Peripheripheral Neuropathy

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Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a condition that occurs when nerves outside the brain are damaged, making it difficult for them to send and receive messages to and from the brain. This can affect a person's ability to feel sensations or control movement. 

Symptoms ofperipheral neuropathy can include:

• Tingling or numbness

• Burning pain

• Paralysis

• Muscle weakness

• Cramps

• Muscle twitching

• Loss of muscle and bone

• Changes in skin, hair, or nails

• Loss of balance

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a number of conditions, including:

The following link is a 6:25 video that provides a comprehensive description of peripheral neuropathy. After watching, you can close the tab at the top of your page by clicking on the "X." Alternatively, YouTube offers related topics if you wish to continue learning; however, the options and order of these videos may change over time.

After clicking on the link below your video will begin. To enlarge its size to full screen simply click on the small box outline at the bottom right of the presentation. To pause the video, click once in the center of the screen until you see the pause symbol. Click one more time to resume. To change the size of the presentation to its original size, press the “Esc” key.

How Peripheral Neuropathy Affects the Body (Click to View. Click “X” at the top to exit.)

The image above perfectly illustrates the enervation of the lower leg and feet. Having had PN, I can tell you that the image above is almost an exact representation of the area of numbness that people affected by PN experience. The area in question can be defined as if you were wearing knee-socks. In fact, sometimes you have to look at your legs to make sure you’re not wearing them!

By coincidence, my BFF Annie, a beautiful 6 foot plus redhead who I met when she was 17 years old that lived with me for a time before her death, was afflicted by a rare autoimmune disease that left her completely without feeling below the knees on both her legs. At the time, my condition had not progressed to that level, but it certainly did color my life. Try to imagine that when I was in my 20s and 30s, I was a marathon-class runner having logged more than 35,000 miles. I can’t begin to tell you the psychological effect that PN had on me… I hated it.

Sadly, at that time, we were told by our doctors that the condition was incurable. Instead, Lyrica and gabapentin were prescribed by our respective doctors… They did nothing for either of us, so eventually we discontinued their use. In my case, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes which was the likely cause. Although well controlled, my PN progressed over 40 years. Finally, in the beginning of 2024 I decided not to accept my incurable diagnosis anymore and decided to find an effective treatment.

In the image above the nerve shown at the left is in its normal condition. The nerve shown on the right shows the deterioration of the myelin sheath that protects the nerve along its length. This deterioration results in a sort of short circuit which prevents sensory impulses at the extremities from traveling to the brain. When this happens a person experiences what is referred to in medical terms as paresthesia… In common terms, “pins and needles,” that in addition to sensory loss, can create phantom pain that sometimes is experienced as sharp and stabbing outbreaks. It is the same feeling you get when you sit on your knees or in one position for too long without moving. Fortunately, this discomfort diminishes after movement is restored.

In some instances, physical injury can occur to the nerve if the leg or arm is lacerated, or the tissue receives an intense blunt force trauma, as might occur in an automobile accident or sports injury. In this case, the Axon (long thin fibers that transmit electrical impulses from the cell body of a neuron to other neurons or tissues) or Dendrites (terminal extensions from the nerve “soma” that receives impulses from other neurons at the Synapse) are damaged.

When any of the components of the nerve cell are damaged or missing, there is an interruption in the transmission of the impulse. These interruptions can occur anywhere between the distal (far end) process of the nerve, or anywhere along its path as it returns to the brain. In the case of true peripheral neuropathy there is often a prolonged segment of the cell that is damaged. At one time it was believed that nerve cells did not/could not regenerate themselves. However, recent studies show that they are indeed capable of regeneration with the assistance of the appropriate curative factors.

Generally, the first step to restoring normal nerve function is trying to limit bad habits. Apart from improving diet, it is important to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. Smoking has a negative effect on nerve regrowth having nothing to do with its respiratory effects. In terms of diet, the most important area to concentrate on are the amounts and types of fat in the diet. All nervous tissue including the spinal cord and brain are made up primarily of fatty acids. Therefore, you want to concentrate on consuming high quality natural fats that are incorporated into the nerves and brain.

