In the Blaylock Newsletter that came today, he mentions a new natural treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy. He says that "new research suggests that PN is caused by inflammation of the nerves with overactivation of glutamate receptors, leading to destruction of nerve fibers and overactivation of pain-regulating neurons in the spinal cord." One study found that "minocycline, an antibiotic that blocks microglia activation helped post-herpetic neuralgia."

Based on that, he tried a natural substance isolated from green tea, L-theanine, an amino acid, on a patient. By the second day, he showed 90 percent improvement. L-theanine is a mild stimulant for glutamate receptors and keeps glutamate from full activation. The advantage over minocycline is that it does not kill the good bacteria in the gut. It also has a good safety profile, even in very high doses .

He recommends "200 mg 3 times a day, taken 30 minutes before meals. This can be increased to 400 mg 3 times a day if needed. L-theanine stimulates restful, uninterrupted sleep, reduces anxiety/depression and improves memory."

He also recommends adding other anti-inflammatory flavonoid supplements such as curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol, luteolin, hesperidin and ellagic acid.

I checked I-Herb and they carry many brands of L-theanine. Most of the reviews were positive about its calming effects, but I didn't see anyone commenting on its use for PN--however, I think I'll try it, as the burning has been pretty bad this summer.

He went on to comment on statins being a known cause and the incidence of PN among uses of statins was 14 times higher at the lower doses, and now that doctors are recommending higher doses, he thinks we can expect higher incidences of PN.

Very interesting, thank you.

I have noticed a different burning for me as of late. On the surface of my legs, it happens when a temperature change occurs, like when I walk out of our freezing office to the outside at lunch time or after work, then again when I walk into the cold office. At least it isn't lasting a long time, still a new symptom.

This is interesting. My son uses theanine for anxiety and likes it.
He uses Sun brand. I think theanine is pretty benign and worth trying.
There is a small amount in my melatonin from Schiff that I take.

I find that Dextromethorphan can have a positive effect too. I use it in sometimes when I have sinus problems. I use a product called Mucus relief cough, to help with sinus congestion since I cannot take decongestants because of my blood pressure. The DM stops the dry cough from the sinus drip at night. But I found over the years it helps with PN too. Mucus relief cough is similar to expensive Mucinex DM, and I purchase it at WalMart. It is about $7.00 for 60 tablets and often I just use 1/2 of that so they last me a long time.

I'd think carefully about long term minocycline though...it is not harmless.
It used to be commonly used for acne control, but is less so now I guess because of the risks of intercranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minocycline

Here is a listing of side effects reported to the FDA in chart form:
http://www.drugcite.com/?q=minocycline

The precautions and side effects of minocycline can be found here:
http://www.rxlist.com/minocin-capsules-drug.htm
minocycline may cause less bowel disruption, but it is still capable of causing colitis. And the thyroid cancer implications are sobering.

Minocycline does have some anti-inflammatory actions and I've seen it and tetracycline used for carpal tunnel patients in the past.

The antioxidant suggestions are good. I think this would be the first thing to try, as it is fairly safe and effective in some cases. If you get curcumin, buy one with enhanced absorption.

I might try the Theanine when I get back from vacation. My son really likes it. He has ADHD and glutamate is a player in that condition too.

And this new information reiterates, that PNers should avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate)...which does excite neurons! This is everywhere in processed foods.

Thanks for the article...I like Dr. Blaylock very much. I've watched many of his YouTubes.

There are drugs in the pipeline called ampykines, which were supposed to target glutamate and reduce its over expression.
I wonder why we haven't heard about them lately? hmmmm?

More on dextromethorphan:

There is a new drug out there being offered for pain management, and it contains DM + quinidine to slow the metabolism of the DM...so it might be more effective. It is just being offered in some pain management programs.
Here is a link about it....
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread152732.html

Also DM is in the news for MS, and PD as well. Here is a link to that discussion:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread153405.html

I also posted years ago about my response to DM and my feet, back when they were burning up a storm:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...xtromethorphan

DM is a NMDA pain receptor blocker, and is weak in this action, but does work on glutamate actions. This pain receptor is also blocked by magnesium. So attention to that is important.

I know Nide44 tried it long ago with is doctor's supervision, but felt it wasn't working for him. High doses were used.

Now it seems that low doses, may work in a different way. It is something to think about. At high doses, there are side effects.
Sometimes I get dizzy with it for example. I crack the Mucus relief in half (it is not coated or delayed release) and it still seems to work for me, without the dizziness. The PD posters here have discussed low dose DM for quite a while. If you search there, using "dextromethorphan" you'll find many posts.
So even in small amounts it does seem to affect the nervous system.

This article was at the end of his main theme for this month which was the many benefits of magnesium, including it being a pain reliever. He started the series last month on magnesium and continued it this month. He said it's very hard to measure the amount in your body because it's in every cell; only 1% circulates in the blood.

Last month he suggested Magnesium Citrate and said if it is causing diarrhea, it isn't being absorbed. I have to watch out for that.

Some of us are using the new lotion from CVS instead of oral.

I have to really recommend it.

CVS Epsom lotion:
http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/sh...new_crumb=true

The price on this website changes from 5.99 to 9.99 depending on "sales". I get mine locally for 9.99.

I apply it to my inner arms, where the skin is the thinnest.
About a dime sized area on both arms.

It is a nice lotion...not greasy and no fragrances.

Nice to see Dr. Blaylock join in with magnesium. Dr. Jay Cohen as well...I've been posting about it for 10 yrs now.

HI Mrs. D,
I was treated with very high doses of DM for pain last year. As I have said before I have a difficult time with high doses of medication. I was to out of it to tell if it even helped with the pain.
hopeful

This post is the first time I have read about theanine and I am wondering how people are doing with it? Are you still using it? Why? What is it specifically doing for you?

thanks