Diabetic Neuropathy Treatments

Diabetes is a disease that affects the way your body processes sugar. It can cause nerve damage, which can lead to neuropathy. The good news is there are natural treatments for diabetic neuropathy that work.

Neuropathy is a painful condition where the nerves in your body are damaged. There are many treatments, but some work better than others.

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most frequent consequences of diabetes, affecting one out of every three people in the United States. Because high blood sugar levels impact nerve fibers throughout the body, diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common problems to occur as a side effect. Neuropathy is a medical disease that includes over 100 distinct types and symptoms of nerve injury in both diabetics and non-diabetics.

Diabetic neuropathy (also known as peripheral neuropathy) is the nerve damage caused by diabetes, a chronic disease caused by the body’s inability to utilize the hormone insulin effectively. Neuropathy may develop everywhere, although it is most often seen in the limbs, hands, and feet.

Although not everyone who has diabetic symptoms develops problems like neuropathy, many do. Up to 60% to 70% of all people with diabetes suffer from some neuropathy. Nerve injury causes relatively minor symptoms in some individuals, such as tingling or numbness in the limbs. On the other hand, others have significant discomfort, stomach difficulties, heart and blood vessel problems, an inability to function correctly, and even death if critical organs are severely damaged.

Diabetic neuropathy may set off a chain reaction that can result in even more severe consequences. Peripheral neuropathy, like diabetes, has no recognized “cure,” just methods to manage it and slow its development, comparable to the natural therapies for diabetes. It’s a severe condition to have, but most individuals can manage it by controlling their blood sugar levels, altering their meals, and living a better lifestyle in general, all of which help them maintain their diabetes.

7 Natural Treatments

1. Keep Blood Sugar Levels in Check

Managing your blood sugar levels is the most effective way to help avoid or treat neuropathy. In addition, maintaining a healthy blood sugar level is the essential thing you can do to prevent irreversible harm to your nerves, blood vessels, eyes, skin, and other body components before problems arise.

Peripheral neuropathy, which accounts for more hospitalizations than other diabetic complications and is also the most common cause of non-traumatic amputations, has been linked to low blood sugar levels in studies.

The best approach to accomplish this is to combine regular blood glucose testing, a balanced diet, exercise, and working with your doctor to decide if you require diabetes medication and insulin treatment.

2. Eat a well-balanced diet

Because your food directly affects your blood sugar levels, it’s an excellent place to start when it comes to managing diabetes symptoms and consequences. To help regulate blood sugar, focus your diet on unprocessed, whole foods and restrict or eliminate refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and sugary beverages.

Drinking water/herbal tea instead of soda, juice, and other sweetened drinks; eating plenty of healthy fats and lean proteins instead of refined carbohydrates; buying fewer packaged foods and always reading labels for added ingredients or sugars when you do; and managing your weight more quickly by cooking at home and using techniques like roasting, baking, steaming, or broiling are just a few examples.

Eat lots of high-fiber foods that are rich in nutrients but low in sugar or artificial additives as part of your diabetic diet plan, such as:

• All types of veggies and whole fruits are rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and vital electrolytes such as minerals and potassium.
• Omega-3 fatty acids from wild-caught fish help people with diabetes by reducing triglycerides and apoproteins, which increase the risk of diabetes complications.
• Coconut oil/coconut milk, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado are all good sources of healthful fats.
• Grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken, cage-free eggs, and sprouted beans/legumes (which are also rich in fiber) are all good lean protein sources.
• You may also replace table sugar with stevia, a natural no-calorie sweetener.

Other practical dietary recommendations for controlling blood sugar include:

• If at all possible, avoid grains, particularly those produced with processed wheat flours.
• High-sodium foods should be consumed in moderation. To help manage blood pressure, limit salt intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day.
• To remain hydrated, drink six to eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, and eat more fiber- and water-rich foods like fresh vegetables and fruit to feel full on less.
• Keep an eye on your portions and experiment with measuring items for a while to discover the appropriate serving amounts.
• If it helps, maintain a daily food intake diary for a few weeks to track your progress and get a clearer sense of how you’re doing.
• Maintain blood sugar levels by eating balanced amounts every several hours and adhering to a regular meal and snack schedule.
• Bring your lunch to work or school, and have nutritious snacks with you at all times.

