It does not matter whether you want to call it diabetic neuropathy or idiopathic neuropathy, they both share the same cause. The term ‘idiopathic’ actually refers to conditions that have no known cause, a distinction that can be applied to many medical conditions. However, diabetes, in and of itself, does not cause diabetic neuropathy – rather it is associated with diabetes.
People with neuropathy in the feet usually complain of a burning or a tingling sensation, or severe pain when walking. Even though there are millions of people in this country that are afflicted with this, at present, there is no effective treatment. This is not surprising, because the approach to dealing with this condition is to utilize BandAids like Lyrica, rather than to treat the cause.
I suspect that the true cause of neuropathy in the feet has two components. I feel one of the causes is direct damage to nerves in the feet by insulin. This being the case, it is easy to understand where the term diabetic neuropathy comes from since type I diabetics are always treated with insulin, and type II diabetics commonly have too much insulin to begin with, and then are placed on drugs that raise insulin levels, and often wind up being treated with insulin.
The second component associated with neuropathy in the feet is related to impairment of the microcirculation. This would be a cause of indirect damage to the nerves due to a lack of blood supply.
Now let’s go one step further. Is there possibly an underlying condition that would give rise to both an increased supply of insulin, as well as a significant impairment of the microcirculation? And the answer, of course, is yes. In fact, I will go so far as to say it is the number one cause of neuropathy in the feet – whether it be called diabetic or idiopathic.
The underlying factor associated with this problem is the presence of excess adrenaline – a subject of many of my blogs. So how does this work? As most people are aware, adrenaline is the “fight-or-flight” hormone. In the old days, the only time the body released adrenaline was in times of danger. As soon as the danger passed, adrenaline levels would decrease. Nowadays, however, there are people that are releasing adrenaline all day long and they are not in danger. Instead, the body is releasing adrenaline simply to raise sugar levels for the brain, which uses more sugar than any other part of the body.
As a result of this rise in sugar levels, which can be going on during the day as well as through the night, the body can be continuously releasing insulin all day and night. This explains the first part of the cause – i.e. the direct damage by insulin to nerves in the feet. The second part can also be easily explained. Adrenaline, as part of the “fight-or-flight” response, cuts off circulation to areas of the body not needed for survival. When people have problems with cold hands or feet, it is always caused by adrenaline (and not an under active thyroid that many people feel is the cause). IBS is also caused by a cutoff of circulation to the intestines caused by adrenaline, resulting in impaired motility resulting in constipation, or diarrhea caused by the impaired release of digestive enzymes.
And so, this impairment of circulation in the feet leads to problems with the microcirculation to the nerves, again promoting a neuropathy in the feet. One can understand that my approach to treating neuropathy in the feet would involve the lowering of excess adrenaline. For those interested in this idea, I would recommend my book called “Adrenaline Dominance”, available on Amazon.com or my website: plattwellness.com
Part of the treatment involves the application of progesterone cream to the affected areas on the feet. The reason is that progesterone is the strongest stimulator to the production of myelin – the substance needed for nerves to communicate. It has to be a 50 mg (5%) strength, which is available on my website (Platt Pro5%). Other modalities that can be useful in the treatment of neuropathy include: ALA – about 1200 mg per day, curcumin, benfotiamine, and vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalmin (and all available on my website).
I have peripheral neuropathy in both my legs. Quite sever pain so I take a med called Gabapentin (1200 mg – 4 pills of 300 mg each — 600 mg in a am and 600 mg in the pm). I am not a diabetic but I still have this disease. Yuk!! I recently broke my left ankle in two places and am healing from that. My left leg now is particularly week due to inactivity , I suspect. I have been trying to do some exercises ut to no avail. I don’t want to take more of my meds (Gabapentin) as it makes my whole body unstable and I “tip over” easily. Not sure what to do at this point. Anyone have any suggestions??
Dear Lloyd,
As indicated in my article, I suspect that your body may be producing excess adrenaline. My approach to illness is to treat the underlying cause. You can read my book called “Adrenaline Dominance” which explains how to lower adrenaline.
You can call me and I can try and give you some direction: 760-836-3232.