We take for granted the comfort we feel in our hands and feet, I know I do.
But some of you have lost that comfort, and suffer all day long with strange nerve-related concerns. There is new research about aspirin which could help you, but before I share that data, let’s talk about nerve pain, termed “neuropathy.”
It feels differently for all of you. The type of pain and sensation can vary from second to second, hour to hour or day to day. It may feel like you are touching or stepping on pins and needles! It can affect you all over, not just your hands and feet. Depending on various factors (race, age, weight, alcohol consumption, insulin and A1c), your experience of neuropathy may also include pain, vibration or buzzing sensations, lightheadedness, burning sensations (even in your tongue), trigeminal neuralgia or cystitis.
Recognizing what your neuropathy stems from is critical to you getting well. For some, it is due to a vitamin deficiency. For example, vitamin B12 or probiotics which help you to manufacture your own B12 in the gut. For others, it could be that wine you drink with dinner because wine is a potent drug mugger of B1 (thiamine) which protects your nerve coating. By a mile, the most common cause of neuropathy is diabetes.
Approximately half of all people with diabetes experience diabetic neuropathies, mainly in the hands and feet. Some doctors will tell you that maintaining healthy blood glucose will reverse neuropathy but that’s not true, we know from theThe Diabetes Control and Complications Trial that even intensive glucose control is insufficient to control the risk of diabetic neuropathy.
It’s tough love but I need to say it: Uncontrolled neuropathy can cause a 25 percent higher cumulative risk of leg amputation. So gaining control is important for your independence. I’ve written about natural supplements for neuropathy in the past, you can CLICK HERE to read, Stop Painful Nerve Pain in Its Tracks.
New research was published last March 2016, in Current Diabetes Reports. Scientists confirmed that targeting inflammatory cytokines can help relieve diabetic neuropathy. Oftentimes, that gateway called NF Kappa B (NFKB) opens its floodgates, and spits out too many proinflammatory cytokines like COX-2 (which the drug Celebrex lowers), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), lipoxygenase, TNF alpha and a lot of pain-causing Interleukins (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8).
The researchers reported that something as simple as salicylate therapy could help reduce some of these cytokines. More than that, it could also lower circulating glucose, triglycerides, C reactive protein and free fatty acids. When you think of salicylates, please understand this is a broad group of compounds found naturally in the plant kingdom, it’s not just an aspirin.
Salicylate is the main ingredient in aspirin and it’s found in other other combination analgesics that use aspirin along with some other compound. It’s found in both prescribed and over-the-counter drugs, and it’s actually found in natural herbs too. Salicylate compounds are found in the two minty herbs: spearmint, peppermint (even in mint toothpaste) and in muscle rubs. Keep in mind, white willow bark is a salicylate herb that gets morphed and turned into aspirin. Salicylates (and aspirin itself) are not right for everyone so if you’re considering taking it for your nerve pain, please ask your doctor about salicylates, and make sure you’re not allergic or sensitive.
Also, ask your physician if you can have a blood test to evaluate some of the proinflammatory markers I noted above. Generally speaking, if you want to order labs for yourself, either for hormones, biomarkers or thyroid tests, you can actually order labs through my affiliate account by CLICKING HERE because I am a registered practitioner.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
