Neuropathy

In 1990 I developed neuropathy in my feet. I saw the doctor and a neurologist and had all kinds of testing, but no one knew what had caused it. Having had a previous experience with illness that the medical profession could not help, I decided to solve the problem myself. My neuropathy had begun when I started taking vitamin D. We know that vitamin D is important for the bones, and now it appears that it is essential for the immune system and many systems. However, one has to be able to properly metabolize the vitamin D for it to be helpful. I felt that the flawed metabolism of vitamin D was the cause of my neuropathy. My question was, what did I need for the metabolism of D that I apparently was not getting. I experimented with many vitamins and minerals with no results and eventually got much worse. The neuropathy spread up my legs and into my hands. I began having trouble tying my shoelaces and writing.

I learned that I could not absorb minerals without supplements of pancreatin/ pancreatic enzymes. I have been anemic all of my life and the pancreatin helped my iron absorption and improved my hemoglobin levels. I eventually went to see a Chinese physician who did acupuncture to see whether acupuncture would alleviate the pain in my feet. It did give me some temporary relief. I talked to him about mineral deficiencies and he said that he could give me minerals intravenously. I tried that with chromium and magnesium which were two minerals that I felt were probably important. The chromium totally relieved the pain and the poor proprioception that were involved in the neuropathy. I had found earlier that the magnesium was important for relieving the numbness. The numbness left my hands and legs, but I still have numbness in my feet which is probably due to the long term lack of magnesium causing permanent nerve damage.

I think that diabetics probably have poor absorption of magnesium and chromium. In fact that may be the reason some people are diabetic. Simply taking the supplements may not help at all. Pancreatic enzymes may be necessary to improve the absorption. Even then it takes large amounts of the minerals, because the absorption levels are still not normal. Magnesium is easily lost from the system. Alcohol and sugar drain it out of the body. There may be other causes of poor absorption and of magnesium loss as well. Oral diabetic medications may also drain magnesium from the system. Magnesium deficiency from the medications may be the reason that the medications sometimes cause heart attacks. It may be necessary to have the minerals intravenously at first to build up to normal levels. Then they might be maintained with oral supplements. I have been able to maintain my mineral levels with pancreatin and large doses of oral supplements.

Intravenous or oral supplements of Magnesium Sulfate may not be the best approach for treatment. Sulfate stimulates vitamin D metabolism which is good, but it can further increase the need for magnesium. The magnesium being given intravenously or orally may not be enough to keep up with the increased vitamin D that is being metabolized. I recommend magnesium chloride or magnesium oxide. (Intravenous magnesium sulfate is given to pregnant women when they develop pre-eclampsia. The magnesium is necessary, but sulfate may not be the best form. When it does not seem to be working, magnesium oxide or magnesium chloride should be used.)

Some people believe that whole grains inhibit absorption of magnesium. I disagree with this. Whole grains transport magnesium to the organ systems where it is needed. This can seem to increase the need for magnesium, but the magnesium is actually being utilized rather than simply passing through the system. So with whole grains, one can take more magnesium and absorb more magnesium into the body. Blood testing for magnesium is not reliable, because it show the magnesium in the blood stream and circulatory system. It does not tell us whether the heart or the eyes or any other system is getting the magnesium it needs. Scientists have worked on this problem of testing for magnesium levels, but have not found any solution.