Is There A Connection Between Gluten And Neuropathy

Today's post from neuropathydr.com (see link below) discusses the much debated link between neuropathy and gluten intake. It's becoming more and more evident that people with neuropathy who give up or reduce gluten in their diets, find that there is a resulting improvement in their symptoms. That of course, says very little until there is very strong scientific evidence to back up the link. It may be worth doing your own research to build up enough information to make an educated decision about gluten in your own situation. One thing is certain, giving up gluten is no easy task. It's such an integral part of our diet, many people find the alternatives both boring and difficult to maintain. However, if it means that your neuropathic symptoms improve...

Gluten Neuropathy? Are They Connected? 
Posted by Dr John Hayes jr on May 15, 2014

All of us can remember at some point in time, walking into a bakery or kitchen where fresh breads and pastries were being made.

The aroma can be overwhelming and draws us like magnets.

Now once upon a time most especially when human beings were externally physically active, bread was in fact the staff of life. There was no problem consuming massive amounts of carbohydrates as long as it was consumed during physical activity.

Well Flash Forward 300 years and the situation is now, entirely different. Not only are we less active but grains are often heavily processed, grown on nutrient deficient soils, or perhaps even GMO.

Breads and pastries are also sources of extremely high carbohydrate levels. In fact a sandwich can have 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrates!

And this has had an effect on neuropathy and our health in general.

With neuropathy however the stakes are higher. Gluten can and does cause celiac disease.

Sometimes in celiac disease, the only presentation is a gluten neuropathy.

Most of the time however, it’s a simple fact that gluten can aggravate our bellies at the least and yes even our aches and pains including neuropathy.

You see gluten is a gooey protein. That’s what gives bread that wonderful texture.

But most of us who stop eating gluten on regular basis find out quickly how much better we feel.

It appears that this is because even those of us who don’t have celiac disease and even test negative for allergy to gluten, may still be “sensitive”.

In gluten neuropathy as well as in other patients it appears that gluten may actually trigger inflammatory reactions. This ads to pain, stiffness and posibly neuropathy symptoms.

However the evidence is not conclusive, and there are many that would argue this point.

What I can tell you, as a clinician is that many patients feel so much better we feel it’s worth a try.

http://neuropathydr.com/gluten-neuropathy/

The Connection Between Depression And Neuropathy

Today's post is the first of three very useful articles from neuropathy.org (see link below), the website of the Neuropathy Association. It talks about the psychological effects that neuropathy brings with it and how they can change the quality of life for both patient and people in his or her immediate circle.
Today's article by Natacha Pires, shows how important it is to recognise the impact of neuropathy's co-morbidities. Articles 2 and 3 appear in the next two days.

What Do Depression, Anxiety and Sleep Disturbances Have To Do With Neuropathy

By Natacha T. Pires, M.B.B.S.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles aimed at helping you better understand the link between anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and neuropathy.



Neuropathy is a 24/7/365 battle for many in our community. And, much like other chronic diseases, neuropathy has physical, emotional, and psychosocial components that can be overwhelming and can complicate your health care provider’s efforts to help you effectively manage your neuropathy.¹

“What should I expect with neuropathy five or ten years down the line?” “What treatments are available to better manage my neuropathy? I’ve tried everything my doctors have recommended…nothing works.” “I feel hopeless and isolated because my family and friends do not understand what is happening to me.” These are just a few concerns that can be overwhelming and set the stage for co-morbid (or associated conditions) such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and cognitive impairments. These comorbidities may not always appear at diagnosis; they surface over time, and are often unreported and untreated because we—patients and health care providers alike—are focused on the physical symptoms of neuropathy such as neuropathic pain, lack of coordination, and imbalance to name a few.

Why Is It Important to Recognize Neuropathy’s Comorbidities?

Results from numerous studies have demonstrated that chronic pain and neuropathic pain both negatively affect quality of life.² One of the first steps toward understanding chronic diseases is recognizing its existence and its toll. Between 30% and 60% of all patients diagnosed with a chronic illness report having feelings of depression and anxiety.³ When comorbid, pain, depression, anxiety, cognitive impairments, and sleep disturbances slow the treatment of each other and worsen physical and psychological disability, thus increasing neuropathy’s burden and making its management even more of challenge.⁴ According to Steven Feinberg, M.D. (adjunct associate clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine), “The real pain comes from ‘the losses:’ losing a job, losing respect as a functional person, loss of sexual relations…all of these make people depressed.”⁵

It is also important to recognize the similarities between depression and chronic pain. Both are chronic illnesses exacerbated by stressors; share some of the same chemical messengers (or neurotransmitters) traveling between nerves; and, share some of the same nerve pathways. These similarities help us understand how--and why--optimal treatment strategies use a combination of behavioral and pharmacological approaches known to improve both the physical neuropathic pain symptoms and the symptoms of depression and anxiety.⁶

What Can You Do To Better Cope With Neuropathy and Its Comorbidities?

Because the symptoms of neuropathy and its comorbidities vary from one patient to another, treatment is individualized. A number of factors affect treatment strategies: the underlying cause, co-existing medical conditions, your current and past medication history, and other individual factors such as biology. And, what works for one person does not always work for the next person. It is also important to understand that there are therapies that can improve pain symptoms—but not eliminate them completely.⁷But, addressing the comorbidities can help improve treatment outcomes in general. Understanding and accepting this helps set achievable treatment goals with your physician.

