Hi Ms. Aussie Debbie!!!

First of all, hey Mrs. D and Dr. Spock!! My triggers are any food that increases blood sugar too, Doc Spock, but the Benfotiamine and Alpha Lipoic Acid took care of that... that and a little over the counter Progesterone Cream (Refer to "What you Doctor May Not have told you about Menopause" or "Perimenopause" by Dr. Lee.

You see, menopause is what happened to me. When you hit menopause, your ability to process sugar gets crappier... it's not as good as it used to be before when you were younger. That's how come I came to wind up with a disease that is mostly caused by diabetes when I in fact had sugar levels that were within the normal ranges. This is what I suspected on my own (the menopause theory) and was later confirmed by two doctors in Annapolis. Although a third in the same practice said there is no scientific proof that progesterone (cream or oral gel caps) relieves neuropathy. I thought to myself, well that may very well be but my 'burning legs and but' study gave me all the scientific knowledge I desired thank you very much.

Again, the mud I will point out, in addition to lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure (all purported benefits here) is also supposed to cure most menopausal ills. That's because it helps level out hormonal imbalances, which when added to my regimine, brought down my neuropathy symptoms from manageable to ZILCHO.

I used to take coconut oil for my arthritis and heel spurs, it used to help tremendously, enter, neuropathy - BUZZER SOUNDS!!!! Burning pain and tingling of all sorts, feet, legs but.... even up into the arms and the neck.... plus it's sneaky. It doesn't start right away. I take it, think I am getting away with it, then it hits me like a ton of bricks at night.

Next, fish oil. Used to take it all the time, gobs of it, made my mood lift. Enter nueropathy, buzzer sounds again!!! Now immediately and severe nerve pain in Left foot - the GOOD FOOT, mind you... one doc theorized it might be the mercury. Mercury is one of the items removed, porportedly, by the mud.

Then there was the wonderful promising tumeric root for arthritis!! You simply eat about a third of a raw tumeric root, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and wella - arthritis gone!!! And boy did it work! I was in complete amazement. But it didn't last because surprise surprise, like most things that dont react well with my neuropathy, the tumeric root is a powerful phytoestrogen, sending hormones additionally out of whack. The arthritis relief was quickly overshadowed by some of the most powerful nerve burning in legs I've experienced to date. I was heartsick. Next came the mud!!!

So, pretty much my theory on neuropathy is this.... it's due to hormones draining out of your body (menopause and for both men and women, aging) or imbalances some people are unlucky enough to have at a young age... Sugar is just not processed as well as it was when you were younger and had more youthful hormone levels. That's my theory. Diabetes you say? Ok, what age did that happen? I know some children have it but I mean the run of the mill type 2....

I even saw noted on menopause symptoms lists "tingling of the hands or feet." Gee, what does that sound like?

So therefore, coconut oil and fish oil I can't take, no miraculous tumeric root either (tastes like crap, turns your teeth orange, but your arthritis will improve in a few hours if you can tolerate it).... Then I think I had an itch prick attack over vitamin E pill once, Canola oil makes for burning nerves whereas Olive Oil is ok.

I did bring my tolerance up to eat once piece of salmon per night, I put up with the somewhat slight burning, it eased over time and now completely gone with the wondrous mud.... and I am able to take Flaxseed Oil too, but I have to use a bit more progesterone cream because of that as it is also a very powerful phytoestrogen. Flaxseed oil does a LOT for arthritis too, like the coconut oil used to, but even the mighty Flaxseed oil has been trumped by the Diatom Fossil Flour Mud! I still take my share of flaxseed and flaxseed oil for arthritis help and the cardio benefits.

For me, I have to carefully check each oil. Supplements too, Acacia powder, dirt cheap and great to help with weight loss, used to be able to use that, now, just brings on those burning nerves particularly in the calf that Mrs. D. helped me get rid of with getting the Vitamin D level worked out.

This is all from my experience only - I've only tested all on myself, so far I haven't died, who knows, I could, so take all I've said with a grain of salt please. I found out Google helped me more than my nuerologist because Google is what brought me here. Google is what helped me figure out the sugar/menopause connection and Google is what helped me figure out that coconut oil was causing me problems even though it didn't used to. I believe in Google.