Diabetes is one of the most common underlying diseases that cause neuropathy. While diabetic neuropathy doesn’t manifest in every person with the chronic ailment, around 60 to 70 percent of the total population diagnosed with diabetes suffer from nerve damage.
Diabetic Neuropathy Explained
According to experts, diabetic neuropathy involves patients who have uncontrolled blood glucose levels for over 25 years. Because of this, experts highly recommend people with suspected diabetes to consult doctors right away to avoid this debilitating complication of the condition.
Diabetic neuropathy is characterized by progressive nerve disorders linked to Diabetes Type 1 and Type 2. While scientists are still establishing a more concrete picture of how this nerve damage occurs, medical practitioners are convinced that the high levels of sugar in the blood is the cause of nerve impairment that reduces signals transmitted to and from the central nervous system.
Still, there is a possibility that various factors are involved in the onset of this condition, including unhealthy lifestyle, genetics, and malfunctions in the immune system. People at risk of contracting diabetic neuropathy include:
- those with poor control over their sugar consumption;
- who are more than 40 years old;
- who are obese or overweight;
- have high cholesterol levels;
- have been suffering from diabetes between 10 and 25 years;
- and those who have high blood pressure.
4 Types of Diabetic Neuropathy
People with diabetes are at risk of having four types of neuropathic symptoms.
Peripheral Neuropathy is the most common form of nerve damage caused in people with diabetes. This category of neuropathy involves nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system and causes the person to feel less or be more sensitive to touch and temperature. As the name implies, peripheral neuropathy affects the extremities, namely the arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, and toes.
Proximal Neuropathy causes painful hips, pelvis, thighs, and buttocks. This category of nerve damage due to diabetes often carries muscle weakness and pain that can extend as low as the legs.
Focal Neuropathy causes extreme and sudden muscle weakness and pain as well as numbness in a particular part of the body. Also known as mononeuropathy, this category covers nerve damage involving a single or a group of nerves in the body, but it is less common than the others.
Autonomic Neuropathy involves damage in nerves that control involuntary processes in the body like breathing, digestion, sexual response, and blood pressure. This category of diabetic neuropathy often causes patients to fail to detect if there is a drop in their sugar levels, which poses a high risk.
Neuropathy Treatment and Supplements
Diabetic neuropathy cannot be reversed — at least, based on what medical experts know so far. Even so, people suffering from this kind of complication shouldn’t lose hope as others with similar cases have improved their condition significantly through natural treatments and a lifestyle overhaul.
Removing vices such as smoking and alcohol consumption can be beneficial for diabetic neuropathy patients. Making a habit of taking medications for diabetes consistently and changing one’s diet may also help prevent further damage to the nerves. Experts recommend trying therapies like chiropractor adjustments, acupuncture, physical therapy, and massage therapy can help improve a diabetic neuropathy patient’s overall health.
On top of that, many patients have attested to the effectiveness of added intake of essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B-12 in improving diabetic neuropathy. According to this review, nerve health supplements like Nerve Renew contains the necessary essential vitamins and anti-oxidants to protect the nerves. Aside from that, this particular brand contains a variant of the needed vitamins in its most bioavailable form, ensuring better absorption in the body.
