Could neuropathy be due to genetics?
What caused your neuropathy? do you know? There are so many causes of neuropathy and sometimes you get to a point where we just give up looking for causes and call it “idiopathic” which really means “we have no idea the cause”.
But for those of you who are searching, some of the causes are:
1. Diabetes/pre-diabetes
2. Hereditary
3. Toxic/secondary to drugs
4. Inflammatory
5. Systemic metabolic
6. Compression
7. Idiopathic (we have no idea the cause)
Today we’re going to talk about hereditary causes: there are a few conditions that cause hereditary neuropathy. Here are a couple:
Charcot-Marie, Tooth Disease
One condition is Charcot-Marie Tooth Disease. Or we’ll call it CMT for today. CMT causes progressive degeneration of the muscles in the foot, lower leg, hand and forearm. It got it’s name from the 3 french doctors won discovered, Charcot, Marie and Tooth.
This particular genetic disease cannot be cured, however the neuropathy can be managed effectively wth some of the techniques we use in our neuropathy protocol.
Hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) is a relatively common, though under-diagnosed, hereditary disorder in which a fairly mild pressure or trauma to a single nerve results in episodes or periods of numbness and weakness, similar to an arm or leg going to sleep. Unlike a limb going to sleep for a few seconds, each episode of numbness can last from several minutes to several days or months. The most common sites are the wrists, in conjunction with carpal tunnel syndrome, the elbows, and the knees. HNPP is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, which means that each child of a person with HNPP has a 50% chance of inheriting the genetic mutation. It may be misdiagnosed as Charcot-Marie Tooth disease or Bell’s palsy.
Can Anything Be Done?
While the genetics of the disorder may never change, our 7 step neuropathy program will allow you to generate real and lasting healing of those peripheral nerves. The 7 Step Program includes.
Light Therapy: we use the specific wavelength of light that has been shown in imaging studies to increase blood vessel growth around the peripheral nerves. This means those peripheral nerves have the proper oxygenation to heal.
Electrotherapy: The type of electrotherapy that’s used is completely different from something like a tens unit in that it uses the same frequency scientifically shown to stimulate nerve function and growth.
Specific nutritional recommendations: Nutrition is vitally important. Many times, our nerve damage comes from blood sugar levels that are far from optimal. So eating a diet that will normalize blood sugar, reduce inflammation and pain can only help your healing of this condition.
Supplementation: Certain supplements are proven to assist with healing from neuropathy. These supplements in combination with the other techniques help facilitate your healing faster.
Exercise: making sure you exercise is of utmost importance. Your body heals and regenerates as you are exercising. In order for the body to be stimulated to grow more muscle tissue, or more nerve fibers, it must be stimulated and exercise is one major way to accomplish that.
Joint mobility and stability protocols: There are specific protocols we’ve developed to help you with the mobility in your joints. You have 26 to 28 bones in each foot and it’s very easy for fixations to occur. These fixations cause nerve and circulation disturbances. Our program gives you the tools to correct that imbalance.
No matter if your neuropathy is caused by genetic, medication or something else. You can still stimulate the nerves to function better, you can still promote blood flow to those peripheral nerves to allow them to function to their fullest potential. This may slow the degeneration caused by the genetic disease allowing you to function as close to 100% as you can. And that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
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