Half of diabetics suffer from neuropathy

One of the ill effects of diabetes is damage to the peripheral nervous system, called peripheral neuropathy (PN). Approximately 50% of individuals diagnosed with diabetes experience PN in some form. It occurs most often in patients who have had diabetes for years and can result in various other health problems if left unchecked, explains the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Since diabetes is fundamentally a blood-sugar imbalance, the ADA recommends the most obvious first approach: adjust your diet and nutrition to stabilize glucose. “If you keep your blood glucose levels on target, you may help prevent or delay nerve damage.” the ADA says. “If you already have nerve damage, this will help prevent or delay further damage.”

Although neuropathy can often be remedied by getting your nutrition through a diet that doesn’t exacerbate diabetic symptoms, another tactic seems to be incredibly successful as well: vitamin D.

Want to stop Peripheral Neuropathy? Get some sun

According to a University of Sheffield study from the ADA’s 2015 Scientific Sessions, diabetics suffering from peripheral neuropathy are much likelier to be deficient in vitamin D than those who aren’t experiencing PN.

This finding, from Dinesh Selvarajah, MD, is especially compelling to the medical community because the researchers controlled to account for seasonal variations (in terms of access to vitamin D from the sun) and differences in day-to-day schedules that influence the amount of sunlight people experience.

Vitamin D & type II diabetes

University of Maryland neurology professor Dr. James W. Russell says that the case for vitamin D supplementation has become more convincing as recent science has emerged. In fact, he points to evidence that vitamin D doesn’t just increase risk for neuropathy but for type II diabetes itself.

“Even though we may not have the definitive evidence for diabetic neuropathy or prediabetic neuropathy, it’s highly likely that it’s predisposing you to developing diabetes,” says Dr. Russell.

Dr. Russell has found, just from assessing his own patients, that 9 out of every 10 people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy are vitamin-D-deficient.

Coming at painful neuropathy from multiple angles

Are you suffering from diabetic peripheral neuropathy? Along with Dr. Russell’s comments, Dr. Selvarajah’s study is convincing that vitamin D could be of benefit. However, for long-lasting success with neuropathy, it’s best to integrate several strategies.

That’s the philosophy behind multidisciplinary pain management. At Atlanta Medical Clinic, our multidisciplinary team has helped many Atlanta residents with chronic pain relief. >>>Here are a few stories.