Guide to Peripheral Neuropathy

Dr. Tucker's Guide to Peripheral Neuropathy

INTRODUCTION

This report is provided to you by David L Tucker DC - with over 20 years experience in treating neuropathies of all kinds, Dr. Tucker has taken special training in treating both compressive and peripheral neuropathy. These are some of the most challenging pain conditions in the human body. First, it is essential to properly diagnose these conditions. Next, we offer a research-based non-drug and non-surgical treatment option for getting relief from peripheral neuropathy. And most important, it is effective for the majority of patients we accept for care.

LIVING WITH PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY

Let’s start this report by addressing the suffering and fears you likely are experiencing if you are living with this tough condition. You may fear falling because you don’t have much feeling in your feet. Most people with neuropathy have balance issues. Older patients may be afraid of an accompanying hip or other fracture with these falls, which is a legitimate concern. Those of you with diabetic neuropathy may fear developing ulcers and even possible amputation. Nearly 86,000 Americans each year undergo amputations as a result of uncontrolled neuropathy. The symptoms of neuropathy are life-changing and many people suffer greatly: burning, tingling, pain, loss of balance and interference with sleep.

While there are no absolute guarantees in health care, for many of you reading this guide there is hope for significant and meaningful improvement to your condition. There are advanced research-based non-drug and non-surgical options now being used throughout the United States. These are options traditional medicine will not tell you about. There are ways to improve circulation to damaged nerves; to wake them up and lessen pain. Better sleep, improved balance, and overall better quality of life is possible with many people currently suffering from peripheral neuropathy.

Let’s talk about:

What causes neuropathy

How current medicine approaches this problem

Different types of neuropathy

Alternative treatments that work

How to determine if you are a good candidate for alternative types of treatment

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the peripheral nerves, meaning those outside of the spine, usually the arms and legs. It affects feet and/or hands, causing weakness, numbness, tingling and pain. Peripheral neuropathy can come and go, slowly progressing over many years, or it can be severe and debilitating. If diagnosed early it can be controlled with the right treatment. Neuropathy is really your doctor’s word for nerve damage. It is estimated 20 million patients in the U.S suffer from this diagnosis.

CAUSES

The most common cause of neuropathy by far is diabetes. When glucose (sugar) is too high in the body over a long period of time it can lead to nerve damage and neuropathy. If the damage is not controlled it can lead to ulcers and amputation may be necessary. Another common and often overlooked cause of neuropathy is the use of cholesterol (statin) medications. Cholesterol is actually the biggest component of the protective covering surrounding nerves (myelin sheath.)

When you artificially lower cholesterol too much it damages the protective nerve covering and can lead to neuropathy.

Another unfortunate cause of neuropathy is as a side effect of chemotherapy. While chemo may be what is needed to treat the cancer, the toxic effects can also be quite harmful to the nerves.

Heavy metal toxicity may be responsible for some neuropathy cases. Overexposure to lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, or cadmium, to name a few, can cause damage to the delicate nerves of the body. Nutritional deficiencies of vitamin or micronutrient levels may be to blame, most commonly B12, B6 and B1.

Most other neuropathy cases that do not fall into these categories are termed idiopathic, which means a cause cannot be determined. We also treat many patients with compressive neuropathy, which is caused by conditions like spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) or disc bulges or protrusion putting pressure on nerves. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a direct compression of a nerve at the wrist (median nerve) so it needs to be checked for in patients with hand symptoms (specifically tingling in the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers).

Finally, one common trait in all peripheral neuropathy cases is INFLAMMATION. If you don’t get whatever is causing your inflammation under control, your nerves will never be healed.

SYMPTOMS

The specific symptoms you experience will depend on which parts of the nerve are affected. If the sensory part of the nerve is affected, there will be a loss of sensation or over-sensation of pain, tingling or burning. If the motor part of the nerve is affected, muscle weakness, cramps, spasms, loss of balance and coordination issues will occur. If the autonomic nerves are damaged this can affect involuntary problems (functions you can’t control). This can lead to abnormal blood pressure and heart rate, reduced ability to perspire, constipation, bladder dysfunction such as incontinence, and sexual dysfunction. Most patients have a mix of symptoms with different areas of the nerves being affected.

MEDICAL TREATMENT OPTIONS

Most over-the-counter medications like aspirin or ibuprofen do little to nothing to target nerve pain. One drug called Cymbalta has been FDA-approved to treat diabetic neuropathy. Side effects include nausea, dry mouth, sleepiness, fatigue, constipation, loss of appetite and sweating. It can also cause dizziness and hot flashes. The most common medication I see prescribed for non-diabetic neuropathy is Gabapentin (Neurontin) which is an anti-convulsant and not even FDA-approved to treat neuropathy. Common side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, unsteadness, memory loss, lack of coordination, difficulty speaking, viral infections and tremors. There are some other medications used on occasion, but the common denominator is none of them are meant to cure neuropathy. Medications will not fix your neuropathy, only mask the symptoms. While medications may offer symptom relief at first, overtime this relieving effect will lessen as the underlying condition continues to worsen without any action being taken to actually fix it, not just cover its symptoms.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS

First let’s discuss the functional medicine component that can help address some of the root causes of neuropathy. If you are diabetic, the first and most important thing to ensure is adequate blood sugar control. The goal is to have an A1C level of 7 or less. That requires a healthy diet and if necessary a weight loss program. Heavy metal toxicity, nutrient deficiencies and anemia can all be overlooked neuropathy culprits. As I mentioned before, inflammation MUST be addressed.

