How Do Nerves Work Vid

Today's post is an excellent Youtube animated video description of how nerves work produced by Elliot Krane and Frans Palomares from Ted-Ed. It gives you a visual version of parts of the posts of the last three days and where you may find written information difficult to retain, this video may make it easier. Definitely worth five minutes of your time and a full version can be seen by following the link.




About This Video

At any moment, there is an electrical storm coursing through your body. Discover how chemical reactions create an electric current that drives our responses to everything from hot pans to a mother’s caress.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-nerves-work

How Fast Do Your Nerves Degrade With Neuropathy

Today's post from relief.news (see link below) looks at the current means of testing for small fiber neuropathy and suggests that instead of just doing one nerve biopsy to measure the number of nerve fibers in a given piece of skin, it's better to measure over a period of time, to get a more accurate diagnosis of how the damage progresses. This seems to be common sense. In that way, you may avoid an unnecessary idiopathic neuropathy diagnosis (no known cause) and be able to tell the patient that they definitely have small fiber neuropathy, or not as the case may be. Unfortunately due to time and cost pressures, most neuropathy patients never get as far as a skin biopsy and a diagnosis is given based on their story and symptoms alone. Nothing wrong with this for the patient, as long as the diagnosis is correct and the type of neuropathy is pretty much certain. Most neuropathy patients have small fiber neuropathy but are generally told their nerve damage is peripheral neuropathy and seldom hear about the size of the nerve fibers. However, for many patients, it's the larger, longer nerves that are affected. Large fiber neuropathy nerves are responsible for motion control, touch, proprioception and vibration and small fiber nerves perceive pain and temperature changes.The small autonomic fibers control heart rate, blood pressure, gut function and they mostly involve temperaturel perception, giving many of the symptoms that most of us feel.
 If you look at the functions of the different nerves then, you'd rightly conclude that it's pretty important to get the testing diagnosis right. However, once the cause and area have been established, the treatment for most forms of neuropathy tends to follow the same route (unfortunately often with limited success). For that reason many doctors feel that because the symptoms are so peculiar and unique to nerve damage, they don't need to impose expensive and often inconclusive tests on a patient who's already suffering enough. This article however, argues the case for better and more comprehensive testing especially on a biopsy level but maybe that's more for the benefit of the doctors and scientists, who are interested in how the disease progresses, than the patient who just wants the pain and discomfort to be brought under control. Then again, the more science can get to the bottom of how nerve damage happens and progresses, the more likely effective treatments will emerge in the future. One thing is sure, present testing for neuropathy often falls short of being accurate but as a patient, you don't care - the diagnosis is obvious...now treat me...please!

Nerve Fiber Loss in Small-Fiber Neuropathy: It’s Not Just How Much, But How Fast
Matthew Soleiman · August 8, 2016

A recent study shows that looking at the change of nerve fiber density over time can help diagnosis.

If you ask someone with small-fiber neuropathy (SFN) what they feel in their feet, they may say pain, tingling, or numbness—symptoms that develop as nerve fibers degrade. When diagnosing SFN, it is routine for physicians to measure the number of nerve fibers in a patch of skin at a single point in time. However, some patients with clear symptoms of SFN can nonetheless have normal quantities of nerve fibers, suggesting that doctors need additional ways to help them make a diagnosis.

Now, a small study published recently in June, in the journal JAMA Neurology, builds the case that measuring the change in nerve fiber density over time, rather than only taking a snapshot at one single moment, could serve as an additional way to determine who has SFN.

How does small fiber neuropathy evolve over time?

Knowing that nerve fibers retract from the skin in SFN, the study authors sought to find out how this loss of fibers progresses. “One motivation [for the current study] was to define the natural history of this process,” says researcher and neurologist Michael Polydefkis, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, US, who led the study.

To this end, lead author Mohammad Khoshnoodi and colleagues measured the density of nerve fibers in skin biopsies from patients with SFN, and from healthy volunteers used as controls, at an initial evaluation. They did the same two to three years later at a follow-up visit, and compared the results to the first assessment.

Because symptoms of SFN commonly start in the feet and work their way upwards, the researchers were also interested in the pattern of fiber loss across different areas of the body. As a result, they took skin biopsies from three spots along the leg at varying lengths from the foot; the areas closest to the foot are known to have the longest nerve fibers.