3. Exercising and Physiatrist Therapy

Regular exercise may help you manage your diabetes symptoms, maintain a healthy weight, regulate blood sugar and high blood pressure symptoms, build strength, and improve range of motion, among other things. In addition, regular exercise reduced pain and neuropathic symptoms in people with diabetes and enhanced intraepidermal nerve fiber branching, according to a 2012 research published in the Journal of Diabetes Complications.

Work your way up to 30–60 minutes of low-impact activity each day, including cycling, swimming, or walking. This improves your body’s insulin sensitivity and lowers blood glucose levels, perhaps allowing you to take fewer medicines. Exercise also protects nerves by increasing circulation, decreasing cholesterol, and reducing stress, which may elevate blood sugar levels and cause inflammation.

Physical therapy may also improve muscular strength, mobility, and everyday functions. You may discuss any discomfort you’re having with your physical therapist and try specific orthopedic inserts or shoes to assist in alleviating symptoms and enhance your ability to move about regularly.

4. Reduce Toxin Exposure and Quit Smoking with neuropathy are more prone to develop kidney stone symptoms and other renal issues, such as kidney disease, which is why it’s critical to relieve other stress your kidneys to avoid an accumulation of toxins in the bloodstream, which will exacerbate the problem. Reduce your exposure to pesticides used on non-organic crops, chemical cleansers and cosmetic items, unneeded prescriptions or antibiotics, and too much alcohol, cigarettes, and recreational drugs.

Quit smoking soon as possible if you have diabetes and use tobacco in any form.

Diabetic smokers are more likely to suffer nerve damage and potentially have a heart attack or stroke than diabetic nonsmokers.

5. Relieve Stress

SStressexacerbates inflammation and increases the risk of diabetes complications. Exercising, meditating, or praying for healing, spending more time doing hobbies or in nature, and being near family and friends are all-natural stress relievers you should attempt. Acupuncture is another helpful therapy that not only relieves tension and discomfort but has also been proven to relieve neuropathy symptoms safely and with few, if any, side effects.

6. Natural Ways to Reduce Pain

If you’ve already acquired neuropathy and are searching for methods to relieve diabetic nerve discomfort and enhance everyday functioning, a mix of natural treatments may assist. Several natural anti-inflammatories and antioxidants have been proven in studies to help slow the development of nerve injury and reduce pain. These are some of them:

• Take 300–1,200 mg of alpha-lipoic acid per day to enhance insulin sensitivity and protect against neuropathy
• Take 360 mg of evening primrose oil daily to reduce neuropathy, numbness, tingling, and burning, as well as other beneficial benefits. Take 600 milligrams of chromium picolinate daily to help increase insulin sensitivity.
• Cinnamon: believed to assist with blood sugar stabilization, add one to two tablespoons to each meal daily, and experiment with cinnamon oil.
• Take 1,000 mg of omega-3 fish oil every day to help reduce inflammation.
• Many people with diabetes seem to be deficient in vitamin B12, which may exacerbate nerve damage.
• Peppermint, lavender, and frankincense are among the essential oils that may help relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

It may take some time for you to see the benefits, so be patient and experiment with various combinations until you discover one that works for you. For example, when diabetic nerve pain becomes unbearable, you may take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen.

7. Take Care of Your Skin and Feet

Keep a close eye on your symptoms and check for new nerve damage in your skin, feet, legs, or hands. Examine yourself for any further injuries, such as blisters, sores, or ulcers. According to the American Diabetes Association, foot and skincare are critical components of diabetic neuropathy therapy and prevention. Wash your hands, feet, and toenails thoroughly every day, particularly in skin creases where bacteria and moisture may accumulate and cause illnesses.

