“Neuropathy” is a term you may already be familiar with if you or a loved one is living with diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy, otherwise known as “peripheral neuropathy,” is a common complication that damages nerves throughout the body.
As the name suggests, peripheral neuropathy affects the peripheral limbs, including hands, feet, and legs, and can develop in people who are diabetic and insulin resistant. Insulin resistance, commonly seen in diabetes, is the main contributing factor to the development and progression of peripheral neuropathy.
A range of symptoms can result from insulin resistance neuropathy, including numbness, tingling, sharp pains, or muscle weakness.
In this article, we delve into the complexities of peripheral neuropathy and its intricate relationship with insulin resistance. We will shed light on how these two conditions affect nerve function and discuss the frustrating symptoms that occur as a result.
We also explore the role inflammation plays in the development of insulin resistance and peripheral neuropathy.
Lastly, we will provide you with valuable insights into why early detection and appropriate treatment is pivotal to avoiding complications associated with neuropathy.
Living with peripheral neuropathy as a result of diabetes can be challenging, but the good news is that there are effective pain management solutions available. Relatyv provides breakthrough therapies that address the painful symptoms of peripheral neuropathy as a result of insulin resistance at the root cause.
We hope to provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to take proactive steps in managing these conditions, minimize their impact on your quality of life, and enhance your overall well-being.
Now, let’s delve into the intricate relationship between insulin resistance and peripheral neuropathy and discover the impact they have on nerve function.
Insulin Resistance And Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetes and Insulin Resistance is seen as one of the most prevalent health concerns in the United States and the world. While some would traditionally view the American diet as the main contributor to the increase in diabetic patients, several countries worldwide are experiencing an uptick in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
A recent study from 2020 found that diabetes had a “. . . global prevalence in adults in 2017 being 8.8% of the world population, with the anticipation of a further increase to 9.9% by 2045” (Standl 2020).
Type 2 diabetes is most commonly diagnosed and monitored by using a combination of diagnostic tools, which include the measurement of blood sugar levels, hemoglobin A1c, and insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas, and it plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s sugar levels by lowering blood glucose.
Insulin resistance can have a significant impact on nerve function throughout the body. This is because insulin is responsible for helping the body’s cells convert glucose into energy. So how does insulin resistance develop?
The Development Of Peripheral Neuropathy
When blood sugar rises after a meal, insulin stimulates cells to uptake glucose and decrease or keep blood sugar in check and balance. As the body takes in more sugar, more insulin is required. Over time the cells are overstimulated with insulin and become insulin resistant, creating insulin resistance.
If the body takes in its maximum sugar intake, there will not be enough insulin to decrease or balance the blood sugar in your body. Eventually, the body becomes unaffected by the level of insulin that has been injected or naturally produced.
If blood sugar levels are not controlled or lowered, the body continues to experience these complications associated with diabetes. These complications are often linked to the underlying insulin resistance, causing the patient to now have both diabetes and insulin resistance.
The pathogenesis (or development) of peripheral neuropathy is directly tied to our body’s ability to process and maintain blood sugar and its insulin resistance level. Although the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes, patients without diabetes may experience symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
These symptoms are primarily due to medications being taken for other conditions, nerve injury from an injury or accident, or infections of various sorts. Regardless of the cause of a patient’s peripheral neuropathy, there are several treatments to address its frustrating symptoms and complications.
Symptoms Of Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy
Patients with type 2 diabetes can suffer from significant complications that include high rates of sickness, infections, poor healing, and even a decreased life expectancy. With the increase in people suffering from this disease, both doctors and patients are searching for more effective treatment solutions.
Peripheral neuropathy is commonly identified as pain, burning sensations, or loss of feeling in the extremities. Since our nervous system stems from our brains and out to the edges of our fingers and toes, the most common signs of peripheral neuropathy occur at the ends or periphery of our bodies.
Patients who suffer from peripheral neuropathy often have trouble sleeping and experience frustration and confusion with the loss of sensation or pain that they experience. Since most patients experience peripheral neuropathy in their toes and feet, losing balance is a common symptom that can be especially dangerous for the elderly.
Many patients also experience difficulty standing from a low-seated position or getting out of bed in the morning. While some patients experience minor symptoms such as a lack of coordination or weakness, others experience debilitating cramps and spasms.
