Neuropathy is one of the most common diseases most people have never heard of (15-20 million Americans have this problem). Caused by deterioration of the peripheral nerves, neuropathy disrupts the body’s ability to communicate with its muscles, organs and tissues. Neuropathy is like the body’s wiring system going haywire, causing unusual or unpleasant irritations including tingling, burning, itchiness, crawling sensation, dizziness, clumsiness and more. If ignored, as they too often are, these neuropathy symptoms can lead to numbness at one extreme to unremitting pain at the other. However, if properly treated, neuropathy can often gradually be restored.

Causes

How diabetic patients suffers from peripheral nerves damage? Diabetic individual have high level of blood sugar but lack sufficient insulin to metabolize it. When unusually high concentrations of either glucose (blood sugar) or insulin abnormally enter the synaptic junctions this impairs the nerve signal transmission between the cells. When that happens it reduces the electrical conductivity of the synaptic fluid The resulting nerve damage is considered permanent

The protective sensations are affected when the nerve damage occurs. When that happens the ability to determine the difference between sharp and dull, hot and cold, and pressure and vibration is affected. For the lower extremities, as the condition progresses, the feet become increasingly numb. Diabetic neuropathy carries with it the increased risk of developing skin ulcerations. For normal people these ulcerations post no problems as they heal easily. But for diabetic sufferers, if not properly cared for, these ulcerations can lead to non-healing diabetic foot ulcers. Therefore individuals suffering from neuropathy is advised inspect their feet daily.

Some researchers suspect that  the accumulation of a sugar called sorbitol and depletion of a substance called myoinositol could be the culprit. But there is no conclusive evidence to support this claim.

Symptoms

The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy vary. Numbness and tingling in feet are often the first sign. Some people notice no symptoms, while others are severely disabled. Neuropathy may cause both pain and insensitivity to pain in the same person. Often, symptoms are slight at first, and since most nerve damage occurs over a period of years, mild cases may go unnoticed for a long time. In some people, mainly those afflicted by focal neuropathy, the onset of pain may be sudden and severe.

Types of Neuropathy

There are three broad types of neuropathy:

• Sensory neuropathy (or peripheral neuropathy, usually just called neuropathy) is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy and it affects the nerves that carry information to the brain. The nerves transmit sensations from various parts of the body. It tells us how hot or cold something is, what the texture of something feels like, the pain caused by a sharp object or heat, etc.

• Autonomic neuropathy affects the nerves that control involuntary activities of the body. It can affects the stomach, intestine, bladder and even the heart.

• Motor neuropathy is a very rare form of neuropathy and it affects the nerves that carry signals to muscles to allow motions like walking and moving fingers.

Sensory neuropathy eventually lead to pain and numbness  and affects our body's ability to feel heat, cold, pain or any other sensation in affected areas. Autonomic neuropathy can cause impotence in men, bladder neuropathy, diabetic diarrhea or bloated stomach. Motor neuropathy causes muscle weakness.

How is neuropathy treated?

The most important thing a diabetic can do is keep their blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible, exercise regularly, and make sure their weight is kept at healthy level. This will help keep blood sugars as normal as possible. This would help to limit the damage high blood sugars can cause to nerves. Exercise will help to keep muscles to remain strong and toned.

Some healthcare professional uses non-ethical method of treating neuropathy because patients are desperate for them. Such treatment are symptomatic in nature and unfortunately all have side-effects. Non-narcotic pain killers can lead to addiction. Antidepressants which is traditionally used for depression can cause psychotic problems. Anti-convulsants normally used to treat irregular heart rhythm but has unpleasant side effects such as dizziness or confusion. All these are often used to treat painful neuropathy by blocking or easing the pain but they only provide momentary relief.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s a new class of drugs called aldose reductase inhibitors, which seems to be a significant breakthrough in treating some types of neuropathy but unfortunately  has been proven to be  ineffective. The main concern was the side-effects they causes.

Many patients will ask their physician about the value of nutritional supplements or vitamins to ease pain. Unfortunately the money you spend will just go down the drain. Those vitamins that cannot passed through the urine easily can lead to vitamin toxicity. So one need to be careful that one is not taking too much of such type of vitamin in the vain hope of easing the pain.

