According to the font of medical knowledge that is WebMD, peripheral neuropathy refers to the condition that results when nerves that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord from and to the rest of the body are damaged or diseased. There may be several reasons why you may experience peripheral neuropathy. Some of the most common causes include medical conditions like diabetes, effects of drugs from treatments such as chemotherapy and traumatic injuries.
Some symptoms of peripheral neuropathy or nerve pain, include numbness and weakness and pain in your hands and feet. Living with nerve pain can be extremely difficult. For some, the symptoms can ease as the years go by, but for some suffering can continue to get worse as time goes by.
But don’t lose hope, there are a number of things that can be done in order to manage your pain and treat it. Websites like www.neuropathycure.org have some great articles and reviews on products that can help. If you are looking for things you can do at home, here are the top 5 home remedies for peripheral neuropathy.
1. Exercise
As mentioned above, diabetes is one of the diseases that can cause the condition, with high levels of blood sugar being the chief cause of damage to nerves. One way of helping to manage your blood sugar is to exercise regularly. When you exercise, the blood flows to your legs and feet helping expand the blood vessels in your body, which in turn stems issues with the damaged nerves.
2. Essential oils
If you want a sense of relief, there are many essential oils you can use to combat the nerve pain. Peppermint oil can help relax your muscles, reduce the pain and improve circulation and respiration while lavender essential oil, known as the “Mother of all Oils”, not only relieves pain, but is also an antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and helps relieve stress on the body.
3. Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be a great natural way to aid healing from nerve pain. Needles are inserted into your body’s pressure points to stimulate the nervous system. This releases endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers, into the muscles, spine, and brain. This technique changes your body’s response to pain. Acupuncture also stimulates blood flow to restore nerve damage.
4. Capsaicin
Capsaicin is an ingredient that you would normally find in hot peppers. What’s amazing about it is that it can decrease the intensity of the pain signals that your nervous system is sending throughout your body. If you want to incorporate it into your diet, just include cayenne pepper in your meals. If you are looking for an alternative, there are topical ointments that put capsaicin into their formula. There are capsaicin foot creams out there to help relieve foot pain.
5. A warm bath
A warm bath is always a welcome reprieve to help you relax from the stresses that you felt during the day. But what’s great about this pampering time is that it not only lets you relax but it can even help in alleviating the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. It can increase blood circulation so that the pain will decrease. Just be cautious in setting the temperature if you have already had nerve damage for a while as due to the lack of sensitivity in areas it’s easy to cause injury through overheating the water.