Salt...
 

Has anyone else made a direct correlation between the severity of their neuropathy symptoms and salt intake?

I'm embarrassed at how long it's taken me to figure this out.

Could you say more about what you've noticed?

Alley

There is some evidence that mutant forms of some voltage-gated sodium channels are linked to peripheral neuropathy.

https://www.neurologyadvisor.com/pai...rticle/380020/

A couple of years ago, I sifted through my DNA results looked for the cited sodium channel mutations I could find. I didn't find anything then, but it's been a while. I need to re-check with the latest information.

Without going into all the gory details (unless you want them), here's what I can say conclusively at this point:

Moderate/high salt meals ramp up my burning symptoms immediately and last for hours. My thirst is pretty extreme. Despite drinking glass after glass of water, I'm still subject to incapacitating cramping in my feet and legs. If I have a salty meal in the evening, I'm guaranteed to wake up during the night with horrible cramps. I've even had what I can only describe as abnormal, widespread cramps where my entire leg feels like it's seized...for lack of a better word.

I'm also at the point where even if I don't overdo the salt in the evening, I still can't get through the night without waking up and having to drink water due to my "buzzing" symptoms that will make me up.

In the past month, I've started eating this substantial yogurt concoction at lunch instead of my normal soup or salad. It suddenly occurred to me how much better I've been feeling during the day, only to start burning in the evening. When I started experimenting with really low salt meals in the evening, that bad evening burn didn't manifest itself.

Anyone with cramping issues--
 

--should consider a magnesium supplement, and one that is well absorbed and not just dumped into the large intestine where it will tend to stimulate the bowel. Magnesium citrates or malates are probably better for this, instead of the usual magnesium oxide.

The body needs a balance of electrolytes, and those with too much sodium and not enough magnesium are quite common.

One should take one's magnesium supplements at a different time from any calcium supplements, as the tend to compete for absorption. And, there may be some drug contraindications, as magnesium may interfere with some drug absorptions, but one can usually find out about his through one of the more reputable drug interaction sites we have in our Useful Websites area here.

I've actually been taking 200 mg of magnesium threonate a day for probably a year now. I chose that form after doing some research, but really don't understand the differences well, nor have an idea of how much I should be taking.

I never thought that salt could play a part in PN. I quit both drinking alcohol and using salt in 2006 in response to my diagnosis of high blood pressure.
But, I did not become aware of my PN until 2011.

My PN of course is "idiopathic", largely just numbness with an occasional nerve zap.

Nothing seems to either help or make the PN flare, have taken B-12 in the past to where it actually showed increased levels in lab results(about 429->912).

I still take magnesium supplements, don't really see any dramatic effect, but magnesium is essential in different ways especially in support of the nervous system.

I have had it over 30 years, and still have not made the connection to salt intake and pain, I might try that tomorrow!
My Neurologist just put me on a anti inflammation dairy free diet, but I am noticing more EM pain, so maybe my recent modifications include more salt?
I am talking to a dietician in two weeks, I will see what she thinks.
I also have the unquenchable thirst, used to have horrendous cramping, but now only my high arches cramp.

Despite a very low salt meal yesterday evening, I was still hit by cramping during the night. The good news is that the burning was minimal, which I'll gladly take.

I just don't understand what could be wrong that my muscles can't make it through the night without cramping. I used to be able to sleep eight solid hours without ever waking up for any reason, but now it seems I can't go four-to-five hours without having to re-hydrate. My basic kidney values are fine.

i take slo mag which is available at walmart if you have one near you. it has really cut down on my muscle cramping, especially while sleeping. i still cramp up from time to time, but much less than in the past.

I took a generic version of Slo Mag for a long time before switching to threonate to give it a try. Maybe I'll switch back and increase the amount...just to try.

One thing I've learned in this journey that you can ingest all the nutrient-rich food and supplements that you want, but if your body can't process and make use of them, it's pointless. I learned that with my biotinidase problem. I have low levels of the enzyme necessary to unbind biotin from protein sources. When tested, my biotin levels are fine, but without adequate levels of the enzyme, I couldn't make use of it. I have to take a supplement in a freely bioavailable form to circumvent the enzyme problem.

What if my body can't process magnesium, or calcium, or whatever? The levels show as normal, but it doesn't mean the proper processing is taking place. I can't help but wonder if something like that is going on.

Posting these here for future reference:

Renal Control of Calcium, Phosphate, and Magnesium Homeostasis

Electrolyte Balance | Boundless Anatomy and Physiology

_______

Yes, I have a lot of pain in my hands when I retain water as a result of eating salt. I think the swelling (even minor) must put some pressure on the small fiber sensory nerves.

it can get quite maddening after a while....even the tests cant be trusted to be accurate for your individual case.

i have another illness now, diagnosed in June 2018 via biopsy....sarcoidosis.
less is known about the causes, and process than even peripheral neuropathy. testing is limited to imagining, cat and pet or biopsy. none of the blood tests are accurate. treatments are also limited, either prednisone, or methotrexate. prognosis is there is none, it can stay active, it can become less active, it never leaves your body so there is no remission.

to complicate matters, im sure i have had sarcoidosis since at least 2006, which was my first chest cat scan that picked up lung nodules, which was finally diagnosed to be sarcoidosis in 2018.

now the complexity of did sarcoidosis cause my peripheral neuropathy which first presented in 2001, or did sarcoidosis and peripheral neuropathy develop independently from the same toxic exposures. i am sure that i will never know. like i said it can get maddening

Gads, sorry to hear about the sarcoidosis. That's just downright rude to have TWO disorders that aren't well understood!

Interestingly, I had two inflammatory spots in my lungs show up. My PCP had nothing to say about them, and when I showed my neuro the report, she wanted to know what my PCP had to say. When I told her that my PCP had nothing to say, she looked a little surprised and said, "Well, that is interesting to me," but nothing more. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She did refer me to another neurologist/neuromuscular specialist at the Univ. of MD just to see if he has any thoughts.

you might want to have a pulmonary doctor take a look at those two inflammatory spots.

I've had terrible cramping in both legs at the same time during the night. I've been using "Theraworx Relief" before bedtime, and it has really eliminated the leg cramps. It's a magnesium sulfate foam that I get on Amazon. :grouphug:

Kind of an older post but I thought this would be a good fit.

I've been lurking for a few months trying to get some insight into solving my neuropathy. It started about 6 months ago as a burning sensation in my feet, which spread to my arms and torso and face. It's mostly pressure related at this point, so always worse at night. I am not diabetic. The neuropathy started after I developed hyperthyroidism.

Anyway, I also noticed that salty foods like salted cashews or corn chips seemed to worsen the pain. I tried an experiment with baking soda (1/4 tsp in 8 oz water) and also saw an increase in pain. I'm just now looking into sodium-related neuropathy and came across an article that talks about a sodium pump defect in diabetic neropathy.

A sodium-pump defect in diabetic peripheral nerve corrected by sorbinil administration: relationship to myo-inositol metabolism and nerve conduction slowing

Not enough posts for a direct link but it's a pubmed NIH document 2421135.

I'm wondering if anyone has already looked at this or has some experience with sorbinil.

Hi B_MC

Welcome to NeuroTalk :).

Sorbinil is an aldolase reductase inhibitor which may prevent the peripheral neuropathy in diabetes.

See this Wikipedia link for references:

Sorbinil - Wikipedia

Welcome B_MC. :welcome_sign:

Thanks for the welcomes.:)

I'm thinking maybe I should post the NIH article in the Diabetes forum. It probably has more relevance there.