Acupuncture
 

I have been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy ? I was evaluated by a neurologist who is the head of the Neuropathy Center at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

After all of the blood work and two EMG's, the neurologist could not find a cause and, thus, concluded, in an extensive report, that it is genetic or idiopathic.

My symptoms are that my feet get numb when I sit, and more numb when my legs are extended, lying down, and the symptoms get worse at night. The numbness lessens considerably when I stand, but walking has become uncomfortable because my legs feel very heavy, like lifting them with weights attached.

The symptoms started over a year ago with numbness in my right foot, and drop foot syndrome, which was surgically corrected by decompressing a nerve by my knee.

The drop foot was resolved, but the numbness continued and about six months ago spread to my left foot, with the accompanying walking difficulty. My balance has also become unsteady.

I am taking a number of. Drugs, including Simvastatin, which I discontinued for thirty days to see if it relieved my symptoms, but it did not.

At this point, I am desperate and am thinking of trying Acupuncture.

Does anyone have experience with it, good or bad, or does anyone have other suggestions?

Thanks.

Ron

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

I do believe that 30 days is not long enough to stop simvastatin side effects, depending on how long you have taken it. Some posters here have had permanent damage. Some have reversed using supplements carefully, that affect mitochondrial functions.

I also would like to ask if you are supporting your lost CoQ-10 by this drug by taking a quality form in a supplement? ALL people taking statins lose CoQ-10 in the body, because the drug blocks the enzyme that normally makes it for everyone.

We have and have had posters here who think their PN was caused by this drug.

It is also possible this drug acted in concert with some other factor, such as hereditary risk, or with other neurotoxic drugs and/or chemicals.

Do you know why this nerve was compressed? What caused that?

Thank you for your response. No, I am not taking CoQ-10. From your question, I assume you are suggesting that I should take it, correct?

The neurosurgeon was not certain. She thought that it could have been caused by the repetitive motion of the elliptical trainer I was using daily. When I saw her this summer for a follow up visit, she did say that she was concerned about neuropathy developing.

I plan on having my statin changed from Simvastatin to another statin. Has this worked for others?

Are there other specific supplements you suggest I take?

And, what of Acupuncture? Have others had good results with it?

Thank you.

Ron

All statins cause neurotoxic results in some form or other.
Some more than others, and also higher doses are worse as you'd expect.

But I do think that if you continue, you will have progression regardless of which statin you are taking.

Mostly compression of the peroneal nerve behind the knee, is from severe prolonged flexion...as in squats and kneeling. Paratroopers who land with parashutes can damage this nerve also behind the knee. Chronic leg crossing also compresses it.
People who are very thin, have little of the fat pad behind the knee which protects from various compressions.

Wearing knee braces that are too tight might also be a problem.

There are now doctors who study the toxicities of statins, and their risk profiles. Dr. Beatrice Golomb MD is one.
Here is one link to her--
https://www.statineffects.com/info/

If you search her or Dr. Graveline MD who is also a doctor and former astronaut you find alot to think about. Dr. Graveline lost his memory on Lipitor and has a lengthy website too.
Dr. Graveline's take on CoQ-10:
http://www.spacedoc.com/statins_CoQ10.htm

Also recently the FDA has forced statin makers to admit to other toxicities, such as raised blood sugars, and memory loss with statins. As time passes and more is learned I think we will see this family of drugs fade away. It is already beginning in fact.

Yes, you should be on CoQ-10... a quality type, with good absorption.
300mg at least a day. The drug companies knew this from the first statin marketed by Merck. They even took out a patent for a CoQ-10 and Lovastatin mixture. But back then they could not improve absorption of CoQ-10 in pill form so they dropped it, and kept the secret. It is only recently that this need was revealed.

There are newer better forms by Qunol company and this one
http://www.epic4health.com/qgel-coq10.html
that are superior and would only need about 100mg a day.
Costco for example carries Qunol brand.

Normally CoQ-10 is not well absorbed from the GI tract, so with time
that hurdle has been lessened considerably.

I would also like to know if anyone with Peripheral Neuropathy has had any success with acupuncture. I was just talking to a fellow whose friend had terrible back pain which was relieved in just a couple of visits.

Hi,

I've had numbness/tightness and burning on the outer side of both calves for about 2 years (more precisely, I first noticed it about 2 years ago), and had gone to a neurologist, who did the normal blood tests, and an EMG, and got "diagnosed" with idiopathic PN. I tried Lyrica and then Horizant (new version of gabapentin) for awhile, with no relief, and then earlier this year, I went to an acupuncturist, who is a CMD (Doctor of Chinese Medicine).

I had almost 20 sessions total, over a period of about 2 months, and also was taking Chinese herbal medicine through most of that period, but got no relief from these symptoms. I stopped the treatment about 2 months ago, because I had some hip surgery, and haven't gone back after that.

I'm not saying that it doesn't work, or won't work for others, but it didn't work for me.

Jim

Hi Ron,

I have chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy that started about 4.5 years ago. I have tried acupuncture and different acupuncture doctors several times during this period. Unfortunately I have had no success. I do know of someone who told me she got significant relief from her neuropathy using acupuncture and persuaded me to try her doctor. So I traveled to her doctor (who was several states away) but it was a waste for me. I was very disappointed, and of course, out lots of cash! :(

So, it appears some people have gotten help where others have not. It can't help to try, though.

I still use pain meds 3-4 times daily, but have included the supplement plan here. Benfotiamine seems to have averted the huge flare-ups I have experienced. I still get bumpy times, but haven't had serious downtime lately. I take most of the suggested supplements along with the above in hopes of more healing.

Good luck.

Linda

Great Question
 

Hi Ron,

Interesting question. The responses should also be interesting.

I have heard of, and know of, many people helped with back pain via acupuncture. I do not know of anyone having been helped with PN via acupuncture.

I think there may be the potential to help with some forms of PN via acupuncture.
I am now quite curious about this.

Thanks for raising the question!
Will be watching the responses!
My Best to You,
DejaVu

There have been a half dozen or more threads about acupuncture in this forum. Here's a shortcut, but they can be found using the Search this forum function.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/se...ry=acupuncture

I don't recall anyone having any success with PN, but I haven't reviewed the threads lately.

Doc

Links that copy searches by another poster, don't seem to work here. It is something about the software.

So you have to redo searches. The search link is at the top of
the first index page here. And I have the system link in my siggie, for the whole NT system. There are acupuncture threads scattered all over the forums. Not often, but enough to be somewhat helpful in making a decision.

Our search function is pretty handy. I use it just about every day when I try to direct new posters, etc. You have to have at least 4 characters/letters for it to work, however.;)