10 Things You (Probably) Do Not Know About Peripheral Neuropathy:

1. Approximately 50% of diabetics (as well as untold numbers of non-diabetics) will be diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. You're not alone in dealing with some form of peripheral neuropathy! Millions of people just like you deal with the discomfort and frustration of numbness, pain, tingling and loss of mobility and feeling in the lower extremities.

2. Neuropathy is treatable – through natural supplements, neuropathy vitamins, pharmaceutical neuropathy medication, and neuropathic pain treatment, neuropathy symptoms can be reduced or eliminated, and mobility and quality of life improved.

3. Neuropathy can be preventable – achieving and maintaining control of your blood sugar, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and intake of appropriate natural vitamins for neuropathy helps maintain or restore nerve function. Some diabetics will develop neuropathy even when their blood sugar is controlled. So take ALL of these steps to lessen the chance of developing neuropathy.

4. Prescription medications won't cure your neuropathy - they’re prescribed only to control the symptoms of neuropathy. Pharmaceuticals focus on pain management and don’t address the underlying causes of neuropathy. They do not support regeneration of nerve cells, tissues or function.

5. Metformin (one of the most commonly prescribed medications for diabetes), may actually increase your risk for developing neuropathy. Recent studies suggest it can lead directly to B12 deficiency, which can result in neuropathy.

6. Years of studies of high dose vitamin therapy for peripheral neuropathy have demonstrated success in the treatment of both the symptoms and cause of peripheral neuropathy. Natural remedies for neuropathy have been shown to be safe, effective and don’t produce significant side effects. You also don’t have to worry about drug interactions with most natural supplements (but always check with your doctor).

7. Peripheral neuropathy, including numbness, is the most reliable predictor of serious complications of diabetes, including limb loss. That’s why it’s so important to understand and manage your diabetes, take great care of your feet and to recognize the signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

8. Numbness may be the absence of pain, but it can be dangerous! Far from being a relief, it signifies your neuropathy has moved farther into the danger zone. Without adequate sensation, you may injure your foot without realizing it, which may lead to serious complications. Something as simple as a callus or an ingrown toenail, without the protective sensation of pain, may quickly progress without your knowing it.

9. Diabetics aren’t the only people who benefit from treatment of peripheral neuropathy. Although neuropathy is most common in diabetics, it may be present in many other conditions. Peripheral neuropathy from causes such as chemotherapy can be effectively lessened with the use of high dose neuropathy vitamin therapy to restore nerve function after treatment. (Always check with your doctor).

10. Your neuropathy won’t go away by itself. Your neuropathy symptoms and condition may worsen unless YOU take action and do something about it.

BONUS #11. Your doctor (probably) does not know this information either