Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral Neuropathy

Can This Help?

I’m writing this blog post most likely for one or two of you, where this info might just resonate with you. It’s an abbreviated version of my journey over the past few years. I briefly mentioned Peripheral Neuropathy in a blog post I wrote earlier this year, and you may have noticed it.

Just over a year ago, I had never heard those words used together. That is until a postcard showed up in the mail around this time last year asking if I suffered from certain symptoms and, if so, to come to their free seminar to learn about potential treatment options. Well, long story short, I went to the seminar, and that was the day I began to learn about the words Peripheral Neuropathy.

I do vividly remember the first time I noticed something was different. I had just gotten back from a 40-mile bike ride in February of 2020, and the outside of my left foot was numb. This is not unusual, as it’s quite normal for various parts of your body to go numb when you’re a cyclist and out on long rides. The cycling cleats we wear that lock us into the pedals can cause numbness over the course of a long ride, but it quickly goes away once you remove the shoes and the blood starts circulating back through your feet. This time, however, it did not, and the numbness actually started to travel up into my calf, and then it started in my right foot and calf as well. Over a 6 - 12 month period, it had moved to both hands and midway up my forearms. I am a man though and like most men, I ignored it, didn't talk about it and thought it would eventually go away; it hasn’t.

Here's what Google returns when you search for Peripheral Neuropathy:

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that occurs when the peripheral nervous system's nerves are damaged, making it difficult for them to send and receive messages to and from the brain. This can impact a person's ability to feel sensations or control movement. 

Symptoms include:

• Tingling or numbness
• Burning pain
• Paralysis
• Muscle weakness
• Cramps
• Muscle twitching
• Loss of balance
• Emotional disturbances 

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a number of conditions, including:

• Diabetes-related complications
• Cancer or cancer treatment
• Physical injury
• Infection
• Toxic substances
• Kidney failure
• Malnutrition

The first two symptoms are exactly what I’m dealing with, and thankfully, none of the others. These symptoms get much worse as the weather gets colder, too, and last winter, I noticed it was bothering me significantly more than that of the prior year. Not something to look forward to this winter.

Anyway, earlier this year, while being seen at Sierra Pacific Orthopedic for the chronic Sciatica I was experiencing, I told the doctor about the numbness I was experiencing, how it started, etc. I recounted to him the seminar Linda and I went to in December 2023, where I first learned the term Peripheral Neuropathy. After listening attentively, he confirmed that what I was describing was, in all likelihood, not related to the Sciatica condition and the exact symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy. After strongly cautioning me about the efficacy of clinics that offer treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy, calling them “snake oil salesmen” (a conclusion I had quickly come to already), he ordered a comprehensive blood test to rule out conditions that are known to cause this, such as diabetes, cancer, and thyroid issues, as well as a comprehensive nerve test, called an EMG/NCV.  Peripheral Neuropathy was confirmed as a diagnosis but no for diabetes, thyroid, or any type of cancer. So, I’m left to wonder what has caused this, and part of me does wonder if it’s related to all my long hours on a bicycle basically since I was a tween. There is not a clear path forward.

Now that you have a brief background on my journey, I’d like to share something that I stumbled upon only about two months ago. It’s a couple of videos from a guy Linda and I follow on YouTube. His channel is Dr. Berg, and he’s an absolute wealth of knowledge for just about everything health related. Here are the two videos that, if you are dealing with the same thing, you need to watch.

First Video

Second Video

In these videos, Dr. Berg states that Peripheral Neuropathy is directly attributed to a Vitamin B1 deficiency. The recommendation is to take Benfotiamine and Nutritional Yeast tablets, which are a natural source of vitamin B. I have since seen several others on YouTube say the same thing.

In addition, I shared my blood results with our good friend and a compounding pharmacist, Diana Laurent. After reviewing, Diana mentioned that I was very low in trace minerals, and getting that squared away would definitely be beneficial for me.

I’ve been taking these supplements now for the past 4-6 weeks. Am I ready to fly my flag unequivocally and say that it’s working? Absolutely no, I am not. I need to wait at least through the winter and re-evaluate. It seems like an easy thing to test though just in case it can help even if only a little.

If you’re dealing with this too, then I would hope that it could help you also. Watch the two videos and decide for yourself. 

All my best,