Peripheral Neuropathies, also called Polyneuropathies include all disorders in which nerve structures outside the spinal cord are affected. With more than 100 types of Peripheral neuropathies in existence, each with its own characteristic set of symptoms, pattern of development, and prognosis, the symptoms can vary as much as the cause.
In most cases, Peripheral neuropathy is secondary to other conditions such as, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, alcoholism, nutritional deficiencies, AIDS, chemotherapy, and various drugs.
Other causes include compression or entrapment (carpal tunnel syndrome), direct physical injury to a nerve (trauma), fractures or dislocated bones, tumors, radiation and even exposure to cold.
For some people it is experienced as the uncomfortable sensation of “ pins and needles” or burning pain (especially at night) of their hands and/or feet, a loss of feeling, others may suffer more extreme symptoms such as muscle wasting, paralyses, or organ dysfunction.
Sensory symptoms:
Sensory symptoms arte the most common presentation of peripheral neuropathy and can be considered as positive ( tingling, burning and pain) or negative (loss of touch and temperature) in general feet and legs are involved before hands and arms.
Motor symptoms:
Motor symptoms such as weakness are less common than sensory symptoms. Most motor symptoms begin as gait and balance difficulties. When weakness becomes significant, people tend to develop loss of dorsiflexion (dropfoot).
As many as 60-90% of diabetics suffer from peripheral neuropathy, however, western medicine does not have a truly effective treatment for this condition.
One of the most common treatments for peripheral neuropathy is the administration of amitriptyline (An antidepressant). Some of its side effects are headaches, dizziness, skin rashes, hepatitis, fluctuations in blood sugar levels, palpitations and even Peripheral neuritis! Clearly not the best treatment option.
Other treatments tend to concentrate on pain management and include analgesics such as Aspirin, paracetemol and NSAIDS.
Chinese medicine approach:
As I have written many times before, in Chinese medicine, no matter what the disease, a patient will be treated according to his or her specific pattern of disharmony. We treat a person with a disorder, not the disorder the person has.
Common patterns of disharmony in Peripheral neuropathy are obstruction of Qi and blood and dampness in the limbs. This can be due to irregular eating, wrong diet, too much alcohol, excessive tiredness or chronic diseases.
Acupuncture helps peripheral Neuropathy by improving the circulation and moving Qi and blood to the extremities. The nerve tissue can be nourished and nerve function improved. Chinese herbs quite often form part of the standard treatment.
In a study involving 46 diabetic patients with Peripheral neuropathy, 34 of them reported significant improvement in their symptoms after a series of acupuncture treatments.
A larger study of 250 patients with HIV related Peripheral neuropathy (PN) found similar results.
If you suffer from PN, maybe you should give Chinese medicine a go. It may help you or it may not. At least there are no significant side effects!