Keep sensitive skin away from extremely high temperatures (such as hot showers) and the sun by wearing clean socks and clothes. If you detect redness, swelling, or infection developing, cut your toenails, file corns, and consult a doctor. Some studies have also shown that skin lotions containing capsaicin from cayenne pepper may help decrease pain feelings in some individuals; however, they should be used with caution since they can cause skin irritation and burning.

Facts

• Peripheral neuropathy affects about 20 million Americans.
• People with diabetes account for 68 percent of individuals with neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy affects approximately 23% to 29% of diabetes overall, and it affects about 65 percent of people with diabetes over the age of 65.
• According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, lowering your blood sugar to a healthy level may reduce your risk of diabetic nerve damage by 60%.
• Type 2 diabetics are more prone than type 1 diabetics to have diabetic neuropathy and discomfort due to complications. Even after controlling for age differences, painful sensations seem twice as common in type 2 diabetes patients as in type 1 diabetic patients.
• Although both men and women may develop diabetic neuropathy, women are more prone than men to experience discomfort due to nerve damage and loss of function. When compared to males, women have a 50% higher chance of painful neuropathy symptoms.
• About a third of people with diabetes claim to have no symptoms at all. However, approximately 40% of all diabetic individuals with no visible signs of neuropathy have at least moderate nerve damage due to their diabetes.
• Obesity or being overweight puts you at a higher risk. For example, according to research, having a BMI of more than 24 places you at a higher risk of diabetic problems in general.
• Neuropathy is more likely if you have diabetes for a long time. People who have had diabetes for 20–25 years or more are at the most significant risk.
• Amputations are a frequent diabetic neuropathy consequence. Diabetes accounts for more than 60% of all nontraumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States.
• Approximately 71,000 nontraumatic amputations are done each year in individuals with diabetes in the United States alone. Still, experts think that by adopting lifestyle changes and treating neuropathy with medicines before it develops, these rates may be reduced by 45 percent to 85 percent.

Symptoms

The sensory, motor, and autonomic (involuntary) nerve systems are all affected by diabetes. The peripheral nervous system, a complex network of nerves that connects the central nervous system (which includes the brain and spinal cord) to the rest of the body, is one of the systems most affected by diabetes. This is why diabetic neuropathy may affect any part of the body, from the fingers and toes to the genitals and eyes, causing symptoms and problems.

According to studies, diabetics with neuropathy have a substantially worse quality of life than people with diabetes without neuropathy, mainly if the nerve damage causes discomfort.

Blood pressure/blood flow and the arteries are affected by high blood sugar over extended periods, altering how neurons interact and transmit messages throughout the body. Nerve damage may sometimes develop to the point that it results in permanent loss of feeling, heart problems, skin sores/ulcers, eyesight loss, and even the necessity for lower-limb amputations.

While peripheral neuropathy is the most frequent form of diabetic neuropathy, it is not the only one that may occur.

• Autonomic neuropathy affects nerves in the digestive system, sexual organs, and sweat – autonomic neuropathy is hazardous because it may mask hypoglycemia symptoms, leaving individuals unaware of when they have low blood sugar.
• Damage to the heart and blood vessels due to nerve injury
• proximal neuropathy is a neuropathy that produces discomfort in the thighs, hips, and buttocks.
• Focal neuropathy is a kind of neuropathy that causes muscular weakness and pain all over the body.

