I was diagnosed with ideopathic neuropathy 4 years ago. This site has the most valuable information I've found.

I started taking B12, alpha lipioc acid, lecithin, niacin, and B6. The symptoms became more manageable after some time on these supplements.

Looking back I can see that I was having symptoms before I realized something was wrong.The first, that I could no longer tolerate taking a hot bath. My skin would itch so bad and no amount of scratching would relieve it.

Then I bought new work shoes and it felt like there were little stones or something in the right foot near the toes. I even sent them back and got another pair and had the same problem. Then the weird numb feeling in two toes on my right foot.

I finally saw a neurologist who diagnosed me.

It has since gradually spread to both feet and sometimes moves up my ankles. The symptoms come and go and are sometimes barely noticeable. other times they are very bad. I don't know what triggers a bad spell.

I've done a lot of research and there are a few things that can cause neuropathy.

The main one is diabetes. Also alcohol abuse. (However, I was married to a chronic alcoholic, and he doesn't have neuropathy at 68 years of age). Auto-immune disorders can also cause it, thought I don't know how.

That is why I am answering your post. Allergies are concidered an auto-immune disorder, and it sounds like you have quite a few. If your symptoms flare up when your allergies flare up, maybe there is a connection.

I'm just trying to throw some ideas out there. I know this a very frustrating diagnoses. Good luck with your healing process.

Thanks Judy, I have always thought that the drugs taken to combat my allergies were linked to my PN.....I never considered that the allergies themselves could be a culprit.

The ONE thing about "gettin older" that is not a negative is that the immune system retards, slowing down it's reaction to 'intruders'. When I retired in '07 I moved to Tennessee which is one of the highest pollen states. Everything here I found manageable(with topical steroids like Nasonex applied)> I can even cut, tedder and rake hay without much drama.

But, come September....BLACK September, the giant ragweed blooms and I am sunk. So, I leave.....get on my bike and ride West for a month....Pacific coast Highway, Grand Canyon, Moab....etc. Last year we went to Ireland in Sept.......FANTASTIC place!

You have a point, Spring(and it came really early here) brings the pollen levels off the chart. Maybe it was nothing I did, but something my environment did...to me. Much to ponder...THANK YOU!

This is prevalent...PN seems to pick and choose it's victims at random. I know for a fact it's not random, but we do not have all the pieces of the puzzle in front of us right now. Some day in the future it will be blatantly obvious, but our job now is to forge that path.

In my career as a public servant of 27 years(and I say that with reverence), in an urban environment, I was in contact on a frequent basis with humans living under a bridge(etc), drug user, alcohol abuser, completely subject to the environment/weather/insects/predators/etc, and when I retired over 20 years later many were still there. The ones that died usually died from another hand. My point is that what causes PN for some will never cause it for another...so we need to dig deeper......waaaaay deeper to fine the cause, and it is an elusive son of a ................

Sometimes vasculitis, which can arise from an allergic response, can lead to PN Types of Peripheral Neuropathy - Inflammatory - Vasculitis.

Kiwi, thanks for the link, this info is new to me.

It's amazing that I asked that neurologist 4 years ago if the drugs taken for my allergies for 40 some odd years had anything to do with PN...he said 'no' and that was all he said. The fact that he didn't mention Vasculitis, or ask me the extent of my allergies is perplexing.

Very interesting reply. My chiropractor told me that he cna't believe all the patients he's seen in the last few years who have ideopathic neuropathy. That indicates to me that possibly something recently introduced into our enviroment, health care system, or food supply, is having a detrimental effect on our nervous system health.

I am certainly curious about your comment that you know for a fact that it is not random. If you care to share more I am interested.

Sorry, my 'fact' is that I just don't believe in coincidences. The widespread use of chemicals in soil and on plants has to have long term negative impacts across the spectrum. We know that diet has a huge effect on diabetic PN. Worldwide, diabetes is expected to double between 2000 and 2030. Chronic hyperglycemia exposure causes most diabetic PN, but what is completely unknown is what effect GMO and other chemicals sprayed on the food have on PN. Then throw in the prolific use of over the counter and prescription drugs.

I'm 60, 4 years ago I have never heard of PN. Now I know personally several, and none are diabetic....or at least what any consider traditionally diabetic. Something is going on and we seem to be chasing our tail. It's time consuming, but I want to know what the % of PN sufferers are in say in some of those isolated pockets of people that live "off the grid" so to speak.

I'm not anti chemical. I do think they have their place and can be beneficial. But, with greed at the helm of the chem ship, off it sails laden with all the unknown side effects day after day.

And to add to my babble, here is just one observation. I was raised in the South and on and sunny spring/summer/fall day us kids would be out playing in the neighborhood. We had millions of white clover mixed in with St Augustine grass. Being barefoot, we always had to pay attention, or suffer the sting of the honey bee that was constantly harvesting the flowering clover. You could stand in a patch, and look down and see at least 20 bees working that in your perimeter of vision.

I challenge any of you to do that now, today. I'm in TN now and my farm is inundated with white and red clover and I can stand and stare and it is rare to see the honey bee. There are other species working the flowers now, but still not in the number that the honey bee used to do those many years ago. Recently at a Plantation on the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana there was a field of clover and we were walking the dogs through it.....not one honey bee spotted.

I think the bee's plight is related to our plight.....jmho

That's exactly how it feels for my feet except it's the sole area. The thing is the surface of the skin is not actually numb and I can feel the lightest touch but when I'm walking around, the sensation or numbness is there. Unfortunately, it's just of many sensory abnormalities that run from head to toe.

Yep, on the surface of the skin on both feet I can feel the lightest of touch. But when I take a step everything behind the surface is numb,...it is a bizarre feeling for sure.