Anyone managed to get rid of neuropathy in their feet?

[tom_r_orr]

Hi, after about a year of success on the LCHF program, 20 Kg weight loss, no longer taking Metformin and statins, Hba1c down to 5.7 from 11+ and fasting blood glucose between 5 and 6, and generally feeling good, I'd still feel much better if I could get rid of the neuropathy in my feet which started about 2 years ago.

It doesn't get any worse, but neither is it getting better after better blood sugar control. It's not debilitating, just annoyingly uncomfortable especially at night. I found some research suggesting Alpha Lipoic Acid may help but can take up to a year to regrow damaged nerves. I have been taking 200 Mg supplement daily for a month now and am looking for some motivation to continue with them (i've never really had any luck with any supplement to be honest) or to abandon them. Anyone managed to reverse this condition and how? Thanks.

 

[Guzzler]

Some members swear by r-ALA but it does take time, apparently. Make sure you're taking the r-ALA and not the cheaper ALA as this (ALA) has far less of the active ingredients. Good luck.

 

[Mr_Pot]

Hi, after about a year of success on the LCHF program, 20 Kg weight loss, no longer taking Metformin and statins, Hba1c down to 5.7 from 11+ and fasting blood glucose between 5 and 6, and generally feeling good, I'd still feel much better if I could get rid of the neuropathy in my feet which started about 2 years ago.

It doesn't get any worse, but neither is it getting better after better blood sugar control. It's not debilitating, just annoyingly uncomfortable especially at night. I found some research suggesting Alpha Lipoic Acid may help but can take up to a year to regrow damaged nerves. I have been taking 200 Mg supplement daily for a month now and am looking for some motivation to continue with them (i've never really had any luck with any supplement to be honest) or to abandon them. Anyone managed to reverse this condition and how? Thanks.

When I was diagnosed, I had tingling in my toes that I didn't know was a symptom. After two years of non diabetic HbA1c It had gone away, so it is possible, but it can take a long time. I didn't take ALA or anything else.

 

[Crocodile]

Hi Tom, you sound like my mirror. I have neuropathy similar to yours. It's there but not serious enough to bother me too much. Doesn't get any worse and doesn't get any better. When my HbA1c was higher it was noticeably worse. Getting it under control helped. I tried R-ALA and it worked really well for a good while until it got to the point where it didn't improve any further. I still keep tight control of HbA1c with low carbs but stopped the R-ALA. Most days I don't notice it but it is there at night but just numbness with no pain.

 

[tom_r_orr]

Hi Tom, you sound like my mirror. I have neuropathy similar to yours. It's there but not serious enough to bother me too much. Doesn't get any worse and doesn't get any better. When my HbA1c was higher it was noticeably worse. Getting it under control helped. I tried R-ALA and it worked really well for a good while until it got to the point where it didn't improve any further. I still keep tight control of HbA1c with low carbs but stopped the R-ALA. Most days I don't notice it but it is there at night but just numbness with no pain.

Hi Crocodile can you remember what daily dose you took? It seems to vary from 100 to 600 Mg per day. I started on 300 but am thinking maybe need a higher dose?

 

[Crocodile]

Hi Crocodile can you remember what daily dose you took? It seems to vary from 100 to 600 Mg per day. I started on 300 but am thinking maybe need a higher dose?

Can't remember off the top of my head. I'll look it up when I get home. I know it was pretty high though.
Glenn

 

[Crocodile]

I had 400 in the morning and 400 after dinner. R-ALA and not the standard ALA
Glenn

 

[Alison54321]

This almost unreadable article, unless you're a scientist explains why antioxidants are useful in reversing diabetic neuropathy. My feeling is that using r-ALA is a very good idea, but if you can get as many others oxidants into your diet as possible, that improves the environment in which it has to work.

Be super kind to your body. Obviously you want to keep your blood sugar under control, but fruits and veg are extremely antioxidant rich, so you might want to see how you can increase your intact without impacting on blood sugar control.

The conclusion is readable, if you scroll down far enough.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4363503/

 

[tom_r_orr]

I had 400 in the morning and 400 after dinner. R-ALA and not the standard ALA
Glenn

Thanks looks like I need to up the dose and source some R-ALA too.

 

[tom_r_orr]

This almost unreadable article, unless you're a scientist explains why antioxidants are useful in reversing diabetic neuropathy. My feeling is that using r-ALA is a very good idea, but if you can get as many others oxidants into your diet as possible, that improves the environment in which it has to work.

Be super kind to your body. Obviously you want to keep your blood sugar under control, but fruits and veg are extremely antioxidant rich, so you might want to see how you can increase your intact without impacting on blood sugar control.

The conclusion is readable, if you scroll down far enough.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4363503/

Hi, thanks for your input.

I am surrounded by tropical fruit trees as I type and so I can easily add a bit more to my diet. I will also try to find some R-ALA supplements.

 

[tom_r_orr]

Thought I would resurrect my post of 15 months ago as I am still having the same issue with neuropathy. It's no worse or no better. It's bearable but I want rid of it.

To recap I am now more than 2 years on lchf and have managed to stay at my target weight and no longer take statins or metformin. My only meds are 5mg beta blocker and 5mg blood pressure, and an aspirin a day, as a result of some cardio issues 10 years ago. My morning sugars are always around 100 (5.5) and HBa1C stable at 5.9. I have avoided spikes by tightening my regime (aka not cheating) and even stopped drinking beer, which seems to cause an overnight flare up.

As a result of my initial question here, I managed to fnd R-ALA on a trip to the USA (I live in Thailsnd so no chance of finding it here). I took 600mg a day for almost 9 months with no results.

Just wondering if there have been any breakthroughs in treating neuropathy since my original post?

Are there any tests I can request to see if the nerve damage is permanent or not?

Thanks

 

[Walking Girl]

Thought I would resurrect my post of 15 months ago as I am still having the same issue with neuropathy. It's no worse or no better. It's bearable but I want rid of it.

To recap I am now more than 2 years on lchf and have managed to stay at my target weight and no longer take statins or metformin. My only meds are 5mg beta blocker and 5mg blood pressure, and an aspirin a day, as a result of some cardio issues 10 years ago. My morning sugars are always around 100 (5.5) and HBa1C stable at 5.9. I have avoided spikes by tightening my regime (aka not cheating) and even stopped drinking beer, which seems to cause an overnight flare up.

As a result of my initial question here, I managed to fnd R-ALA on a trip to the USA (I live in Thailsnd so no chance of finding it here). I took 600mg a day for almost 9 months with no results.

Just wondering if there have been any breakthroughs in treating neuropathy since my original post?

Are there any tests I can request to see if the nerve damage is permanent or not?

Thanks

Dr. Bernstein has quite a bit of information on neuropathy, including on his website and some on YouTube. It involves ALA, but also other supplements along with ALA that he feels are important. He provides recommendations for dosages of each, if I recall correctly.

Regular Aerobic exercise is very helpful for nerve health, of course.

I’ve also read that painful neuropathy is more closely tied to insufficient vitamin D levels. Has your D been tested recently?

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-diabetic-peripheral-neuropathy/

as far as I know, nerve function tests cannot determine reversible v irreversible damage. I guess the only real way would be to get tested now, and then a few years after your chosen attempted “treatment.”