Conventional medicine has little to offer.... Their treatment goals are simply to manage the condition(s) causing your neuropathy and to try to relieve the symptoms. They have nothing to offer to help halt and reverse it because the new, proven therapies do not fit the 'Big Pharma' economic model that controls conventional medicine. That may be a bit harsh and sacrilegious but it is the truth.

What conventional medicine does offer is a cacophony of medications to mask the pain and other symptoms. Sadly, these medications rarely work well and if they do work for a while, eventually they stop working. This leads to an upward spiraling of the dosage and increasing side-effects. Some of the medications used include pain relievers ranging from over-the-counter drugs all the way up to opioids. Another category of drugs used are anti-seizure medications such as Neurontin & Lyrica with side-effects like drowsiness and dizziness, just what a person with numb feet needs! There are also topicals like lidocaine and capsaicin. Finally, there are the antidepressants, serotonin, and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors. Side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, changes in appetite, weight gain, and constipation. Sounds like fun, eh?

Other conventional therapies include TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) which helps to block some of the pain at best but again does nothing to correct the underlying problem (damaged blood vessels and nerves). Another therapy uses plasma exchange and intravenous immune globulin to suppress the immune system in those dealing with peripheral neuropathy associated with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Physical therapy can help in some cases that are related to muscle weakness. Finally, surgery can help to take pressure off of nerves thereby helping them to regain more normal function as long as they have not been impinged for too long.

The sad part about "conventional treatments" are that they rarely work, they produce significant side-effects, and they do nothing to correct the underlying direct cause of peripheral neuropathy.

I know this isn't great news to read, but these aren't the ONLY treatments available. They are just the treatments that make the medical industry the most money (and keep you coming back). Be sure to see the next email for other treatment options, and a reason for optimism that the nightmare can end. You can schedule an exam with me now by clicking the link below. Please also feel free to visit or call us if you have questions. We are here to help.

Tomorrow: Other treatment options for Peripheral Neuropathy