By far the best form of treatment is to use the holistic approach. Different discipline have different level of knowledge. The modern type is only about.300 years old. But the advance traditional-clinical-experience type is 5000 years old. Herbal formulations have been proven to be effective for nerve problems or nerve damage. Sports sprain that damages the nerve is said to be untreatable but they are easily treated by traditional herbal sprain medication within 10 to 14 days. Herbs can be taken to nourish and rejuvenate nerve problems. In olden days this class of herbs is traditional called "bone and nerves" herbs.

Abstract: “Over the centuries, Chinese herbal drugs have served as a major source of medicines for the prevention and treatment of diseases including diabetes mellitus (known as Xiao-ke). It is estimated that more than 200 species of plants exhibit hypoglycaemic properties, including many common plants, such as pumpkin, wheat, celery, wax guard, lotus root and bitter melon. To date, hundreds of herbs and traditional Chinese medicine formulas have been reported to have been used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. This paper provides a brief review of the antidiabetic drugs of plant origin that have been approved by the Chinese health regulatory agency for commercial use in China. It was believed, through pharmacological studies, that medicinal herbs were meticulously organized in these antidiabetic drug formulas such that polysaccharide containing herbs restore the functions of pancreatic tissues and cause an increase in insulin output by the functional beta cells, while other ingredients enhance the microcirculation, increase the availability of insulin and facilitate the metabolism in insulin-dependent processes. Pharmacological and clinical evaluations indicated that these drugs had a mild, but significant, blood glucose lowering effect and that the long-term use of these agents may be advantageous over chemical drugs in alleviating some of the chronic diseases and complications caused by diabetes. Additionally, the use of these natural agents in conjunction with conventional drug treatments, such as a chemical agent or insulin, permits the use of lower doses of the drug and/or decreased frequency of administration which decreases the side effects most commonly observed.” Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Research showed that Radix Trichosanthis, Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa, Radix Glehniae, Semen Plantaginis, Poria Cocos Wolf, Herba Cynomorii and Radix Polygonum Multiflorum can be very effective in treating diabetic problems.

Research from The School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai China, The College of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin China and Tianjin Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Tianjin China shows that polysaccharide of Poria Cocos Wolf  and Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa can restore the functions of pancreatic tissues and can cause an increase in insulin output by the functional beta cells, while other ingredients of these plants enhance the microcirculation, increasing the availability of insulin and facilitating the metabolism in the insulin dependent process. Pharmacological and clinical evaluation indicated that these herbs can significantly lower blood glucose.

In a research by Dr. K. Casanas and team, “The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus with Chinese Medicine” a formulation containing Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa, Radix Trichosanthis and other herbs was tested on 150 cases of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. 138 cases showed great improvement in their diabetic condition.

Research have shown that plants containing the phyotchemical triterpene (saponin) glycosides have hypoglycemic and hypolipemic activities. The triterpenes compounds are sub divided into 20 groups of which oleanic triterpene (oleanic acid, ursolic acid and alpha-and beta amyrin) is found in the largest variety of plants (e.g. Semen Cuscutae, Herba Cynomorii, Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa and Semen Plantaginis).

Research has shown that ursolic acid (of Herba Cynomorii) treatment can normalize the disturbed anti-oxidant status of rats intoxicated with CC 14 by maintaining the levels of glutathione and by inhibiting the production of malondiable-hyde due to its radical scavenging properties. Martin-Aragon Si, De  Las Heras B etc “Pharmacological modification of endogenous antioxidant enzymes by ursolic acid on Tetrachloride induced liver damage in rats and primary cultures of rats hepatocytes”. Exp Toxical. Pathol. 2001:53 (2 – 3) 199 – 206 , Dpto. Farmacologia, UCM, Madrid, Spain.

L-arabinose is a phytochemical of Semen Plantaginis. It is a 5-carbon sugar. Research showed that is has a unique property. It inhibits sucrose activity in the intestine. Sucrose is an enzyme that breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose. By inhibiting the activity of sucrose, L-arabinose prevents the breakdown of sucrose into glucose and fructose, thus reducing the absorption of sugar into the body. In one rat study, the little critters were fed up to 30 grams of sucrose per 100 gram of feed. Researchers added anywhere between 0 to 1.0 grams of L-arabinose per 100 grams feed. The rats ate this sugar brew for 10 days. Researchers found that lipogenic enzymes (enzymes that build fat) and triglyceride concentrations in the liver went up when the rats consumed sucrose. When L-arabinose was consumed, these changes did not occur. L-arabinose feeding reduced fat weights, plasma insulin and triglycerides. Conclusion: L-arabinose inhibits sucrose activity, reduces sucrose utilization, and  decreases lipogenesis and decreases plasma insulin and triglycerides. Ref: Osaki et al “L-arabinose feeding prevents increases due to dietary sucrose in lipogenic enzymes and triacylglycerol levels in rats”. Journal of Nutrition  2001, 131: 796 – 79

