Neuropathy literally means diseased nerves. There are a number of different reasons why people develop neuropathy. Neuropathy is quite commonly associated with diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, nerve inflammation, and toxins that poison the nerves. We have discussed many of the conditions that cause nerve disease in patients in other articles. Patients suffering from the signs and symptoms of neuropathy experience pain, burning, numbness, and other strange sensations known as paresthesias, which usually start in the feet and spread to the rest of the body. Regardless of the cause of the neuropathy, the pain and other symptoms can be debilitating and incapacitating.

The nervous system in higher animals like humans is a highly complex collection of specialized cells known as neurons. Neurons have several unique features, including a wire-like extension known as an axon. The axon works much like an electrical wire, carrying coded electrical signals known as nerve impulses throughout the body. Just like a copper wire, the nerve axon has an insulation known as myelin. Unlike a copper wire, a nerve cell and its wire-like axon are living tissue. The neuron contains all of the cellular machinery necessary to produce energy, sustain itself, and generate energy to support its function of sending and receiving electrical signals. Blüten kaufen Each neuron is an electrochemical marvel and essentially a living battery. This amazing communication network occurs at the microscopic level and consumes incredible amounts of energy to function properly.

The myelin insulation that surrounds the nerve axon is also a living tissue, and the nerve cell and its myelin cell partners are closely arranged to sustain and support each other.

The nervous system typically does a remarkable job of sending and receiving information from different parts of the body, acting both as a sensory system to monitor what’s going on in the body and as an effector system, driving necessary changes in the body based on the input from the sensors.

Because of its complexity, the nervous system and its supporting myelin cells are vulnerable to the slightest perturbation of metabolism. The axons are like a microscopic spider web, yet they travel great distances in the body. They can be very easily dysregulated by trauma or compression.

Think of the nervous system as a living, sensitive, and vulnerable communications network that requires inordinate amounts of energy to function and maintain properly. It’s no wonder the nervous system is susceptible to injury, disease, metabolic abnormalities, immune problems, and many other ailments that can make it ill and fail.

Peripheral nervous system dysfunction is common, and when this occurs, people develop the cardinal symptoms of polyneuropathy.

Despite the fact that polyneuropathy is one of the most common peripheral nervous system disorders, there are few FDA-approved drugs to treat it. Many patients who try traditional prescription medications to relieve their neuropathy symptoms are disappointed with the results.

Too often, newer drugs in the research pipeline appear promising, but fail because of undesirable side effects. Research and data from failed drug development experiments can sometimes be applied to herbal medicine, where natural substances work in ways similar to artificial chemicals, but with less severe side effects. The scientific study of natural substances that can mimic man-made drugs is called pharmacognosy . When this knowledge is applied to the nervous system, we call it neuropharmacognosy . This can be translated as the theory of the pharmacology of natural substances that can influence the functioning of the nervous system. There are a number of natural substances that can mimic the pharmacology of drugs used to treat neuropathy. We’ve discussed them in other articles, but we’ll go through them together here.

Based on experimental data on nerve function and disease, a number of broad classes of chemicals have theoretical utility in alleviating symptoms of neuropathy.

When nerves get sick, it appears that increasing a chemical known as GABA can calm irritated and inflamed nerves and provide relief for people struggling with the symptoms of neuropathy. You can think of GABA as a brake pedal, slowing down the symptoms of neuropathy. There is research to suggest that the herbs valerian root and lemon balm may increase GABA, which applies the body’s natural brakes on nerve pain. Valerian root can block an enzyme known as GABA-T, which breaks down and neutralizes GABA in the nervous system. By blocking the breakdown of GABA, valerian root can prolong the braking effect of GABA on the nerve and slow down the symptoms of neuropathy. Lemon balm appears to enhance the effects of GABA in a slightly different way. Rather than blocking the breakdown of GABA, lemon balm can stimulate an enzyme called GAD, which is responsible for building GABA. The braking effect of GABA on the diseased nerve is thus supported by the increased production of this neurotransmitter

If GABA acts like the body’s brakes on an out-of-control nervous system, glutamate is the nerve’s accelerator. Studies suggest that injured nerves become hypersensitive because glutamate is released after the nervous system is irritated. This has the effect of sensitizing the nerve and contributing to the signs and symptoms of neuropathy. There are two potentially important herbs that can block the effects of glutamate on the nervous system in neuropathy. The first is theanine , a protein derived from green tea. Theanine is believed to act as a glutamate analogue. This means that theanine is processed by the body like glutamate, but lacks the nerve-stimulating effects of glutamate. Think of theanine as an empty sphere that has the net effect of reducing the effects of glutamate. The other herb that can reduce the excitatory effects of glutamate is magnolia bark. Magnolia bark is believed to bind to and block a specific glutamate receptor. This suggests that magnolia bark is a specific antagonist of glutamate and may be a more specific way to take your foot off the accelerator in nerves damaged by neuropathy.