Though study patients had SFN from different causes–either SFN associated with diabetes, SFN associated with pre-diabetes (the precursor stage to diabetes), or SFN without a known cause—they all showed similar decreases over time in the density of nerve fibers, compared to healthy volunteers who showed no such changes. This suggests that those with SFN lose nerve fibers in the skin gradually over time. Interestingly, the rate of nerve fiber loss did not differ at the three spots along the leg where the researchers made their measurements.

The new work, which confirms similar results from smaller, previously published studies, points to the change in the density of nerve fibers over time as a new variable to track in diagnosing SFN, says Anne Louise Oaklander, a pain researcher and SFN expert at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the study.

Are longer fibers more susceptible?

The lack of differences in the rate of nerve fiber loss between the different areas along the length of the leg was unexpected, says Polydefkis, given the prevailing view that SFN affects the longest nerve fibers first. “In my opinion, this shows us that SFN might be a more diffuse process than we thought previously,” writes Khoshnoodi in an email to RELIEF.

But others remain skeptical about that conclusion. In an accompanying editorial, John Kissel, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, US, and Gordon Smith, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, US, write that the density of nerve fibers, as well as how quickly the fibers were lost, were surprisingly high in the SFN patients, compared to past reports. If patients continued to lose fibers at the rate seen in the study, some areas higher up on the leg would eventually become devoid of fibers, something that is rarely seen. Thus the population examined in the study may not be representative of most SFN patients.

On the other hand, while it is true that SFN patients first report symptoms in the feet, Polydefkis says that this pattern may simply reflect that different areas of the body have different numbers of nerve fibers to start out with. That is, in healthy people, the thigh contains 30 percent more fibers than areas further down the leg. In SFN patients, perhaps it is not surprising that the fibers furthest down the leg appear to get hit the hardest, if there aren’t as many of those fibers in that area to begin with.

Regardless, the current results hold promise to help doctors improve how they diagnose SFN. —Matthew Soleiman

To read about the research in more detail, see the related Pain Research Forum news story here.

Matthew Soleiman is a neuroscientist-turned-science writer currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewSoleiman.

http://relief.news/nerve-fiber-loss-small-fiber-neuropathy-not-just-much-fast/

Magnetic Fields May Repair Damaged Nerves

 Today's post comes from marketwatch.com (see link below) and takes us into the realms of research that may seem far removed from the human experience, especially when it comes to neuropathy. Apparently studies have shown that the myelin sheaths of peripheral nerves in mice can be repaired by using ultramagnetic fields. If you remember, the myelin sheath is the protective coating around a nerve (much like insulation around electricity wires) and in most forms of neuropathy, it is precisely the damage to this that can bring on so many neuropathic symptoms. The idea that electromagnetic fields can have a biological effect on nerves and their coatings may seem a little far fetched but that seems to be precisely what has happened in these studies. The potential benefits for neuropathy patients however, could be enormous - we'll need to wait and see.
 

Myelin Sheath of Peripheral Nerves in Mice Is Regenerated With Magnetic Fields

Oct. 10, 2012


The Jacobson Resonance Equation Calculated Extremely Low Intensity Magnetic Fields For Regeneration of Peripheral Nerves in Mice

JUPITER, Fla., Oct. 10, 2012 /

-- Dr. Jerry Jacobson, biophysicist and inventor, announced today the results of studies on the effect of extremely low intensity electromagnetic fields on the restoration of forelimb grip strength, and radial nerve ultrastructure in mice with induced motor neuropathy. After administration of neurotoxin, mice persisted to exhibit a 56% decrease in grip strength; and radial nerve electron micrographs showed axonal demyelination, inactive mitochondria and uneven dispersion of neurofilaments and microtubules. Mice were then exposed to magnetic fields, calculated on the basis of masses of molecules vital to nerve function, using the Jacobson Equation, mc2=BvLq. Magnetic fields were applied twice weekly for eight and one half weeks. Magnetic field exposure resulted in as much as 87% recovery (p=less than0.05) of grip strength that was sustained at an 82% level until the 27th week of observation. Studies were conducted at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and then replicated at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Principal investigator, Professor Anjali Saxena said, "The exposed groups exhibited axonal remyelination, functional condensed state of mitochondria, and evenly dispersed neurofilaments and microtubules; consistent with grip strength recovery."

