Acupuncture Is One Of The More Difficult To Prove Neuropathy Therapies

Today's short post from nevadaappeal.com (see link below) invites you to visit the Facebook page to find out why acupuncture is becoming more and more acceptable in the treatment of neuropathy and why would you not? (This blog avoids Facebook like the plague but accepts that it is a major information source in the medical world of today). Acupuncture, like so many so-called alternative treatments needs all the evidence it can find and produce, if it's to convince cynical neuropathy patients who've heard it all before. However, even more important that word of mouth evidence, is hard fact brought about by success stories across the spectrum. Like all therapies though, it's important that you trust both your practitioner and the basis behind his or her therapies and that requires a certain amount of research to establish some facts. The success of a therapy is often dependent on the fact that you're convinced by the theory, even if it doesn't seem to be working for you. By using the Search button you'll find many more articles on the subject here on the blog.
 

Acupuncture treats peripheral neuropathy
Maureen Lamerdin, O.M.D.

Peripheral neuropathy has become a more prominent complaint by many who suffer from varying conditions such as diabetes, spinal injuries, alcoholism, HIV, vitamin deficiencies and from adverse side-effects of specific drugs, most notably chemotherapy drugs. This debilitating condition can cause such symptoms as feeling like walking on glass, severe burning, numbness and tingling, weakness and flaccidity of the muscles which can lead to further injury.

This neurological disorder is caused by the abnormal functioning of the sensory, motor and/or autonomic nerves. Peripheral neuropathy typically affects the extremities, including the arms, legs, hands and feet. The time of day and one’s activity level can affect the frequency of the symptoms with this neuropathic condition. Some people may experience symptoms throughout the day, but have increased sensations in the evenings. Typically, applying pressure (such as from walking) will significantly aggravate the condition. There are many other factors that can exacerbate this condition such as stress. When treating this condition it’s important to treat the whole body for successful abatement of this disease.

Most people believe once the nerve fibers are damaged they can’t heal and so most people take pain relieving medication or drugs that specifically affect the nerves such as Lyrica or Neurontin. At best these treatments may help manage the pain, however they don’t help the regeneration of the nerves. Research shows the body does indeed have the ability to regenerate nerves. A lizard can regenerate nerves after the loss of an appendage and can actually recreate the extremity. Much of the human skeleton and nerve makeup maintains the ancient segmental pattern present in all vertebrates such as a lizard.

Numerous research has been published on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for peripheral neuropathy some of which include the European Journal of Neurology, JAMA, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and of course numerous studies in China. A study published in “Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology” showed electro-acupuncture was effective for regenerating nerve cells in rats who had experienced spinal cord injuries. The researchers reported electro-acupuncture restored partial function to paralyzed limbs in the injured rats. In a 10-week study conducted by the European Journal of Neurology patients were treated with acupuncture at determined points as determined by the practitioner. Patients had symptom relief as well as improved nerve conduction over the course of treatment, leading the researchers of the study to speculate acupuncture caused nerves to regenerate.

Peripheral neuropathy is considered a chronic disease which can be perplexing and involve diligent and consistent therapy to help the patient recover. Traditional Chinese medicine can help improve symptoms and offer people with peripheral neuropathy a better quality of life over time. Treatment of neuropathy should be considered as a long-term therapy and not just a short course of 10 sessions, as is usually implied with acupuncture.
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