Hi!
I am new to this forum, eventhough I have been diagnosed with PN a year ago.
Just wondering if natural aspirin (White Willow Bark) could have the same devastating effect on the stomach...does anyone knows?
thanks,
Bea

Here is an official site with willow bark information:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/w...ark-000281.htm

The potential is there... but depending on dose, I would think the risks of bleeding would be less than aspirin if used prudently.

The bleeding effects are not local from the stomach always...they can be induced thru the blood stream to the tissues that way.
That is how all NSAIDs work. They interfere with PGE1 synthesis which builds the protective stomach lining in the first place.

Hi Liza Jane,
I took your advice awhile back, been on it about a month, somewhat better. Just started watching diet closer, cutting out all processed food, bad sugars, keeping carbs lowered. I am not diabetic but wonder what this diet will do. Tried everything else, I was gluten intolerant for years before finding out a year ago so the damage done during that time is probably the culprit but digestion is great now w/o gluten, so I'm doing the CoQ10, acetyl carnitine, evening primrose, R-lipoic acid and multiple vitamins. Also exercise an hour a day. Thanks for your input. I hope you didn't have to have the spinal surgery.

I just had a MRI and the results was...disk degeneration at L5-Sl with a with a midline annular tear and shallow central disk protrusion but without nerve
encroachment or canals stenosis. Does this mean I may not have small fiber neuropathy just as you are saying.

--you may still well have neuropathy; there are many more systemic causes of neuropathy besides nerve compression in or near the spinal cord. ("Radiculopathy" is the term for nerve symptoms caused by compression of the spinal nerve roots.)

LizaJane - Thank you for your inspiring message. I have do not yet know the cause of the neuropathy that I have. I have autoimmune symptoms akin to Sjogren's, but I don't meet the strict diagnostic criteria.

I noticed you said that as long as someone doesn't have a Sjogren's picture or CIPD, then the neuropathy can improve. Does that mean those of us who may have Sjogren's or CIDP or some other autoimmune cause are doomed?? Is there no way to stop the progressin of neuropathy caused by autoimmune disorders?

Thanks.

LizaJane,Yah, right. I told them I had learned how to care for it--the secret is feeding the mitochondria needed to grow axons (CoQ10, acetyl L carnitine) and taking antioxidants to keep inflammation from causing harm. In addition, keep using the muscles, whether you feel them or not. That was the secret I learned on this forum.

And really, my symptoms are so small compared to 10 years ago. Yes, they're not gone, but they are not that significant.

It can be done. If you've got an idiopathic small fiber neuropathy, or long fiber, and don't have an ongoing CIDP or Sjogren's picture, your peripheral nerves can heal.[/QUOTE]

Well this does work and the only problem is the money to continue the program we start for ourselves. I came herelloking for a solution to using Cymbalta for nerve pain and this made sense to me as I used these itmes years ago and had no burning of my feet./ But got very ill with a viral infection I had to do the doctors way of meds for a while. Now I am, back on my burning feet and am seeking relief with out Cymbalta ebing my only answer. I also use Manuka Honey with Bee Venom as I am not allergic to it and find Same to be of great benefit too . But as you say the nerv e can heal . I thought so and to read this i s so good!! big hug and thanks

Thanks to you all for posting on this board with so many encouraging suggestions and ideas and experiences with PN and associated issues.
I started noticing numbness in the soles of my feet back in the year 2000. In 2001 I started training for a marathon, running from 3 to 8 miles a day, and then late that year, running the Baltimore Comcast 26.3 mile marathon.
I guess I shouldn't have done all that running, because my numbness progressed through those months to include numbness and tingling in both feet and up the ankles, and the fingers of both hands. There was no pain, just numbness and tingling. My VA Medical Center doctor ordered an MRI and a multitude of tests, only to finally determine no cause. I am not diabetic, not anemic, no other deficiences, etc. Neurological testing showed some deterioration of the nerve endings. They diagnosed me, finally in 2005, with idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy and told me there was nothing they could do for me. Without determining a cause, they could offer no treatment. Later that year, I sent samples of my blood to a California lab and was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I took these findings to the VA and they ordered more tests, including a spinal tap. The infectious disease doctor then told me, in a very impatient tone, that I had absolutely "no Lyme disease, and no infectious disease of any kind!" She added that there was "no such thing as chronic Lyme disease," and anyone who said there was, was just "in it for the money." And that was that!

Since then I have always felt that chronic Lyme might be the underlying problem causing my peripheral neuropathy, but before I could investigate further, at age 78, I had a heart attack. The cadiologist diagnosed me with coronary artery disease, with 40% blockage in the left artery, and 100% blockage in the right artery. He put one stent in the left artery He told me that, normally, he would advise by-pass surgery for the right artery, but I had established a collateral artery, sort of a natural by-pass, which although small and fragile, would serve me now and I should exercise to build up its strength. So from that time on I have been focused on recovering from this arterial plaque issue, regaining my strength and stamina slowly. And letting go of my concern over peripheral neuropathy for several intervening years. Now, at age 80, I find this forum and consider it a godsend to have available this information just as I am preparing to return to the VA for annual testing.

I am following the protocol, in part, suggested here for PN, but following it for my arterial condition. These supplements are recommended for the heart and other cardiological issues as well as for PN. So now I think I understand what I need to do going forward: focus on refining my supplement regimen, which has served so well in my coronary artery recovery. I am convinced that the supplements I am taking, and the diet I am following (mostly raw foods), with some refinements, will also bear the chance of alleviating the PN as well.

I have never had any pain associated with the PN, just numbness and tingling. The numbness has advanced to encompass my entire periphery, including my scalp, my face, my buttocks, my legs, my arms and fingers. Everything tingles. So now I have discontinued my Plavix in favor of a natural protocol which is working well, or so it seems. I am anxious to see what my test results will reveal in month or so. I am using flaxseed oil blended with organic, low fat cottage cheese (known as the Budwig protocol) which has given me a big increase in energy; cayenne pepper and fresh lemon juice in warm water every morning; raw honey and cinnamon powder before bedtime; and lots of supplements and exercise. I lift weights and walk a lot, no more running. The supplements are: Vitamin B-100 Complex, Vitamin C (8000 mg daily), Vitamin D-3 (5000 IU daily), Vitamin E (400 IU daily), Co Q-10 (600 mg), R-Lipoic Acid, Serrapeptase, Nattokinase, Saw Palmetto Berry(450 mg), Fennugreek, Kelp powder, Spirolina powder, Aged Garlic, L-Tauralin, L-Arginine, L-Carnitine, and a few others. I have fruit smoothies for breakfast, raw carrots, apples, grapes, etc during the day, then at night I'll have a dinner of salad, maybe some chicken breast or salmon, and a vegetable like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, or sprouts. I eat no red meat, no sugar, no dairy (except the cottage cheese), no cheese, no white flour, no white rice, no white pasta, no wheat, no gluten. I feel 100% better. But I'm still numb! Thanks to you all, now I will start working on that issue, using your generous suggestions and advice to see what works.
Thanks for bein' there!
legsdickson
Washington, DC

My legs below knees more and more numb...neurolologist says - no cause, no cure - live with and be thankful there is no pain. trying chelation therapy, just starting because tests report heavy metals. any success frm anyone with chelation?
I tried herbal anti inflammatory etc. thanks. Ron S.

^^In the 15 months or so since my diagnosis, my PN symptoms have progressed from the bottoms of my feet to above the knees. Also, have some arm and hand symptoms.