Dr. Jacobson said, "Einstein predicted, shortly before his passing in 1955, that the two essential realities of nature, electromagnetic field and gravitational field - or as they might also be called - matter and space - must be unified through an algebraic theory. The equation of Jacobson Resonance accomplishes this connection, and basic science research has shown that matter and space communicate through magnetic resonance."

Prof. Saxena added, "The results are the first to demonstrate a biological effect of electromagnetic fields, in vivo, on the restoration of subcellular structures required for nerve impulse conduction and metabolism in nerves, and consequently a grip strength recovery from motor neuropathy, under controlled experimental conditions."

A role of electromagnetic fields in recovery from nerve injury, spinal cord trauma and peripheral neuropathy may be postulated on the basis of selectively modulating neurotropins and their receptors. Further dose-response studies are required to determine a therapeutic model for electromagnetic field application in the treatment of nerve dysfunctions.

References Anjali Saxena, Jerry Jacobson, William Yamanashi, Benjamin Scherlag, Brij Saxena (2003) Medical Hypotheses, 60 (6) 821-839 Elsevier Science Ltd.; Available on line at www.sciencedirect.com Albert Einstein (1956) The Meaning of Relativity, Including the Relativistic Theory of the Non-Symmetric Field; Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J, P164-166 Jerry Jacobson (2012) Reason For Life; Positive Action With Moral Purpose; Abbott Press (A Division of Writer's Digest), p 88-122

The Resonator device is an Investigational Device limited by federal (or United States) law to investigational use; nor is therapy generally available outside of Investigational Review Board (IRB) approved clinical studies.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/myelin-sheath-of-peripheral-nerves-in-mice-is-regenerated-with-magnetic-fields-2012-10-10

Peripheral Nerves Explained

Today's post from healthmeup.com (see link below) is a good and easy to follow description from India of the nervous system; the symptoms when there is nerve damage and the common testing process to make diagnoses. Many people with neuropathy aren't quite sure which nerves are which, what their functions are and why they go wrong - this article provides you with a simple explanation without overwhelming you with information. Definitely worth a read to top up your knowledge.

Understanding Peripheral Nerves : Types, Peripheral Neuropathy, Symptoms and Tests 
By Sobiya N. Moghul posted Aug 20th 2014 Healthy Living

The human nervous system consists of four parts: the brain, spinal cord, autonomic nervous system and peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerves are cord-like structures containing bundles of nerve fibres that transmit signals from the spinal cord to the rest of the body, or to transmit sensory information from the rest of the body to the spinal cord. Your peripheral nerves are the ones outside your brain and spinal cord. Like static on a telephone line, peripheral nerve disorders distort or interrupt the messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

The nerves in our bodies are very similar to electric cables. The brain and spinal cord send electrical signals through the nerves to different muscles. The muscles, in turn, have a specialised mechanism to properly understand the electrical signals and act accordingly, thereby moving different parts of the body.

There are three types of peripheral nerves: motor, sensory and autonomic. Some neuropathies affect all three types of nerves, while others involve only one or two.

Motor nerves send impulses from the brain and spinal cord to all of the muscles in the body. This permits people to perfom activities like walking, catching a ball, or moving the fingers to pick something up. Motor nerve damage can lead to muscle weakness, difficulty in walking or moving the arms, cramps and spasms.

Sensory nerves send messages in the other direction—from the muscles back to the spinal cord and the brain. Special sensors in the skin and deep inside the body help people identify if an object is sharp, rough, or smooth, if it's hot or cold, or if a body part is still or in motion. Sensory nerve damage often results in tingling, numbness, pain, and extreme sensitivity to touch.

Autonomic nerves control involuntary or semi-voluntary functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and sweating. When the autonomic nerves are damaged, a person's heart may beat faster or slower. They may get dizzy when standing up, sweat excessively, or have difficulty sweating at all.

There are various kinds of peripheral nerve disorders. They can affect one nerve( mononeuropathy) or many nerves( polyneuropathy). In some cases, like complex regional pain syndrome and brachial plexus injuries, the problem begins after an injury. Some people are born with peripheral nerve disorders.

Mononeuropathy is usually the result of damage to a single nerve or nerve group by trauma, injury, local compression, prolonged pressure, or inflammation. Examples include: Carpal tunnel syndrome (a painful wrist and hand disorder often associated with repetitive tasks), and Bell's palsy (a facial nerve disorder) .

The majority of people, however, suffer from polyneuropathy, an umbrella term for damage involving many nerves at the same time.