Consistent with our auto-analogy, if GABA is the nerve brake in neuropathy and glutamate acts like the gas pedal, a third chemical known as glycine could be considered the transmission. Glycine slows down the nervous system. Remember to put the nerve in low gear. Glycine downshifts the nerve directly in neuropathy, thus slowing and inhibiting the painful transmission of nerve signals, but it can also compete indirectly with glutamate. The mechanism by which glycine might provide relief to patients suffering from neuropathy is a little less straightforward. If a patient took a large dose of glycine, the nerves would slow down. However, this effect would not last long, since glycine is transported away from the nerve in the nervous system by a so-called glycine transporter. The glycine transporter has the net effect of getting rid of glycine, which effectively gets the nervous system back into high gear. This glycine transporter system is so effective that it makes glycine impractical as a treatment for neuropathy. Because of the glycine transporter, the nerve simply cannot keep enough glycine in the nerve to meaningfully slow down the function of a hypersensitive nerve. However, there are substances that can inhibit the glycine transporter , and this appears to be a promising avenue to improve the suppression of nerve hyperexcitability as seen in neuropathy. The herb prickly ash bark appears to be a major glycine transporter inhibitor. Prickly Ash has long been used to relieve pain. Likewise, the naturally occurring compound sarcosine is a known inhibitor of the glycine transporter. Both of these naturally occurring substances appear to be candidates for relieving the signs and symptoms of neuropathy.

Another avenue that can be used to alleviate neuropathy is through the endogenous cannabinoid receptor system. This system is activated by marijuana and is thought to suppress pain at the higher levels of the nervous system. The receptors of the endogenous cannabinoid system can be activated by certain breakdown products of fatty acids in the nervous system for pain relief without inducing the “high” and side effects associated with marijuana drug use . Substances that block the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase, or FAAH, appear to activate the endogenous cannabinoid system and are currently being studied for the treatment of neuropathic pain. There appear to be naturally occurring FAAH inhibitors in red clover and the herb MACA. This suggests that through their potential to modulate the activity of the enzyme FAAH, these herbs may be able to activate the endogenous cannabinoid system and relieve neuropathic pain.

Finally, with particular reference to the neuropathy associated with diabetes, the protein kinase – C or PKC enzyme and its relationship to T-type calcium channels may be therapeutic targets. It appears that elevated blood sugar unregulates PKC in diabetic nerves. PKC appears to drive specific calcium channels in diabetic nerves known as T-type calcium channels. These changes are thought to drive hypersensitivity and excitability, at least in nerves affected by diabetic neuropathy.

chelidonium Majus is an herbal remedy that can modulate PKC. The alkaloid chelerythrine found in this herb is a potent protein kinase C antagonist. This suggests a potential benefit of this herb in polyneuropathy . While it is generally safe, some reports of liver toxicity have been linked to chelidonium Majus appear in the medical literature.

Picrorhiza Kurroa is an herb that contains phytochemicals apocynin . At least one study suggests that apocynin prevents or significantly reduces the upregulation of Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 T-type calcium channels. This suggests that Picrorhiza Kurroa may be able to downregulate the overexpression of Cav3.2 T-type calcium channels, which are thought to contribute to nerve hyperexcitability seen in diabetic neuropathy.

A final note and warning about using internet information to treat a medical problem. Do not do it! The use of this article is intended solely for patients to discuss the information contained with their licensed healthcare provider. While herbal treatments are generally safe, they can have unwanted or unpredictable side effects. Only a licensed physician who is familiar with your specific medical condition can diagnose you with certainty and advise you on the treatment of your particular condition. Always consult and inform your doctor before adding or changing your treatment regimen.

dr Kukurin is a board certified chiropractic neurologist with a certification in acupuncture. He has over 25 years of experience treating neurological disorders using alternative medicine techniques. He has presented the results of his methods at conferences in Johns Hopkins. His patients’ findings have been published in journals listed in the National Library of Medicine. dr Kukurin has postgraduate medical training from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and the Russian People’s Friendship Medical School. dr Kukurin completed a nine-month postgraduate course in Advanced Practice at the National University of Health Sciences. The course covered the pharmacology of commonly prescribed drugs, pharmacognosy, which is the study of the pharmacology of natural substances, herbal medicine and toxicology. For more information about the conditions he treats, these treatments , and the results his patients have achieved, visit his website.