The uncomfortable and elusive symptoms of peripheral neuropathy often cause hopelessness in patients who may not understand how or why it relates to their diabetes and insulin resistance. Knowing what is happening to your body and its primary causes is the first step in seeking and understanding effective treatment.
This leads us to explore how inflammation can impact peripheral neuropathy and how understanding their intricate relationship can help us gain more insight into how neuropathy occurs.
Role Of Inflammation In Neuropathy And Insulin Resistance
Inflammation plays a significant role in the development and progression of insulin resistance and neuropathy. In a healthy person, inflammation is a beneficial response the body activates when an injury or infection is detected and heals damaged tissues. However, chronic inflammation in a person with diabetes can cause detrimental effects.
So how does this relate to neuropathy? To put things simply, when insulin resistance occurs, our body can no longer effectively process glucose, leading to elevated levels in the bloodstream.
Having chronically high blood glucose puts stress on the whole body but will put significant strain on the pancreas. This is because high blood glucose triggers the pancreas to activate and release inflammatory proteins (cytokines) in the body.
Experiencing elevated levels of both inflammation and glucose in the bloodstream can cause certain immune cells (TNF-a) from our bone marrow to become overly active, where they mistakenly attack the protective layers of our nerves.
As a result, the nerves become damaged, which triggers even more inflammation, leading to further nerve damage. Over time, this ongoing nerve damage causes the symptoms of numbness, tingling, sharp pains, or muscle weakness in our peripheral limbs.
For people with diabetes and insulin resistance, managing how much inflammation the body is exposed to will be crucial for preventing and controlling neuropathy. Some strategies that can help reduce inflammation throughout the body include
- Managing Blood Glucose Levels
Firstly, keeping your blood glucose levels within the safe and recommended range, as advised by your healthcare provider, is a fundamental element in managing inflammation to prevent or slow the progression of neuropathy.
By keeping your blood glucose levels under control and avoiding large swings too high or too low, you can minimize the stress on your body and reduce the overall level of inflammation.
This involves precisely following and adhering to your stipulated diabetic management plan, including regular blood sugar monitoring, diet control, and taking prescribed medications.
- A Nutritious Diet
Maintaining a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats can help to reduce the inflammation in the body. You may also like to add foods such as turmeric, ginger, fatty fish, and dark leafy greens, which have been shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
- Regular Exercise
Regular physical activity not only helps to reduce inflammation, but it can also lead to sustaining a healthy weight. Both exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are great strategies to help reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.
A range of aerobic and resistance exercises such as cycling, walking, lifting weights, or pilates is optimal for overall health. Remember to always consult your healthcare provider before adopting a new exercise program.
- Stress Management
Chronic stress has been linked to increased levels of inflammation in the body. Finding and adopting healthy ways to manage stress can help. It is important you find a technique that best serves you, this could be meditation or deep breathing, yoga, or simply regularly engaging in activities that bring your mind calm and joy.
- Medications and Supplements
In some cases, your healthcare provider may prescribe specific medications or supplements that manage inflammation associated with insulin resistance and neuropathy. It is important that all the healthcare professionals you consult are aware of what medications you are taking and if there are any changes.
Now that we have an understanding of the complicated relationship between inflammation and insulin resistance and how it leads to peripheral neuropathy, we can start to explore the pathophysiological processes of why insulin resistance causes neuropathy.
Why Does Insulin Resistance Cause Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetics are likely to experience frustration when faced with the effects of peripheral neuropathy and be confused as to how it occurs. So let us explain how and why exactly peripheral neuropathy occurs in patients who suffer from insulin resistance as well as diabetes.
Think of your body’s blood vessels as a river and picture the body’s insulin levels as a dam built to prevent waves of sugar from damaging the body. If the body experiences a higher sugar intake, insulin must be used to build the dam higher.
Over time, the blood sugar level may decrease, and the insulin may be lowered to match it. However, if the body cannot handle a high sugar level in the blood, the sugar will spill over the dam of insulin and flood the body’s normally functioning systems with damaging complications.