There are many causes of peripheral neuropathy, including diabetes, hereditary disorders, infections, inflammation, auto-immune diseases, protein abnormalities, exposure to toxic chemicals, poor nutrition, kidney failure, chronic alcoholism, and certain medications – especially those used to treat cancer and HIV/AIDS. In some cases, however, even with extensive evaluation, the cause of a person's peripheral neuropathy remains unknown – this is called idiopathic neuropathy.

The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy often include:

• A sensation of wearing an invisible "glove" or "sock"

• Burning sensation or freezing pain

• Sharp, jabbing or electric-like pain

• Extreme sensitivity to touch

• Difficulty sleeping because of feet and leg pain

• Loss of balance and coordination

• Muscle weakness

• Difficulty walking or moving the arms

• Unusual sweating

• Abnormalities in blood pressure or pulse

There are specialised nerve tests like EMG, NCV and SSEP, which are designed to diagnose any abnormality in the functioning of these nerves.

EMG, or Electromyography is a technique used for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by muscles. The EMG helps doctors distinguish between muscle conditions that begin in the muscle and nerve disorders that cause muscle weakness.

NCV, or Nerve Conduction Velocity, is an electrical diagnostic test that provides information about abnormal conditions in the nerves.

SSEP, or Somatosensory Evoked Potential, is a test showing the electrical signals of sensation going from the body to the brain and spinal cord. The signals show whether the nerves that connect to the spinal cord are able to send and receive sensory information like pain, temperature and touch.

Treatment aims to treat any underlying problem, reduce pain and control symptoms. Injuries to the Brain and Spinal cord have only a very limited capacity to heal, because nerve regeneration tends not to occur. In contrast, peripheral nerves have a striking capacity for regeneration. Even completely severed peripheral nerves, if repaired in a timely fashion, can regrow, allowing the patients to enjoy complete, or nearly complete recovery in many cases.

The healing process almost invariably requires an extensive amount of time to occur. It is important for patients not to lose hope during this time. It is vital that they exercise, keeping the affected muscles and joints flexible and ready to be used once again when the axons regrow into them. It is not unusual for patients to undergo a lengthy, complex, peripheral nerve reconstruction procedure, only to see no evidence of recovery for a year or more. This can be immensely frustrating for the patient. Unfortunately, currently there is nothing in medical science that can make these axons grow any faster. Perhaps it is best to think of this delay as part of the healing process, paving the road to further recovery.

*Inputs : Dr Harleen Luther – Brain , Spine; Peripheral Nerve Surgeon, Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai.

http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/understanding-peripheral-nerves-types-peripheral-neuropathy-symptoms-and-tests/23706

Your Nerves Can React To What You Eat

Today's post from swfhealthandwellness.com (see link below) looks at the link between poor diet and neuropathy. Many people assume that when it comes to diet, neuropathy comes from diabetes and that's the only connection but that's just not true. Although many people with diabetes end up with neuropathy, poor nutrition can lead to nerve malfunction without diabetes being involved. For that reason, this article is useful in that it provides several ideas about how we can modify our diets to reduce the risk of nerve damage as a result. If you have neuropathic symptoms (numbness, tingling, burning sensations especially in the feet and legs) make sure your doctor tests for vitamin deficiency and looks at your daily nutrient intake because if caught soon enough, adjustments to diet can prove beneficial in the long run.

Nutrition and Neuropathy 
By Dr. Garrett Harte - April 2016

We have all been told that good nutrition can generally lead to a longer healthy life. We also know that diets high in fats and sugars can cause diseases such as coronary artery disease and diabetes. What most of us don’t know is that improper diet can lead to malfunction of our nerves resulting in pain, tingling and burning. Such a phenomenon is called neuropathy. There are many other causes of neuropathy including diabetes, toxins, heredity, alcoholism, chemotherapy and 30% are of unknown causes or idiopathic.

The symptoms of neuropathy can be life altering. Symptoms of sensory neuropathy include vision disturbances, burning, numbness, pain, dizziness, cramps, muscle spasms and lack of muscle control. In other cases the autonomic nervous system if affected and this can cause abnormal blood pressure, constipation, incontinence, inability to perspire and sexual dysfunction. In most cases the symptoms come on quite slowly and can go unnoticed. This is unfortunate because some types of neuropathy can be reversed if diagnosed early enough. In the case of diabetic neuropathy, good blood sugar control can reduce and sometimes even reverse the symptoms of neuropathy.