Neuropathy’s comorbidities can often go undiagnosed because you—and your health care provider—may be focused on managing neuropathy’s primary symptoms (e.g., neuropathic pain, imbalance, weakness).⁸ It is important to talk with your health care provider if you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, sleep disturbances, feelings of helplessness, loss of (or increased) appetite, and fatigue. Your health care provider will help you better understand these symptoms and work with you to manage them. Often, this could mean taking a coordinated multidisciplinary approach to managing your neuropathy. Depending on your needs, your health care provider might refer you to a range of specialists (for pain management, psychiatry, psychology, podiatry, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, to name a few) to help better manage your symptoms.

Managing neuropathy is about finding a balance between the benefits of therapy (and often the use of combination therapy) and the side-effects, the goal being reduction of pain and other co-morbidities to restore functionality, psychological well being, and quality of life.

REFERENCES1.-8. Jain R, Jain S, Raison C, L., and Maletic V. “Painful Diabetic Neuropathy is More Than Pain Alone: Examining the Role of Anxiety and Depression as Mediators and Complicators” Current Diabetic Reports 11.4 (2011): 275-84

2. McCarberg B. H. and Billington R. “Consequences of Neuropathic Pain: Quality-of-Life Issues and Associated Costs” American Journal of Managed Care 12. 9 (2006): S263-68

3. http://www.netplaces.com/migraines/your-emotional-health/coming-to-grips-with-a-chronic-disease.htm (Accessed Sept. 24, 2011)

4. Karp J. P., and Reynolds, III C. F. “Depression, Pain, and Aging” Focus 7 (2009): 17-27

5.-6. WebMD Website, http://www.webmd.com/depression/managing-pain?page=2 (Accessed on Sept. 21, 2011)

7. Argoff C. E., Backonja M. et al, “Consensus Guidelines: Treatment Planning and Options” Mayo Clinic Proceedings 81.4 (2006): S12-25


http://www.neuropathy.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8107

Is Idiopathic Neuropathy Between Your Ears Absolutely Not!

Today's post from yidaoclinic.co.uk (see link below) looks at a diagnosis of idiopathic neuropathy that so many neuropathy patients receive but seems to misinterpret the implications of those words. Here the conclusion is that if your neuropathy is, in fact 'all in the mind' then it's reversible (which this article will achieve using various non-chemical or invasive therapies). Although the article gets it dead right when it comes to how patients feel when they're given that diagnosis, especially if they're told there's nothing to be done and it's all between your ears; what the author has misinterpreted is the fact that idiopathic neuropathy means that there is no discernible cause but the nerve damage is real enough! That means that nerve damage has been established but the current medical testing systems can't pinpoint the cause of that damage - hence 'idiopathic'! To assume that being told that 'it's all in the mind' means that it's psychological and therefore treatable is just not true. When physical nerve damage occurs, there's no turning back at this point in time; all you can do is find a treatment that works for you in reducing the impact of the symptoms. These are all very subtle distinctions but very important that the patient understands that idiopathic does not mean psychosomatic! Your neuropathy is real enough but the cause remains in doubt. That all said, the article sums up how many people feel on receiving that diagnosis very well indeed.

Idiopathic neuropathy – is pain in the body or in the mind…?
Eastern and Complementary Healthcare 2017

The dreaded diagnosis: “it’s all in your mind”

Neurological disorders are disorders of the body’s nervous system. While some have obvious causes, there is a category of neurological disorder that cannot be readily explained: a patient may describe severe pins and needles, numbness, pain, muscle weakness or spasm, but all diagnostic tests are negative.

Conventional medicine’s answer, when there is no other cause to be found, is simple: it’s all in your mind. Patients who fall into this category are then often told that it is their anxiety which is causing the symptoms, and are then possibly referred to a psychiatric department to see whether a mental health issue can be identified.

The implications of this for the patient are profound: one assumes that, if there is an organic, physical cause to a disorder, it can hopefully be treated with medication or another procedure. If there isn’t, and the answer is that the patient is “mad” or “causing it themselves”, they are possibly left feeling confused and hopeless, as well as angry that their very real, physical symptoms are being dismissed.



A different approach – body and mind together

Based on my experience of treating people with traditional acupuncture, I like to take a different approach. Are these neurological disorders in the body? The feelings are very real and physical, altered sensitivity and strength can be assessed, twitching can be observed, so of course they are in the body. Are these neurological disorders in the mind? Symptoms often get worse with stress and anxiety, so of course they are also in the mind. In my tradition, it is not necessary to separate the two, nor is it even desirable.

Mind and body are intricately linked. When we are relaxed mentally, we tend to relax physically, softening our muscles, breathing deeply, increasing blood circulation and the oxygenation of our body. When we are stressed, worried or anxious, we tense up physically and breathe more shallowly, our digestion is impaired and retrieves fewer nutrients from the food we eat – all in all creating conditions that will affect the normal functioning of the body, and can certainly have an effect on the nervous system.

And this is the vicious circle that many of these sufferers find themselves in: whatever the trigger for the initial symptoms was, being told that no cause can be found, and that it’s all in their head, is more than likely to cause a stress response – which will probably make the symptoms worse, which in turn will probably cause more stress, and on we go. Body and mind are in this disorder together.



Breaking out of the vicious circle

In actual fact, being told that no physical cause can be found for a disorder and that it’s all in the person’s mind, is without a doubt, wonderful news: it means that, given the right therapeutic approach, the condition is fully reversible.

The key here lies in reversing the vicious circle. Practitioner and patient must work as a team: I use acupuncture (which, amongst other systems, has a proven effect on the nervous system) to help normalise body functions. The patient must have the desire to relax and be open to changing their lifestyle (diet, exercise, ways of dealing with stress, etc). With these two approaches combined, we can start to restore the body’s normal functioning again, building up the patient’s trust in their body and gradually reversing the condition.

http://yidaoclinic.co.uk/news/idiopathic-neuropathy-is-pain-in-the-body-or-in-the-mind/