Physicians Liumeng Jian and Guangda Yang confirmed in a recent study in 2020 that “Diabetes-related metabolic factors such as increased glucose, decreased insulin, and increased lipids produce changes underlying the development of diabetic neuropathy. Injury to neurons, microvascular endothelium, and Schwann cells in DM contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropathy” (2020).
These changes associated with diabetes and insulin resistance damage patients’ peripheral nerves, the cells responsible for communicating sensory experiences from the extremities to the brain. The damage inflicted on neurons can account for patients losing feeling in their toes, feet, and sometimes fingers or hands.
Doctors will often check for signs of peripheral neuropathy by running a soft tool over the surface of the patient’s toes and feet. The doctor may then test for the neuron responses to sharp pain from a needle prick and the differences between heat and cold.
If patients experience little to no sensation from these methods, the doctor may diagnose the patient with peripheral neuropathy.
Some of the other changes mentioned by Jian and Yang include damage to microvascular endothelium (our small blood vessels that run along our bodies next to our peripheral nerve system) and damage to Schwann cells.
Schwann cells function much like the body’s neurons but have the specific function of maintaining and regenerating peripheral nerves.
Without neurons that communicate sensations to our nervous system, microvascular endothelium that supplies blood to our peripheral nerve system, and Schwann cells that maintain peripheral nerves, we will experience the contributing pain, numbness, and burning sensations associated with peripheral neuropathy.
What Can I Do About It?
Once the leading causes of peripheral neuropathy and its relation to insulin resistance have been explored by and explained to patients, many will seek treatments that suit their needs and comfort level.
Why It Helps To See A Physician
Consultation with an actual medical physician and a confirmed peripheral neuropathy diagnosis should be sought before patients seek treatment. Patients should not rely on diagnosing peripheral neuropathy from non-physicians or any other type of healthcare worker who may claim to be able to diagnose peripheral neuropathy.
Physicians tasked with diagnosing a patient’s peripheral neuropathy will conduct motor, reflex, and sensation examinations, blood chemistries, and several other possible diagnostic tests to determine a positive confirmation diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy.
Importance Of Early Detection And Treatment
Recognizing the early signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy is vital in preventing its progression, optimizing treatment outcomes, and reducing the risk of devastating complications.
Attending regular checkups will facilitate early detection and prompt intervention, which allows for the implementation of an effective treatment plan. This way, targeted strategies can be tailored to your individual needs in a timely manner, giving you more control to tailor lifestyle modifications and access specialized care.
This way, a treatment plan that manages blood sugar levels, reduces inflammation, and protects nerve health can be implemented that best suits you and your lifestyle.
Possible Treatment Options
Once a confirmed diagnosis has been reached, patients are often presented with various treatment options. However, according to Maher R Khdour in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, published in February 2020, “ . . . peripheral neuropathy is often inadequately treated”.
Khdour also raises the concern that “. . . neuropathy is a highly prevalent, disabling condition, the management of which is associated with significant costs”.
While physicians like Khdour push these issues of peripheral neuropathy treatment to the forefront, patients may wonder if there is a simple and affordable solution to their chronic pain. Patients may also wonder what steps they can take to manage the complications associated with peripheral neuropathy.
Khdour continues to list some of these treatments, including “the use of specific anticonvulsants and antidepressants for pain management in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy” (2020).
Some patients may also choose to undergo expensive surgery to address the pain. Other, simpler solutions include using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain-relievers, NSAIDs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, or soaking the affected areas in cold water for a short time.
However, real and effective peripheral neuropathy solutions may be simple and lasting.
Potential Complications Of Neuropathy
If peripheral neuropathy is left untreated and unmanaged, it can lead to various complications that have the ability to significantly impact your quality of life.
By being aware of these potential complications, we are better equipped to take preventative measures and seek timely treatment.
Here are some of the more common complications associated with peripheral neuropathy:
Foot Ulcers
The nerve damage that peripheral neuropathy inflicts can cause an impaired sensation in the feet, making it difficult to detect pressure or wounds. This can lead to cuts, blisters, and pressure sores being unnoticed and developing into nasty foot ulcers.
Foot ulcers are often slow to heal and likely to become infected, which can pose a number of serious complications, including severe cases where amputation may be the only adequate treatment.
Inspecting your feet regularly, maintaining proper foot care, wearing appropriate footwear, and seeking timely medical attention for any wounds or abnormalities are essential to prevent and managing foot ulcers.