If taking cholesteral (statin) medication is contributing to your neuropathy by interfering with nerve protection, you need to find an alternative way to control and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. If you are looking for a guide to healthy, non inflammatory diet, I would direct you to a marvelous book on the topic The Deflame Diet by David Seaman.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS THAT WORK

There is no one magic bullet cure for treating neuropathy. It takes a comprehensive approach to find and address the cause then correct or at least improved the damage that has occurred. We use the following advanced, research-based treatment components:

MLS (Multiwave Locked System) Laser Therapy
- Is a class IV laser and is the most powerful available on the market for treating nerve conditions. Brookview Chiropractic Clinic has offered this breakthrough technology for 5+ years. Laser therapy penetrates into the nerve cells and stimulates energy production which promotes healing. The laser uses two different wavelengths: one works on pain and one works on inflammation. They are synced together to produce a synergistic effect.

NeuroMed Electroanalgesia
- generates an electric current to help stimulate normal nerve firing. It helps to “wake the nerves up”, reduce muscle cramping and spasm and inhibits pain signal. At the most basic level, it blocks pain and awakens the nerves to bring back normal feeling. This is very different from basic TENS or electrical stimulation units used at home or in a physical therapy or chiropractic clinic for musculoskeletal pain conditions. These other machines produce stimulation from 1 - 150 pulses per second. NeuroMed Electroanalgesia produces up to 10,000 pulses per second. We are the only clinic in this area to offer this advanced form of electrical stimulation.

DTS Decompressive Lumbar Traction and Custom Orthotics
- may be helpful in some neuropathy cases. We use a specific type of traction which helps to gently stretch the spacing between the vertebrae in the lower back to reduce pressure on pinched nerves. Many patients with foot pain benefit greatly from custom orthotics from Foot Levelers. These gently correct arch collapse which n turn reduces pressure on pinched nerves in the feet. They also help with balance.

Targeted supplementation
- containing ingredients that have been proven to help heal nerves in neuropathy patients are prescribed. We use a supplement called Nerve Renew which contains the most powerful and clinically proven forms of B vitamins, Stabilized R Alpha Lipoic Acid, anti-oxidants and herbal extracts. All the ingredients have been clinically proven to reduce neuropathy pain and discomfort.

KEY THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Again, there is no one magic bullet cure for treating neuropathy. It takes a comprehensive approach to find and address the cause then correct or at least improved the damage that has occurred.

Neuropathy is a progressive condition,

Unless you do something, it will continue to

Get Worse

CAN YOU BE HELPED?

A thorough review of your condition and overall health history and a thorough examination is the only way to determine how far your neuropathy has progressed and if it can be helped. We will be honest with you. If your condition is too severe, has been present for too long, or if you are unwilling to make changes and follow the program then we will tell you we cannot help. On the other hand, if your history and exam shows us a treatable condition and you are willing to make some changes and follow the program, then we will let you know that we likely can help. Clinics around the country with similar programs to ours report a 70-90% success in improving neuropathy symptoms. Our goal is to reduce your symptoms by a minimum of 50% or more.

In some severe cases, 50% improvement is a huge success in quality of living, and many patients will see more improvement than that. Total and complete healing is not always attainable, but we have seen cases achieve well over 50% symptom relief.

ARE YOU READY

Your options now are to do nothing, continue to do whatever it is you’ve been doing, or to try this research-backed, comprehensive program. Chances are if you’re reading this report, you are looking for more answers and other options. And it may be safe to assume what you are currently doing is not working. Remember, peripheral neuropathy is a progressive disease and without proper treatment will continue to worsen over time. Call us at 507 289 5669 to schedule your first appointment. I will guide you through the paperwork process and can answer any additional questions you may have about the program.

YOUR FIRST VISIT

I will review your neuropathy symptoms and overall health history and perform a thorough examination to determine if you are a good candidate for our program. If you are a good candidate, I will review your specific program details and set up a schedule. Again, if after reviewing your history and exam I feel you are not a good candidate, I will be honest with you about why and will do my best to guide you in the right direction.

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS

How has this condition affected your work, family, relationships, recreational activities and finances?

How much sleep has this condition robbed from you?

How does this lack of sleep affect the rest of your health?

What is it worth to you if your condition could be improved?

How will your condition be in 5 years if you don’t take care of it now?

Are you willing to make some changes?

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

I have invested a tremendous amount of time, training and expense to bring this program to our area. I look forward to helping you achieve better health.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Phone: 507 289 5669

Email: dtudc@deskmedia.com

Website: www.brookviewchiro.com

Here’s what we’ve accomplished for patients using this program…

What could our neuropathy program do for you?

86% of neuropathy patient experience good to excellent results

Study based on patients who completed the neuropathy program as prescribed. Good to excellent results = 50 - 100% improvement reported in symptom relief/ability to perform activities of daily living.