You are probably not ready for what I’m about to tell you, because undoubtedly you have been told that fats are bad for you… Especially saturated fats. For the most part, this information is completely untrue. I will try to explain this to you in a nonscientific way so that it makes logical sense. I need to start by telling you that nearly the entire world has been brainwashed into believing that saturated fats are responsible for heart attacks and clogged arteries. This is simply not the case! Unfortunately, even after this was disproven, people continue to believe this. It is a human trait that when we are told something is “bad” we remember that, even if we are later told that is not. Plus that, as humans we have an aversion to the word FAT, because we associate the unattractive appearance of things or people we consider fat.

If you want a villain, I’ll give you one… Here it is: TRANS FATS!!! These are man-made poison! Please allow me to explain… Trans fats are a human creation… They rarely exist in nature. Instead, they were created by science to replace saturated fats such as butter, which incidentally is now considered to be one of the most beneficial natural saturated fats on the planet by leading scientists…and it is delicious as well.

In the 1950s our government was concerned about the alarmingly high incidence of heart disease resulting in fatal heart attacks. Mistakenly, researchers at the time blamed ALL saturated fats, and as a result, tried to change our eating habits. They started on the dinner table. Of course, the most logical target was good old butter that had been in our diet since humans began milking cows. Instead of using dairy they selected seed oil, mistakenly referred to as vegetable oil because it was unsaturated, abundant, and inexpensive.

There was only one problem… Unsaturated seed oils, such as corn oil or canola oil are liquid at room temperature, meaning that they can hardly be used as a substitute for butter.  Can you imagine dipping your knife into a bowl of oil and then spreading that across your hot dinner roll? So, the clever scientists at the time, came up with a new method whereby they heated the oil to about 400°F, and then began bubbling gaseous hydrogen through the hot oil… This process, now called “hydrogenation”, changed the unsaturated liquid oil to saturated fat which remains solid at room temperature… And thus, “olio margarine” was born…. Yummy!

Aside from the taste, there was one major problem… The unsaturated oil that was used in the beginning became a saturated TRANS FAT (those little white blobs). What does this mean? Unfortunately, I can’t show you pictures of the trans-fat molecule, but I can describe the problem in words.  Margarine has pretty much the same chemical makeup as the oil that it was made from, but when viewed under an electron microscope, the hydrogenated “TRANS” form is shaped like a brick … So, where’s the problem there? Well, the problem is that the molecule has the wrong shape. Instead of being shaped like a horseshoe like the natural form of the oil, which is referred to as the “CIS” form.

Here’s the issue…the body thinks it recognizes the trans-molecule as something natural, so it goes right ahead and uses this fat to build mitochondria, the intracellular component responsible for producing ALL of our energy in the form of ATP as well as other organelles. Our poor nuclear DNA (intra-cellular “construction workers”), not knowing any better, use the wrong building materials to make the most important component of our cells… Can you guess the rest? NOT GOOD.

Here’s one more important thing…the significance of the word “saturated” …we tend to think of that as a bad thing…like too much of something. Not true! This is a biochemical term meaning the molecule has no more room for other atoms that could change its properties. Therefore, it is more stable and predictable…a good thing. When the fat is unsaturated, it becomes vulnerable, primarily to oxidation, which leads to rancidity, and can lead to the formation of “Reactive Oxygen Species” referred to as ROS. Antioxidants are then required to neutralize these destructive elements.

The following video is generally correct, however not quite up to date with respect to which fats are beneficial…it takes a LONG time for the truth to come out. However, it is mostly correct, and that’s why I have included it.

Unsaturated vs Saturated vs Trans Fats, Animation (click to View)

Even though the bad things mentioned above are true, it has taken years to get rid of these trans fats because they have two main advantages… They are cheaper, and when used to make baked goods such as cakes cookies and pies, microwave popcorn, and frozen pizza, they can stay on the shelf much longer without becoming rancid. Ironically, a diet laden with trans fats increases the risk of heart disease, the leading killer of adults. The more trans fats eaten, the greater the risk of heart and blood vessel disease… Remember, preventing cardiovascular disease was the reason that trans fats were created in the first place!

