What to Look for in Neuropathy Supplements
Nerve health supplements have gained the attention and support of many medical practitioners to help reduce the ever-growing population of those who suffer from neuropathic symptoms. These include numbing, pain, tingling, and burning sensations. In fact, experts recommend patients try these vitamins and herbs for nerve pain with other alternative treatments to speed up nerve rehabilitation.
Neuropathy supplements
Choosing one of the many neuropathy supplements shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Aside from consulting with your doctor, you should also look for these four crucial vitamins in neuropathy supplements that are prescribed to you.
1. Benfotiamine
This lipid-soluble derivative of thiamine— more commonly known as Vitamin B1— has been proven more efficient in promoting nerve health because it stays longer inside the human body. Unlike thiamine, benfotiamine can only be dissolved by fat which means it remains in the digestive tract longer and is more bioavailable.
The chronic disease characterized by high glucose levels in the blood often comes with neuropathic complications since excessive blood sugar damages nerve cells.
Diabetics also often experience high levels of oxidative stress that lead to nerve damage.
Benfotiamine works very differently from other diabetes medications as it decreases intracellular glucose and aids in breaking down toxins produced from blood sugar. Because of this, benfotiamine is considered a hidden gem in diabetes treatment.
2. Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha-Lipoic acid or ALA is a type of fatty acid that is naturally present in the body. Many experts recommend incorporating ALA in diabetes and neuropathy treatment because of its action in improving insulin resistance.
Likewise, non-diabetes patients who also experience signs of nerve damage, such as pain, prickling, and tingling sensations have also benefited by taking supplements that contain ALA. If you are looking for cognition enhancers, take a look at WholisticResearch, they have a wide variety of authentic and legal nootropics.
However, more studies need to be conducted to determine the proper dose of ALA.
3. Methyl B-12
Methylcobalamin or methyl B-12 is a fat-soluble variant of the B-Complex member, Vitamin B-12. Like Benfotiamine, it is better retained in the body since metabolizing it takes longer. It has also been considered the most effective form of cobalamin.
Cobalamin deficiency causes a heap of medical problems, including fatigue, grey or thinning hair, infertility, mental conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and anemia.
People with conditions characterized by chronic pain such as fibromyalgia and neuropathy may also be lacking this nutrient in their bodies.
Aside from these ailments, supplementing with methyl B-12 may also improve auditory and sensory symptoms of multiple sclerosis as it is known to aid in the regeneration of damaged myelin sheath, the fatty membrane that protects the nerves.
4. Magnesium
While magnesium is mostly found in bones, the nerves also require this nutrient to function properly.
With that in mind, a study featured at the International Conference on AIDS in 1994 established a significant link between magnesium deficiency and peripheral neuropathy.
More recently, another study based on an animal model showed that magnesium supplementation has beneficial effects on mice with diabetes, particularly in terms of developing peripheral neuropathy related to the disease.
Other studies conducted using topical magnesium also showed that it aids in cell regeneration and can combat nerve pain by enhancing the good effects of opioid analgesics.
It also diminishes side effects from the addictive substance and has also been linked to patients requiring lower doses. According to experts, this is due to the hyperstimulation of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in the central nervous system, also known as allodynia.
Magnesium has also been proven to inhibit neuromodulators that are involved in pain signals from the spinal cord and reduce pro-inflammatory mediators.
Wrap-Up
Don’t take choosing a neuropathy supplement lightly. Take your time, do your research, ask your doctor, and then move forward in a more healthy direction!