Infections
Experiencing increased inflammation due to peripheral neuropathy can impair the immune system and its response to infection. This, paired with a decreased level of sensation, can cause minor cuts, wounds, or infections to go unnoticed and lead to rapidly progressing skin infections, cellulitis, or even bone infections (osteomyelitis).
It is pivotal to seek medical attention for any signs of infection, such as localized warmth, redness, swelling, or increased pain. Accessing treatment, adequate wound care, and practicing good hygiene are all important to help prevent and manage infections associated with peripheral neuropathy.
Muscle Weakness
Neuropathy can also have an impact on the nerves responsible for muscle movement. People with advanced peripheral neuropathy can experience weaknesses and problems with balance making it difficult to perform daily activities.
This can lead to an increased risk of falls and injuries. By having a regular exercise and physical therapy routine, you can help improve and maintain muscle strength to mitigate the impact of muscle weakness caused by neuropathy.
Psychological Impact Of Peripheral Neuropathy And Insulin Resistance
We have explored in depth how diabetic neuropathy and insulin resistance has an effect on our physical health, but it can also have a huge impact on our psychological and emotional well-being. Living with chronic pain, physical limitations, and maintaining daily treatments can lead to stress, anxiety, frustration, and even depression.
Having a range of effective coping strategies you can turn to is valuable in managing the psychological impact of these conditions. By sharing your thoughts with your healthcare provider, they can lead you toward local resources that may benefit you, such as support groups and counseling services.
You may also wish to explore your own management strategies, such as talking with friends and family, regular journaling or meditation practices, or regularly engaging in activities that boost your mood.
However, likely the most effective way to remove both the physical and psychological stressors diabetic neuropathy causes is to find therapies that have instant and long-lasting results. Let’s now explore some of the breakthrough solutions available for chronic pain management.
Lasting Solutions With Relatyv
Relatyv is the nation’s most advanced treatment program for pain associated with peripheral neuropathy.
Through the unique Neurofunctional Pain Management protocol, we provide alternative solutions for peripheral neuropathy pain and various chronic pain conditions. These solutions are non-invasive, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical, and non-chiropractic, offering a holistic approach to pain management.
Hundreds of patients have experienced relief from the pains and irritations of peripheral neuropathy through this Neurofunctional Pain Management treatment protocol. Patients who may have been wary of taking medication or undergoing expensive surgery to alleviate their symptoms can relieve pain, restore health, and magnify their quality of life with the Relatyv treatment program.
Many patients experience immediate relief and regain function in their extremities after only a few sessions. Neurofunctional Pain Management is a proprietary treatment protocol that uses a combination of enriched hydration therapy and high-pulse electrical stimulation to deliver analgesic effects to the pain neurons that report pain back to the brain.
The combination of enriched hydration therapy and electrical stimulation creates a lasting effect of pain relief that may last for months and months after the treatment program has concluded.
This proprietary Neurofunctional Pain Management protocol is not only used to treat the painful symptoms of peripheral neuropathy but other chronic pain conditions such as chronic joint pain, back pain, knee pain, fibromyalgia, migraines and chronic headaches, plantar fasciitis pain, pain stemming from injuries or accidents or chronic post-surgery pain.
Neurofunctional Pain Management treatment protocols often result in immediate and long-lasting solutions to the conditions of peripheral neuropathy pain and other chronic pains.
Patients express relief from the pain but also the peace of mind that they do not need to rely on pharmaceuticals, surgery, invasive procedures, or endless visits to a chiropractor to find relief from their chronic pain condition.
Choose Root-Focused Treatment Options
When it comes to managing the painful symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and insulin resistance, prioritizing treatment therapies that are root-focused is essential for long-term relief. Relatyv offers expert advice, protocols, and resources to address the underlying causes and provide long-term relief from chronic pain.
When you choose Relatyv for your pain management needs, you can access a comprehensive plan that aims to deliver the best possible results. By addressing chronic pain associated with insulin resistance and peripheral neuropathy, Relatyv helps you minimize the profound impact these conditions can have on your daily life.
Exploring the non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical treatments we offer could be the treatment you have been looking for to gain control over your chronic pain and improve your quality of life and overall health, and well-being.