One lesson this story teaches us is that the exact form of a supplement or vitamin used for a specific purpose is critically important if you hope to obtain optimal results. At this time, I would like to mention that when using supplements that support nerve growth and function such as alpha lipoic acid (ALA) to build nerves it is important to choose the “R” form, not the cheaper “S” form. If no letter appears on the label, it is the “S” form. When selecting B vitamins, which are very important for the peripheral nerves and brain, you must select fat-soluble vitamins such as benfotiamine instead of water-soluble thiamine that has little if any effect on nervous tissue. Both are called vitamin B1. Do I need to tell you which one is cheaper? This is how it always works. We shop “price” when we are unaware of the qualitative differences. I will provide a complete list of all recommended vitamins and supplements that will be sent to my premium subscribers… Remember to pay close attention.

As with most chronic, age-related neurological conditions, current thinking suggests that some form of modified ketogenic diet is preferred. In the case of peripheral neuropathy, adding a bit more protein is recommended. This is because the dominant causative factor for all these major diseases is Insulin Resistance (IR) which results in high levels of blood glucose and insulin which the ketogenic diet reduces. In conjunction with this phenomenon, IR results in malnutrition, starvation, and low energy in the various tissues in the body, particularly the brain.

This is because, as suggested above in older individuals, especially those with IR, there is insufficient glucose within the brain to provide the necessary ATP for optimal cognition. However, uptake and metabolism of ketones is not a problem, in fact, the brain prefers this energy source to glucose and ketones do not require insulin to enter the brain.

The same is true for peripheral nerves, ketones improve available energy in the soma, thus increasing the speed of transmission. As the name suggests, this diet, high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates produces ketones in abundance. To boost ketones even higher, it is recommended to ingest additional MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides), and/or coconut oil. These are readily available on Amazon and can be mixed or drizzled onto vegetables. In addition to producing ketones, these natural oils provide the substrate that nervous tissue is built from. Thus, the body has more resources that can be utilized to regenerate peripheral nerves and improve performance of the brain.

Arugula boosts NITRIC OXIDE levels higher than other foods…

It is at this point that I believe peptides can also be used to stimulate nerve growth. In general, there are three types of peptides that have demonstrated the ability to improve nerve regeneration. First, peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500 aid in healing. One of the primary actions of these peptides is angiogenesis, or the creation of new capillaries that supply the tissue with blood and oxygen. The second group are those peptides that directly stimulate the repair of the nervous tissue most peripherally and within the brain such as Semax and ARA-290. Last, but not least are peptides that stimulate the production of human growth hormones such as CJC-1295 and ipamorelin by the pituitary, which has the effect of stimulating new growth of all bodily tissues. I will include more detail for paid subscribers.

Then, just like charging a car with a dead battery, exogenous ketones (made outside the body) supplied in the form of ketone esters or salts, can be used to jump-start the body into “ketosis” which instantly lowers insulin resistance. The other advantage of using exogenous ketones relates more to a human issue than a scientific fact. In simple terms, dieting is difficult because it alters routine eating habits. This is regardless of how desirable the included food is… It is just different. Adding exogenous ketones eases this transition and as an added benefit, tends to improve cognition. One more thing that may improve nerve function is the addition of selenium supplementation.

Near Red Light Therapy

For the best results, Red/Near-Red Light Therapy is essential to regenerate nerves as fast as possible by stimulating mitochondria. A word of warning…the best units for this purpose are not cheap. If you find a device that claims to work perfectly and is inexpensive…be careful (unless used). The best place to start is here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+light+therapy+for+neuropathy+

Then type: “red light therapy for neuropathy”

If you trust me, I can save you a lot of time. I’m going to recommend the same company and model that I use, and I will provide you with a small discount to save you some money… Most importantly, I know it works!  

If you don’t like this approach to research, use this link:

Choose the light that is Right for You (Cick Here)

This Australian podcaster has more videos and reviews than anyone else… He has seen them all.

For my purpose to treat neuropathy of the hands and feet I have chosen the PlatinumLED BIOMax 300. This is one of the smallest/least expensive multi-wavelength units available. It is American-made, and ships free of charge. You might wish to order a custom stand to make treatment more convenient.  Other features include:

• Remote control, plus a smartphone app that controls duration, intensity, and light mix

• 7-band R+/NIR+ spectral output

• Certified medical grade

• Zero EMF

• FDA class II medical device

• Three-year warranty

• HSA/FSA payment accepted

• 0% financing available

Platinum Therapy Lights (click here)

Referral Link: (5% off) (click here)

Until next time, take care and stay positive… Dr. G