Nutritional neuropathy can be caused by many different things. Our diets can be lacking certain things or may include things that are harmful. B12 (Cobalomin) has long been known to be linked to nerve health. A deficiency usually leads to a sensory loss with burning or tingling in the feet and hands. Replacing B12 with 500-1000 mcg per day is recommended. B6 (Pyridoxine) and folate seem to go hand in hand with B12. There are products that group these together. A vitamin B complex may have sufficient amounts. A prescription strength B6, B12 and folate product is also proven to be very helpful. Alpha lipoic acid is a dietary supplement that can be taken at 600mg per day to assist in nerve health. Lack of vitamin H (Biotin), which help to form fatty acids, are also needed for proper nerve health. Dosage is usually 30 mcg per day for an adult. Insufficient B1 (Thiamin) is another cause of neuropathy. B1 is essential for good brain function. Lack of B1 causes Beriberi, a disease that can lead to heart disease and nerve disorders. Alcohol can prevent the absorption of B1. Normal B1 dosage per day is 1.2 mg.. B3 (Niacin) should also be sufficient in our diet and 250mg twice a day should be enough. Absorbing adequate amounts of these vitamins it important but it is equally important to know that too much of some things can actually cause neuropathy.

Now that we know what things we may be lacking in our diets that can cause neuropathy, what can we eat to make sure we get these nutrients? Fortified breads, cereals, pasta, whole grains, lean meats, fish, dried beans, peas and soybeans supply us with B1. Beef pork, chicken and yeast products contain high levels of B3. Liver, kidney, dairy and fish supply us with B12. B6 is found in whole grain cereals, liver, vegetables and muscle meats of beef, chicken and pork. Nuts, seeds, leafy greens and vegetable oils are helpful as well.

In addition to the foods we consume, there are many things we should be steering clear of as well. Food allergies can be extremely hard to cope with and have been found to cause neuropathic symptoms. Glutamic acid, aspartic acid, gluten, pesticides on fruits and vegetables, food coloring and dyes are the top offenders. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, has been linked to causing neuropathy. The good news is that stopping your consumption can often reverse the effects. MSG or mono sodium glutamate is another substance that can cause allergy and symptoms of neuropathy. Gluten, eggs and dairy are allergies we hear of more often and can have the unfortunate side effect of neuropathic symptoms. Refined grains and added sugars should be avoided as well due to their high glycemic content. High amounts of these in our diets will bring on diabetes especially in those with a family history.

If you think you may have neuropathy there are several tests that can be performed by a medical professional. Lab testing can include allergy testing, drawing blood and skin biopsies. Biopsying the skin can show the actual diminished numbers of nerve fibers. This is a quantifiable test that can be repeated after treatment to measure actual improvement in nerve regeneration. This testing requires a small amount of local anesthesia and can be performed in the doctor’s office. Results usually take about a week.

Although 30% of neuropathies are idiopathic in nature, 70% are not and should and can be treated. No one should consider neuropathy a normal condition. Neuropathy is extremely common and is treated by myself and my colleagues on a daily basis. Lower extremities seem to be affected most commonly and thus a Podiatric physician is a logical choice to help you diagnose and treat your symptoms.

Dr. Garrett Harte
Dr. Garrett Harte received his B.S. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and received his doctorate at Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine (Temple University). He completed his two year surgical residency at West Jersey Health Systems and Wound Care Center in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Harte is board certified in foot surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. During his residency he volunteered his time with a team of fellow surgeons in Guatemala to perform reconstructive foot and ankle surgery on children. He found his mission, and pediatrics as a whole, very rewarding. He enjoys lecturing to the public and to his colleagues on topics such as common foot deformities, wound care, limb salvage and surgery and diabetes. He currently is the vice president of the Manasota Podiatric medical society. He also sits on the Surgery committee and the credentials committee at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Harte is an exercise enthusiast and has been running in local marathons, half marathons and triathlons for the past eight years. He completed the Florida Ironman in 2009 and enjoys treating fellow athletes. His wife Christine is a personal trainer here in Manatee County. He spends most of his free time with his three children, Jonathan, Patrick and Kaylee. His philosophy is to treat all his patients as if they were part of his own family and give them the best care he can at all times.

Dr. Harte joined Cortez Foot and Ankle Specialists in 1998 after practicing in the Fort Myers area.

http://swfhealthandwellness.com/nutrition-and-neuropathy/