Diabetic Neuropathy or painful Peripheral Neuropathy is a painful condition that effects millions of people every where. Peripheral Neuropathy is characterized by painful, burning tingling in the feet. The causes of which are a chemical imbalance in the nerves, which causes the nerves to slowly deteroiate over time. There are many treatments that are on the market, some not effective others very effective. This article attempts to list the five best treatments for painful Peripheral Neuropathy.
5. Surgery- There is a surgery which is a surgical decompression of the nerves. Very few physcians or Podiatrists perform this surgery all over the country. For the simple reason it is experimental and the results have not been very promissing. Surgery for peripheral Neuropathy should only be attempted as a last resort, and even then I would question it. The reason I placed it here is for completeness sake. But, I myself would never entertain this or send a patient to have this procedure performed.
4. Neuorpathy Vitamins– The theory behind the Neuropathy vitamins is fine. Since there is a chemical imbalance take vitamins to help negate the imbalance. However, the studies have been mixed at best. If you are to try Peripheral Neuropathy vitamins they should not be used as a stand alone treatment. They should be used in conjuction with other treatments and medication. Also, do not break the bank buying vitamins. Similar to vitamins there are creams that can be purchased. These creams are applied to the foot and help reduce the pain. Those as well should not be used as a solo treatment, but the creams do have some success. They all essentially do the same thing. I have provided some examples of Peripheral Neuropathy vitamins as well as some Diabetic Neuropathy creams below which are inexpensive and are created specifically for Peripheral Neuropathy.
3. Anodyne– Anodyne is the use of infrared lasers to the foot which helps warm the feet and increases blood flow to the area. This helps reduce some of the pain that is felt. This can be found at most physical therapy offices and can be purchased over the internet. The results are mixed as Anodyne therapy does not work for everybody. Some patients will call it a god send; others will say it did nothing for them. Here are some examples of Anodyne machines that are for sale.
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2. Oral Medications– Whether it is Cymbalta, Lyrica or Neurontin, these are the only treatments that have been proven to effectively treat peripheral Neuropathy. These are anti depressants but just the same there is a lot of scientific literature about their effectiveness. See your primary care physcian or a Podiatrist and they should be willing to prescribe this for you. This is very highly recommended treatment
1. Control Your Blood Sugar– Peripheral Neuropathy tends to be a manifestation of poorly controlled Diabetes which leads to the chemical imbalances. The simple and obvious solution to this problem is to cease it from becoming a problem. Eat the right foods, check your blood sugar regularly. There is no reason for a Diabetic to have to go through all of the above manifestations. I know it sounds simple but if you control your blood sugar so many of the problems with Diabetes will subside.