Getting on your nerves
You know that feeling you get when you stay in one position too long, and your foot or hand "falls asleep"? I hate when that happens.
Now imagine living with that feeling day in and day out - for years.
That's what its like for people with polyneuropathy. And there really isn't much they can do about it - until now.
While you may not have heard the term, chances are you know someone who suffers with polyneuropathy. It's one of the leading complications of diabetes - in fact, authorities say that about half of all people with diabetes will experience polyneuropathy at some point. And even people who don't have diabetes can develop it - because of B vitamin deficiency, pernicious anemia, drug side effects, immune system disorders, or other issues.
Victims describe the pain as numbness along with burning or tingling. While polyneuropathy can affect any part of the body, it's most common in the hands and feet. For many people, it gets so bad that they can hardly walk, or can't even stand to have the covers touch their feet in bed at night.
We aren't sure exactly what causes the pain of polyneuropathy. But when it occurs as a complication of diabetes, we have some clue: it seems that over time, consistently high glucose levels damage nerve cells, causing pain signals to go haywire.
As you might imagine, the murky etiology makes it difficult to treat. Good blood sugar control helps, but it may not eliminate the pain entirely. Prescription or over-the-counter painkillers can dull the sensations, but can damage your digestive system over time. Some doctors prescribe antidepressants or anti-seizure medications, but they produce mixed results - and plenty of their own side effects baggage. There just aren't a lot of good options available to U.S. doctors.
I recently learned that "across the pond," as they say, German doctors have been successfully treating neuropathy for years with alpha lipoic acid, a natural antioxidant. Typically, they administer it intravenously, which doesn't bode well for U.S. adoption. (Since alpha lipoic acid is classified as a dietary supplement, not a drug, pharmaceutical companies wouldn't consider it a good investment.)
But new research shows that taking alpha lipoic acid supplements by mouth is effective as well. And that's something that anyone suffering from neuropathy can try, no matter what the drug companies say.
Doctors at Heinrich Heine University in Germany recruited 166 people with diabetes and polyneuropathy. They then divided the participants into four groups: three took varying dosages of alpha-lipoic acid, while the fourth took a placebo.
After 5 weeks, all of the alpha-lipoic acid groups showed improvements. At the highest dose (1800 mg daily), results were seen as early as one week, while the lower doses (600 mg and 1200 mg daily) it took two weeks to see an effect.
Scientists aren't sure how alpha lipoic acid relieves nerve pain. But the results did suggest that the supplement helps the body clear glucose from the blood stream more effectively. It also improves the sensitivity of your cells to the effects of insulin, making it a useful part any treatment program for diabetes.
The response to alpha lipoic acid wasn't perfect: while it did help reduce burning sensations and stabbing pain, it wasn't effective against numbness. And at the highest dose, some people experienced stomach upset. But considering the lack of treatment options available, it's a promising start.
To avoid side effects, the study's authors recommend the 600 mg daily dosage. Alpha-lipoic acid is widely available in supplement form; look for the 100 mg or 300 mg forms so you don't have to swallow a bunch of pills every day. When buying alpha lipoic acid supplements, be careful not to confuse it with the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid - both are often referred to as ALA. This is one nutrient that's best to take in supplement form; the best food sources of alpha lipoic acid are red meats and organ meats, but it's difficult to get enough from those sources without compromising other healthy eating goals.
By the way, alpha lipoic acid works as a powerful antioxidant that is effective in all types of body tissues. In fact, it's known as "the king of antioxidants." Not only does it function as an antioxidant itself, but it helps vitamins E and C do a better job.
