Features
Departments
© Copyright 2009 The Wellness Imperative People All Rights Reserved.
The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by The Wellness Imperative People or the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
Developed by ZionSEO.com
The 24-Hour Pharmacist
For more information, or to submit your own health question visit Suzy Cohen’s website:
Website: www.dearpharmacist.com
Facebook: facebook.com/suzycohenrx
Twitter: twitter.com/suzycohen
Past Dear Pharmacist
- Dear Pharmacist August 28, 2010 10 Tips for Back to School Cough & Cold
- Dear Pharmacist August 21, 2010, Bitter Orange Improves Weight Loss
- Dear Pharmacist August 14, 2010, Minimizing Candida Die-Off Reactions
- Dear Pharmacist August 7, 2010 Candida Treatments and Tests
- Dear Pharmacist, July 31, 2010 Candida Yeast Can Hurt You
- Dear Pharmacist, July 24, 2010 Natural Protection for Nerve Pain
- Dear Pharmacist, July 17, 2010
Some Medications Scare Me - Dear Pharmacist July 10, 2010 FDA Requires Me to Tiptoe Through My Two Lips
- Dear Pharmacist July 3, 2010 Relieve Sore, Achy Muscles Fast
- Dear Pharmacist, June 26, 2010 The Goods on Grapefruit and Medications that Won’t Mix
- Dear Pharmacist, June 19, 2010 Calcium D-glucarate: A Novel Way to Eliminate Toxins
- Dear Pharmacist June 12, 2010 Tiny Seeds Offer Gigantic Protection to Men and Women
- Dear Pharmacist June 5, 2010 toenail fungus
- Dear Pharmacist, May 22, 2010 Hot Springs Are the Fountain of Youth
- Dear Pharmacist, May 15, 2010 How Drug Muggers Can Slowly Steal the Life Out of You
- Dear Pharmacist, May 8, 2010 Micronutrient Testing: Find Out if You Are Deficient in Vitamins & Minerals
- Dear Pharmacist, May 1, 2010 New Discovery: Liberation Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis
- Dear Pharmacist, April 24, 2010 Your Tongue Tells a Story
- Dear Pharmacist, April 17, 2010 When You Lower Cholesterol, You Lower Sex Drive Too
- Dear Pharmacist, April 3, 2010 How to Curb Cravings for Alcohol and Drugs
Dear Pharmacist, July 24, 2010 Natural Protection for Nerve Pain
Dear Pharmacist,
Please help me with pins and needles and burning. I have diabetes and it feels awful now. I take metformin and glyburide. What can I do? --S.L. Boulder, Colorado
Answer: Millions of people have painful nerve sensations -termed neuropathies- and there are many causes for this including diabetes, shingles, Celiac, heavy metal toxicity, nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune disorders and neurological conditions.
Other neuropathy symptoms include burning, shooting pain, tingling, numbness, feeling like you got stabbed by an ice pick, cystitis, urinary urgency, vibration/buzzing sensations, erectile dysfunction and loss of bladder control. Other symptoms include poor coordination, muscle pain, weakness, trigeminal neuralgia, dizziness when standing up. There are medications, just make take the lowest effective dose, so as to minimize side effects.
The number one thing you can do to reduce pain is to lower your blood sugar so please read my Diabetes Without Drugs book (Rodale 2010). Also, see if you take a statin cholesterol drug which is known to cause neuropathic sensations. Right now, I’d like to offer you a few inexpensive over-the-counter solutions to ease the pain. The supplements that I recommend help shuttle more oxygen to your cells, reduce inflammation, protect the myelin wrapper around your delicate nerves, quench toxic free radicals and reduce protein kinase C (PKC). These could all be taken together:
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)- This antioxidant squashes free radicals that attack your myelin sheath and ‘fray’ your nerve wiring. You may notice effect in a few days, though most people require several weeks. Try 200 - 250 two to four times daily or half that dose if you take R lipoic acid. To boost this antioxidant’s effect, take it with fish oil, krill oil or DHA extract about 500 mg with food.
Curcumin- Found in the spice turmeric and it reduces blood sugar. Curcumin chases away a pain-causing chemical TNF as well as nitric oxide. It helps to cool the burn you feel in your nerves. Cook with turmeric spice, but also take a supplement, 500 mg twice daily. Effects take about a month.
Methylcobalamin (B12)- When your body starves for B12, you lose the myelin sheath and your nerves short circuit. This can cause neuropathy and depression. There are dozens of drug muggers of B12, including the diabetic medications that you take as well as processed foods, sugar, antibiotics, estrogen hormones and acid blockers.
Thiamine- A glass of wine every night can steal this nerve-protective nutrient. Candida overgrowth can snatch it too. Run low on thiamine and you will absolutely suffer with bizarre neuropathic sensations. I’d suggest about 50 to 100 mg daily for a few months, along with a low dose B-complex so you have all the other Bs on board.
Neuragen- It’s a topical ointment sold at pharmacies and online. A study showed that it might be helpful for shingles neuralgia, diabetic or HIV neuropathy or trigeminal neuralgia.
Did You Know?
A natural plant-based bug spray is now available, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Pump Insect Repellant.