“Data is presented suggesting that rates of L-arabinose transport, calculated from L-[1-14C] arabinose uptake measurements, can be used as indicators of changes in the rates of glucose transport in isolated rat adipocytes. L-[1-14C]arabinose, at 37 degrees C, was found to be nonmetabolizable and taken up by adipocytes exponentially with time reaching 95% of equilibrium in 30 min. When L-arabinose is corrected for background, the corrected uptake values conform to the time-dependent monoexponential uptake relationshiop predicted for a facilitated transport system and are not significantly different from 0 in the presence of 70 micron cytochalasin B. Transport rates were calculated from corrected uptake values near the half-maximal uptake of L-arabinose and from a value of the total amount of L-arabinose in the cell at equilibrium. Competitive inhibition of L-arabinose transport by glucose and countertransport of L-arabinose in the presence of glucose suggest that L-arabinose and glucose share the same transport system. Data is presented demonstrating the effect of insulin and dexamethasone on the transport system that confirms the conclusions obtained by other investigators using other methods.” “Glucose transport in isolated rat adipocytes with measurements of L-arabinose uptake.” JE Foley, SW Cushman, and LB Salans. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 234: G112-G119, 1978; 0193-1857/78 AJP: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 234, Issue 2, G112-G119 American Physiological Society

In one research the effects of L-arabinose (from Semen Plantaginis) on intestinal absorption of sucrose have been investigated. The results of these investigations have been shown that L-arabinose inhibit the sucrase activity of intestinal mucose but no showed inhibitory effect on the activities of intestinal maltase, isomaltase, trehalase, lactase and glucoamylase. L-Arabinose suppress increase of blood glucose after sucrose loading dose dependently in mice, but showed no effect after starch loading. This fact can be more interesting for the application of L-arabinose in light diet and diabetic disease mixed in small quantities with sucrose.

Research have shown that plants containing the phyotchemical triterpene (saponin) glycosides have hypoglycemic and hypolipemic activities. The triterpenes compounds are sub divided into 20 groups of which oleanic triterpene (oleanic acid, ursolic acid and alpha-and beta amyrin) is found in the largest variety of plants (Semen Cuscutae, Herba Cynomorii, Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa and Semen Plantaginis). "Ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) are triperpene acids having a similar chemical structure and are distributed widely in plants all over the world. They are of interest to scientists because of their biological activities. OA has antifungal, insecticidal, anti-HIV, diuretic, complement inhibitory, blood sugar depression and gastrointestinal transit modulatin activities. UA and OA also possess liver-protection and anti-inflammatory effects. In recent years, it was found that they had marked anti-tumor effects and exhibited cytotoxic activity toward many cancer cell line in culture. Concerning their effects on colon carcinoma cells, there is little available so far in the current literature. The present study was designed to investigate their inhibitory effects on the human colon carcinoma cell line HCT15." "Effects of ursolic acid and oleanolic acid on human colon carcinoma cell line HCT." Jie Li, Wei-Jian Guo, Department of Oncology, Cancer Center, Xin Hua Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University,Shanghai 200092, China. Qing-Yao Yang, Department of Biology, Shanghai Teachers University, Shanghai 200234, China ISSN 1007-9327 CN 14-1219/R  World J Gastroenterol  2002; June 8(3):493-495

Test on animals showed that Semen Cuscutae can improve the function of the body, kidney and thymus gland as well as increasing their white cell count, red cell count, hemoglobin content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Mi Hemin ed. "Comparison Study on the bone support and yang strengthening effects of Semen Cuscutae", Chinese Traditional Herbal Drugs, 1991. 22 (12): 547.

With the realization that conventional treatment can be dangerously invasive, many are now opting for more traditional advance proven approach based on clinical experience. Holistic herbal formulation has been proven to be effective for treating neuropathy permanently without any dangerous side effects. Thanks to growing trust in herbal treatments survival rates have improved over the years. Herbal formulations to treat various types of diabetic problems has proven to be safe and very effective without any side effects. When allopathic science failed, more and more people have to turn to trustworthy alternative source. It was desperation that saves them