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Acupuncture is a popular form of alternative medicine that involves insertion of fine needles at specific points that helps people get relief from pain and treat various diseases. Mostly used for pain relief from arthritis, headaches, TMJ, Sciatica and fibromyalgia, acupuncture has been found effective for people suffering from respiratory, psychiatric and neurological problems.
Believed to be originated in China around 5000 years ago, Acupuncture forms an important component of Traditional Chinese medicine that includes massage, Tui Na, dietary therapy, exercise and herbal medicine as well.
Peripheral Neuropathy: An Introduction
Peripheral neuropathy is the damage or malfunctioning of the peripheral nerves that connect the central nervous system (our brain and spinal cord) to the rest parts of the body. The damage or disruption of peripheral nerves may be caused due to a number of factors as enumerated below:
- Systemic diseases like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, alcohol abuse, chronic inflammation, cancer and tumours, vitamin deficiency, kidney disorders and liver diseases.
- Injuries from sports, falling, dental work and vehicle accidents.
- Infectious diseases like HIV, leprosy, virus infection, diphtheria, shingles and others.
- Autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Symptoms and Types of Neuropathy
Based on whether neuropathy has affected sensory nerves, motor nerves or autonomic nerves, people may experience varying symptoms, starting from numbness or tingling sensation in the foot and toes. The damage of motor nerves can cause muscle pain/cramps, muscle atrophy and changes in the skin, nails, and hair. When the sensory nerves are affected then people may experience loss of coordination and balance, numbness or burning sensations. They tend to fall because they cannot detect the surface condition when they walk around.
Any kind of damage in the autonomic nerves may lead people to experience dryness of eyes and mouth, abnormal blood pressure, difficulty in eating or swallowing, incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
Based on the cause of neuropathy and part of the body affected by it, neuropathy has been classified into various types namely mononeuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, autonomic neuropathy and polyneuropathy.
How can Acupuncture be effective in neuropathy treatment?
We at Boca Raton Acupuncture clinic provide quality acupuncture treatment to people with diabetic neuropathy, drug-induced or idiopathic neuropathy. Having an extensive experience in providing Neuropathy Acupuncture, Boca acupuncturist also combine Chinese herbs, cupping, ear needles and vitamin point injection to help nerves to regenerate faster.
We first diagnose the nature and extent of neuropathy by asking patients medical history, observing the tongue, eyes, hands and feet, and feeling the pulse. Then we chalk out a meticulous and customised treatment plan according to the Chinese Medical diagnosis.
For quick pain relief and better results, we combine Chinese herbal treatment and cutaneous acupuncture that helps people restore the normal functioning of nerves in various neuropathic conditions.
Why Select Boca Acupuncture for Neuropathy Acupuncture Treatment?
- We are a family owned clinic with a team of licensed acupuncturist and herbalist.
- You can easily avail the service from specialists who have extensive experience in pain management, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine.
- We provide acupuncture treatment for an array of diseases or disorders that include Weight loss, arthritis, Diabetes, cystitis, Atrial fibrillation, stroke, Raynaud’s, high blood pressure, acid reflux, IBS, glaucoma, macular degeneration, insomnia, stress, anxiety, migraine, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, neuropathy, allergies, impotence, depression.
- We have our own medical consultant to combine the western and Chinese medical diagnosis, so we can give you the prognosis and the best treatment plan.
Based on the causes of a different kind of neuropathy, the age of the patients as well as the other medical condition they have, we provide individualized acupuncture protocol to each patient. Besides this, we provide vitamin point injection therapy that is highly effective in the treatment of neck and shoulder pain, chronic migraines, and menstrual cramps.
When I was 6 years old, I started acupuncture treatments for my facial tics. Acupuncture calmed down my nerves, the facial muscle did not jump after a few acupuncture treatments. 40 years later, I noticed that my feet became so sensitive to acupuncture needles. For instance, when I needle Kid3 on my feet, I have some shooting sensations down to the heel. When I stay in Boston and Needham for the past 17 years, my feet were always cold; the spasm of the blood vessels caused the early signs of neuropathy. I started wearing very thick socks, did meditation in the morning and in the middle of the day, cutting down salt and processed food, and walking fast on the treadmill in my new home in Boca Raton. Now the early signs of the neuropathy: sensitivity to the touch and acupuncture are gone after two years.
