Capsaicin Cream bad for healing, for diabetics, & avoiding nightshade vegetables
 

Perhaps this aspect of Capsaicin creme has been discussed, but I thought I might pass this along ....

Here's an interesting discussion on cutting out nightshade vegetables:
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/nightshades/

In the article, the author discusses why he believes using capsaicin cream for neuropathy inhibits healing and is bad for diabetics:

"Capsaicin makes your nerves release almost all the substance P they have, and researchers have therefore suggested that drugs containing capsaicin can help reduce pain. For example, there is an over-the-counter cream containing capsaicin that is promoted to help deplete substance P from local nerve endings and relieve pain.

However, inducing massive releases of substance P on a regular basis is like taking speed until your adrenals run out of adrenaline; it leads to a chronic local or systemic depletion of substance P. Substance P is necessary for proper healing. The brain gets a signal from substance P telling it that something is hurt and needs to be fixed. So when you have diabetics using capsaicin cream for their neuropathy, they feel better—the pain signal is gone—but they are inhibiting the healing process."

"... capsaicin is likely horrible for diabetics and their blood sugar control. I have witnessed firsthand the negative impact of consuming peppers on blood sugar control in some of my diabetic patients (the ones who keep diet and blood glucose logs)."

"When they inject capsaicin into mouse knee joints, it reduces blood flow. That’s a bad thing. Blood is what heals us. When neonatal rats were given capsaicin, their immune markers were depressed for ninety days."



I am not qualified to comment on any of what he is saying. However, I thought I'd copy this to move the discussion along one way or another since I have seen capsaicin mentioned routinely here and many are diabetics.

Natalie

another source questioning use of Capsaicin Creame
 

Here's another source that seems to discuss this:

Peripheral Neuropathy: Pathogenic Mechanisms and Alternative Therapies
http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/11/4/294.pdf

"Capsaicin is an active principal of the herb Capsicum officinalis and is believed to stimulate The initial stimulation of C-fibers results in burning
and irritation that stimulates release of substance P (a pain-relieving neuropeptide) and other neuropeptides. Repeated exposures result in a diminution of the initial burning and irritation and a long-lasting
analgesic effect ...

... Substance P levels increased initially during the first four weeks of the study, but declined to baseline by the end of the study, calling into question the long-term effect of capsaicin on Substance P..."

Referencing this study:
Forst T, Pohlmann T, Kunt T, et al. The influence of local capsaicin treatment on small nerve fibre function and neurovascular control in symptomatic diabetic neuropathy. Acta Diabetol 2002;39:1-6

reply
 

I tried this on my skin and really burned. Again sensitivity on my part...

Thanks for posting the articles, very interesting. I for one like the natural therapies, especially since most of my problems have been the result of prescribed drugs. Nightshades caused me a lot of pain until I learned from MrsD that some people with p.n. couldn't tolerate them.

I'm one of them too, and who'da thunk you could get cravings for potatoes‽‽‽

Doc