This is a subject people just don't want to deal with. I have found over the years, that changing diet is one of the hardest for some patients to accept. Food is almost in the same belief category as religion! Comfort, nostalgia, convenience, pleasure, are all issues people rely upon during the day. To change their habits?
It can be very difficult, and many are resistant to the thought.
BUT... Some neuropathy can be connected to various food intakes.
When a person has a painful neuropathy that defies diagnosis, and is progressing, and tests are negative, one really HAS to consider food intake as a potential culprit!
1)
The biggest offender is GLUTEN. This peptide is found in some grains, wheat, rye, barley and is used heavily in foods and baked goods. (the treats we love, the pizza, pasta, bread).
So going gluten free as a test to see if PN improves is not greeted with enthusiasm.
This is a very good resource to clarify why gluten can be a problem.
http://sites.google.com/site/jccglutenfree/
http://sites.google.com/site/jccglut...eralneuropathy
I'll refer the reader to jccgf's wonderful webpage. We also have a Gluten forum here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum13.html
It goes into detail on blood testing, genetic testing, stool testing, and for those who have no insurance and who have limited financial means, just doing the diet may tell you that you have a problem with gluten. I did this diet for 3 yrs and during that time discovered MY problem was FRUCTOSE which I continued to use so that the gluten free diet was not that successful for me.
But many people over the years have found that the gluten peptide does get into their blood stream and wreak havoc with many systems including the nerves. If a person IS celiac or gluten intolerant, their GI tract does not work well, and the result is a condition we call malabsorption. This means that nutrients --vitamins and minerals-- are not absorbed properly and the result can be vitamin deficiencies. These nutrients will have their own thread soon. But B12, zinc, B6, folate, calcium, magnesium, etc are just some of the more common ones that can be impaired. Low levels of any of these (and some others) will cause significant symptoms all thru the body.
2)
There are other culprits from food as well. Some people may be intolerant to casein (from dairy), soy (vegetarians and others), nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant), citrus (may cause arthritis symptoms), and the lily family (onions, garlic). If one suspects some food as a trigger to burning pain, the only way to target it well, is to do an elimination diet. Avoid the suspected food for at least 4 weeks, and then introduce it again. Typically a symptom like burning, will taper off, and return with a vengeance when reintroduced.
Some people get allergic testing, but I think the elimination diet is less expensive and valuable and you can do it yourself.
This is how I found my fructose intolerance (which I discovered 1 in 3 people share!). Also potatoes trigger my foot burning so now I avoid those. I personally think that this happens over our lifetime, slowly, and may be related to the OTC NSAIDs we take for pain. Also chronic use of antibiotics upset the GI tract and inflammation occurs and elements from these foods than pass thru the leaky gut that results and end up in our blood stream where they don't belong, and cause inflammation from the reactions by our immune systems. The way NSAIDs work, was shown in some studies back in 1999, that illustrated that
these common drugs, block Cox-2 which is in the lining of the intestines for a reason ....to block foreign substances from getting into us the wrong way. By blocking this critical enzyme, the peptides from foods then can enter us and create conflicts with our immune system.
3)
Another way food may cause PN type symptoms....is the release of histamine. Histamine may be released from food that is stale or going bad, or it may be triggered by some factor in the food.
Here is a link to histamine releasing foods:
This link explains the difference between allergy and intolerance and lists the foods that can be culprits:
http://www.michiganallergy.com/food_and_histamine.shtml
One can Google "foods high in histamine" and find many websites to explain this.
When histamine is involved, there may be 1) itching, 2) redness, 3) burning sensations, 4) tingling
Some of these often are described by people with PN as well.
4)
Food Additives: These include MSG, salt, hot spices like curry, hot peppers. MSG is a manmade form of glutamate and is very hard to handle...it floods receptors for pain, called NMDA receptors, and often may blur vision, increase thirst, cause tight feelings in the chest and/or headache. Often in Asian foods, soy sauces, soups, stews, and most restaurant food.
There are many many sites on Google on this subject. This one for example explains how MSG may be hidden in your food:
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/II.WhereIsMSG.html
This additive can be very destructive to some people. Its potential for causing discomfort and worse, should be an incentive for people to avoid processed foods as much as possible and eat fresh, whole foods.
Spices also may induce burning. I've had some reactions to curry myself, so when I use it, I use it lightly. Reactions to spices and MSG is a very personal thing. Some are very sensitive some not. So doing a elimination of a suspected spice, and reintroducing it may the the way you discover any culprit in your food.
And this is a good resource for finding out the nutritive value of your food choices:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
You can search most foods and some common processed foods too, on this site, and it will give you 1) inflammatory index, 2) protein,carb, fat content, 3) vitamins and minerals, 4) glycemic index load:
Broccoli:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/v...roducts/2356/2
When making changes to your diet the above website is really handy and very helpful!
One last thought: Trying to change your diet is not easy. So take it day by day, and slowly over time, you will find you may improve and feel much better.
If you eat out frequently because of your job, there are now interesting books and resources to help you choose foods in restaurants.
I really enjoy this resource:
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home
(women can use it too, even though it is on a menshealth type website). I saw this on Rachel Ray's show once about dormitory food for college students. I thought it was a great way to learn about food and how to make wise choices.
This thread is open to comments and questions about food.