My acupuncture patients come from Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Island, Lake Worth, Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Parkland, Pompano Beach, Weston and Miami for their neuropathy and pain. They usually have 12 to 24 sections of acupuncture treatments twice a week, then once a week. Their circulation gets better faster; they have less tingling and numbness. Then they change to a treatment every two weeks to help their peripheral nerves regenerate, which can take months. During this time, they started eating more fruit and vegetables to provide the nutrients for the nerves to regenerate. They now have improved balance and can exercise more in the new gym in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Pompano Beach and Boynton Beach area.
Acupuncture can not only improve the blood circulation to your nervous system but also can help the body produce more growth hormones with deeper sleep. A higher level of growth hormones will help us repair the degeneration much faster.
What Triggers Neuropathy?
Diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy. High blood sugar damages the nerves. Other issues like HIV infection, shingles and Lyme disease can also cause severe nerve damage. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a specific type of peripheral neuropathy which may be triggered by infection. However, besides diabetes, neuropathy can also be caused by various other causes such as hyperthyroidism, alcohol abuse, vitamin deficiency, kidney disorders, multiple sclerosis and liver problems.
Neuropathy involves the nerves that connect various parts of a human body with the central nervous system-the spinal cord and the brain. It can involve autonomic nerves, sensory nerves and motor nerves. At times it may also be a single nerve that is impacted due to neuropathy like the facial nerve in case of Bell’s palsy.
Symptoms of Neuropathy: Symptoms depend on the damage of motor nerves, the sensory nerves or the autonomic nerves.
Patients may suffer from the symptoms like numbness or tingling sensation in the foot and toes. Damage to the motor nerves can result in muscle cramps, pain, and weakness.
If the sensory nerve is affected, patients may suffer from lack of coordination, balance, numbness or burning sensations. Patients are prone to fall as they cannot detect the surface conditions of the walking area.
If the autonomic nerve is damaged, patients would experience dryness of eyes and mouth, abnormal blood pressure, difficulty in swallowing. Patients may also suffer incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
Neuropathy is classified into various types: 1) Mononeuropathy 2) Autonomic Neuropathy and 3) Polyneuropathy.
Treatment for Neuropathy:
In allopathy, treating neuropathy is done either by focus on removal of the basic cause with the help of drugs or a symptomatic pain relief treatment to reduce the pain and other discomfort.
In case of diabetic neuropathy, treating the occurrence of high blood sugar can stop further damage to the nerves. For toxicity induced neuropathies, stopping of certain drug intake and thereby detoxifing the liver and kidney to halt further damage to the nerve. Neuropathies symptoms can be reduced by medication, but if the nerves cannot regenerate, patients have to take medication for many years and their neuropathy never be healed.
Acupuncture Treatment for Neuropathy:
Many people turn to acupuncture for the treatment of neuropathy as it is widely known that acupuncture not only relieves chronic pain and numbness, but also help nerves regenerate. Many researchers have verified that acupuncture can improve the circulation to the nerves, helping reducing the inflammation, so the nerves can restore their function.
Boca Raton Acupuncture provides customized acupuncture treatments for various types of neuropathy, such as diabetic neuropathy. The acupuncturists are skilled at combing Chinese herb, cupping and vitamin point injection, which are known to help the affected nerves to regenerate faster.
Boca Acupuncturist first collect patient’s medical history, observe their tongue, eyes, hands, feet and feel their pulse, then the acupuncturist will design a treatment plan for a specific kind of neuropathy based on the diagnosis and patient’s constitution.
The acupuncture treatment not only provide the pain relive, but also help the affected nerves to restore their normal function by generating more growth hormones and reducing the inflammation.