by Art Solbrig
Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) can have multiple causes, such as diabetes, Parkinson's Disease (PD), or specific chemotherapy agents.
It is important to note that the rate of PN is higher in people with diabetes and Parkinson's Disease, as well as being caused by various autoimmune conditions such as Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barr Syndrome, vasculitis, and lupus, among others.
So as you can see, there are multiple ways that you can potentially get PN. Having a plan for treatment in case you get PN is necessary and valuable.
The primary consideration is that your nerves are being damaged, which often manifests as pain, burning, tingling, or numbness in the feet, legs, arms, or hands. This can be overwhelming in terms of pain and downright dangerous in terms of numbness because you lose the sensory nerve input that helps you maintain your balance, thus exposing you to the danger of falling.
Taking care of PN early on seems more effective than waiting and letting the disease progress unhindered, which can make the disease harder to deal with.
https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/peripheral-neuropathy-parkinsons-disease/
Here are some relevant quotes from the article :
'Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which there is damage to the peripheral nervous system, the system of nerve fibers that innervates the organs and limbs.'
'Peripheral neuropathy may cause weakness, imbalance with walking, numbness, pain, or paresthesias (abnormal sensation such as tingling or burning), usually in the feet (but sometimes in the hands).'
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is considered one of the treatments for PN based on available studies. Diabetes and PD are also noted for having lower B12 levels, so supplementing with a more bioavailable form of B12 is a good starting point.
https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2019/mount-sinai-study-suggests-vitamin-b12-may-be-potential-antidote-to-lrrk2associated-parkinsons-disease#
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
' Vitamin B12 deficiency in humans contributes to various neurological conditions, and low vitamin B12 levels have been described in patients with diabetes and PD. A recent study showed that low vitamin B12 predicts a worse outcome for people with diabetes and PD.'
Here is a "meta-analysis" reviewing multiple studies and showing B12 useful for PN and pain from PN.
Here is a relevant quote from the meta-analysis:
'The current meta-analysis found that vitamin B12 can improve neuropathic symptoms and reduce pain in patients with diabetic neuropathy.'
Vitamin B1 (as Benfotiamine)
Vitamin B1 is also known to be beneficial for fighting PN, especially in the form of Benfotiamine:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/benfotiamine
Here is a relevant quote from the overview :
' Studies have shown that benfotiamine improves neuropathy scores significantly, 301,302 increases nerve conduction velocity, 303-305, and reduces HbA1c and pain.'
Vitamin B6 (as P5P)
Next in line is Vitamin B6 for PN. However, B6 can be a double-edged sword when it comes to PN because while the right level of B6 can help fight PN, too much B6 can promote PN, and too little can also promote PN. The damage that too much B6 can cause is considered reversible in most cases but not in all cases. So it is vital to work with your doctor to ensure your B6 level is optimal.
https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-alerts/vitamin-b6-pyridoxine
A relevant quote :
'A known side effect of vitamin B6 is peripheral neuropathy, which has symptoms of tingling, burning, or numbness, usually in the hands or feet. It usually occurs at high doses or following long-term use of products containing vitamin B6. Peripheral neuropathy is not associated with normal dietary intake of vitamin B6.'
So the bottom line for people with PN is to ensure optimal B1 levels in the form of Benfotiamine, B6 in the form of P5P, and B12 levels.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
The next supplement worthy of consideration for PN is Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA). ALA has shown benefit in people with PN at 600 to 1200 mg /day doses. The following review gives some detail on ALA relative to PN :
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/alpha-lipoic-acid#
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
'Several studies suggest alpha-lipoic acid helps lower blood sugar levels. Its ability to kill free radicals may help people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy who have pain, burning, itching, tingling, and numbness in arms and legs from nerve damage. Researchers believe Alpha-lipoic acid helps improve insulin sensitivity.'
I think the last sentence from the above quote is especially important to people with Parkinson's Disease and diabetes because insulin resistance (IR) is considered a risk factor for PD and diabetes, and IR also causes more damage in people. In the following review, they discuss the significant adverse effects that IR can have on PD and diabetes:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6706784/
Here is an important quote from the review:
'Insulin resistance, one of the significant hallmarks of the etiology of T2D, has a detrimental influence on PD, negatively affecting PD phenotype, accelerating its progression, and worsening cognitive impairment.'
Melatonin
Another supplement for PN is Melatonin because it is well-noted for protecting the nerves, improving insulin resistance, increasing insulin sensitivity, reducing damaging oxidative stress, and reducing multiple inflammatory mediators and cytokines. It is also worth noting that people with diabetic PN were shown to be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and melatonin has shown the ability in studies to prevent and treat CVD, as I wrote about here:
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/melatonin-for-cardiovascular-disease.html
Below is a study that suggests that melatonin is helpful in nerve repair:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584922001691?via=ihub
Here is a relevant quote from the study:
'The current study's findings showed that melatonin was involved in the repair of peripheral nerves; thus, further analyses were performed to explore the mechanism underlying the role of melatonin in the repair of peripheral nerves. Analysis showed Parkin expression increased in PNI and TBHP-treated RSC96 cells (Fig. 1). Moreover, TBHP increased mitochondrial ROS production, mitochondrial damage, and apoptosis and inhibited autophagy flux in RSC96 cells (Fig. 2).'
Conclusion
So the above five supplements have shown benefit for fighting PN. While other supplements may be beneficial also, these are five readily available and very common ones, inexpensive, and have good safety profiles as well as studies and many anecdotal reports to support their use for PN.
The B1 as Benfotiamine, B6 as P5P, and B12 combo have been a mainstay against PN for many years, but doctors generally do not mention them to their patients. ALA /R-ALA is a more recent addition, but it has many anecdotal reports of benefits against PN.
Melatonin would be the newest of the bunch, but when you consider its multiple known methods of action, the question would be, why did it take so long to get recognition in nerve repair? It is worth noting that all of the above have shown benefit in fighting PN, but it is also worth mentioning that all of the above have shown varying degrees of health benefits in general!
For a disease that doctors seem to have limited options for treatment, the above five supplements are promising.
Lastly, these five supplements offer other important health benefits!
Art
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About The Author
Art Solbrig is a researcher who has been reading scientific studies and testing natural remedies for over 30 years, searching for useful studies and alternatives that apply positively to human health issues and natural treatments using minerals, vitamins, amino acids, essential oils, herbs, homeopathy, colloidal silver, combination treatments, and other alternatives to improve the quality of life of others by writing about his findings and test results in places like Earth Clinic. He documents and writes about many of his experiences in helping others. Art is a native of sunny California.
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