. Acupuncture stimulates nerve repair and can improve blood flow to specific areas.
• Cold laser therapy. This treatment is non-invasive and promotes cellular healing, which can lead to nerve regeneration.
• Nutritional support. Vitamin deficiencies and inflammation can contribute to nerve damage. Therefore, fixing these problems can aid in nerve recovery.
• New technologies emerge every day. When treating neuropathy, Active Family uses eight technologies and medical tools to help treat our patients.

Active Family Chiropractic & Acupuncture provides an extensive treatment for neuropathy patients with four main goals:

• Optimize the body’s ability to heal.
• Improved blood flow to areas that need it.
• Stimulate nerve repair to reduce pain and improve balance.
• Alleviate brain-based pain.

Treating the underlying cause of neuropathy can reduce your pain, regain your mobility, and improve your quality of life with far fewer risks. The human body has the ability to recover, but sometimes it needs the right support.

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By: Abigail Shaw