Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that I have treated successfully perhaps more often than any other condition listed on my website. I have probably performed over 3000 treatments for this condition, maybe more. I can definitely say that in most cases it responds very well to acupuncture, though there have been a few people I have been unable to help (about 10%).
At this point in my long career I receive a lot more calls enquiring about more common ailments, such as back pain, headaches, hay fever, etc. I gained most of my experience treating peripheral neuropathy during the 7-8 years when I was the primary acupuncturist in Sacramento treating AIDS patients (from 1994 to 2001). I had a very good working relationship with the Sacramento Aids Foundation, an institution which unfortunately no longer exists, and C.A.R.E.S., which no longer funds alternative therapies like acupuncture. Almost every patient sent to me during this period had peripheral neuropathy as a primary complaint, usually caused by the heavy prescription drugs they were taking. I treated at least 10 neuropathy patients per week for several years and was able to develop an effective treatment protocol.
If you are taking the time to read this article, you probably already know what peripheral neuropathy is, but in case you don't, let me define it.
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which there is damage to the nerves enervating the extremities, hence the word “peripheral.” “Neuro” means “nerve” and “pathy” means “suffering or disease.” Generally, the sensory nerves are most affected, causing sensations of pain, tingling and numbness.at times the motor nerves are affected, causing problems with movement. In the most common type of neuropathy, the feet are affected first, and the pain and numbness can then progress up the leg. In other cases, the hands can be affected first, with pain progressing up the arms. The pain can often be quite intense. When numbness is severe, the patient's proprioception is affected, meaning that he or she does not receive sufficient sensory feedback from the feet or hands to allow comfortable walking or use of the hands.
According to my experience, there are essentially 3 types of peripheral neuropathy, catagorized by causality: drug-induced, diabetic and ideopathic. My AIDS patients suffered from the first type, due to all the strong medications they had to take. Now that there is no longer funding for these patients, I primarily see types 2 and 3. Type 2 is a common side effect of diabetes. Type 3 is more mysterious.The word “ideopathic” is a medical term derived from the Greek language which essentially means that nobody knows what the cause is.
The treatment for peripheral neuropathy is given on both sides of the body—points are needled on the hands or feet, or both, depending on where the pain or numbness is located. The patient is generally lying face up for this part of the therapy. The patient then lies face down and points are treated in the lumbar or cervical areas (or both, if the neuropathy is in the hands and the feet) close to where the spinal nerves exit from the spinal column. This strategic combination of local points around the spine and distal points on the feet and hands helps to reduce the sensitivity of the nerves and restore them to a state where they function normally. The treatments are actually quite relaxing, and patients often experience other health benefits as well.
For a more detailed explanation of how acupuncture works, there are many other articles on this website explaining the phenomenon, especially the ABCs of Acupuncture.
Results are generally not immediate—the effects of acupuncture for this condition are cumulative. Usually the patient will be feeling some benefit by the end of the fourth treatment, though it takes more treatments than four for the condition to completely clear up However, most patients do respond positively, as I said earlier.
To find out more, visit the Peripheral Neuropathy page in our Acupuncture Testimonials.