The following are some of the most common indications and symptoms of neuropathy:

• Cramping, tingling, and numbness in the toes, hands, feet, legs, or other parts of the body
• Symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), such as shakiness, perspiration, and a racing heart
• Sarcopenia (muscle wasting)
• Skin’s sensitivity to touch
• Constipation and diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloated stomach, and lack of appetite are all symptoms of digestive disorders.
• low blood pressure, particularly after standing up for a long time
• Dizziness, fainting, and loss of balance
• In males, sexual dysfunction and erectile dysfunction, and women, vaginal lubrication and arousal issues
• Perspiration changes, excessive night sweating, difficulty to regulate internal temperature, or total absence of sweat are all possible causes (anhidrosis)
• Kidney dysfunction
• Injury to the bladder and urinary tract nerves, resulting in frequent urination

Complications

While nerve damage is unpleasant and may be debilitating in and of itself, diabetic neuropathy can also lead to other serious consequences that can be very hazardous and even life-threatening. These are some of them:

• Damage to the heart and blood arteries, raising the risk of coronary heart disease and death
• Amputations of the limbs, which are required after severely infected or ulcerated skin and soft tissue break down — the legs and feet are the body parts most likely to be affected by nerve damage caused by diabetes, which is why the majority of amputations related to diabetes are performed on these body parts each year.
• Swelling, instability, and occasionally deformities are symptoms of joint discomfort or degeneration and loss of feeling.
• Because nerve injury and inflammation may lower immunity and allow germs to increase, serious infections are common.
• The failure to detect hypoglycemia symptoms may cause symptoms to persist longer and worsen.
• Cataracts, glaucoma, fuzzy vision, and vision loss/blindness are all conditions that may cause vision loss or blindness.

What Causes Them?

Because they don’t respond appropriately to the hormone insulin, people with diabetes have difficulty regulating their blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels. Insulin is required to assist in transporting glucose into cells for utilization as energy, allowing the quantity of glucose in the blood to be regulated.

Diabetes affects individuals of all ages, genders, and racial/ethnic origins, although it is more prevalent in overweight, older, and have lifestyles that disrupt natural hormonal balance.

Some risk factors render individuals more vulnerable to diabetic complications, such as neuropathy (nerve damage), such as

• uncontrolled blood sugar is the most significant risk factor for all diabetes complications.
• having diabetes for a long time – the longer you have it, you will likely suffer nerve damage.
• obesity or being overweight
• consuming a bad diet
• having a sedentary way of life
• cigarette smoking
• excessive blood fat levels, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure (all of which damage the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrition to the neurons)
• having an inflammatory illness that causes nerve inflammation
• having had any nerve damage induced by mechanical means (for example, carpal tunnel syndrome or accident injuries)
• specific geographical conditions or hereditary characteristics that increase the risk of nerve damage

Takeaways

• About one in every three individuals in the United States has diabetes, and although neuropathy does not occur in every person with diabetes, it affects 60 percent to 70 percent of people with diabetes.
• Autonomic neuropathy, proximal neuropathy, focal neuropathy, and nerve damage to the heart and blood vessels are all examples of peripheral neuropathy.
• Manage your blood sugar levels, eat a nutritious diet, exercise and attempt physical therapy, limit your exposure to toxins and stop smoking, manage stress, lower pain naturally, and protect your skin and feet are Stressings you can do to help naturally cure diabetic neuropathy.
• Symptoms of neuropathy include cramps, pain, tingling, and numbness in the toes, hands, feet, legs, or elsewhere; hypoglycemia symptoms such as shakiness, sweating, and a fast heartbeat; muscle wasting; sensitivity to touch on the skin; digestive issues such as constipation and diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloated stomach, and loss of appetite; low blood pressure (especially abrupt blood pressure).
• Uncontrolled blood sugar, long-term diabetes, being overweight or obese, eating a poor diet, leading a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, high levels of fat in the blood, high cholesterol or blood pressure, autoimmune disease, nerSmokingries, and certain territory factors or inherited traits that make nerve damage more likely are all causes of neuropathy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best treatment for diabetic neuropathy?

A: The best treatment for diabetic neuropathy is following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining good blood sugar levels.

How do you reverse diabetic neuropathy?

• Exercise. A number of health conditions; exercise is a remedy.
• Quit smoking. Smoking is a causative factor to almost every health condition, as smoking affects blood circulation.

What herb helps with diabetic neuropathy?

• Shilajit Capsules
• Ashwagandha Capsules
• Chanderprabha Vati

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