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A New Option For Neuropathy
Gossett Clinic is leading the way in neuropathy care in Champaign IL. This condition involves abnormal sensations in the feet &/or hands. Symptoms may involve weakness, pain, numbness, tingling, or burning of the extremities. Some of the more common reasons for the development of PN symptoms are:
DR. TK Gossett, DC
1) Orthopedic complications in Champaign IL
Peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes (carpal tunnel, tarsal tunnel), spinal nerve root irritation/entrapment syndromes (from spinal degeneration/compression syndromes), as a complication of diabetes & as a side effect of cancer treatment.
2) Neurological complications
With interruption or disruption of the Sensory Pathways for light touch, deep pressure, vibration, 2-point discrimination, drag & of course pain. This can & will affect any or all the nerve receptors at the skin level (in the extremities), the peripheral nerves (running from the receptors to the spinal cord), the spinal cord (from T-12 – C-1 inside the spinal column), brain stem (at the base of the brain), cerebellum (at the base & back of the brain) & the cerebrum (upper part of the brain), resulting in the symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy.
3) Metabolic/Functional Medicine Complications (i.e. auto-immune conditions)
This is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks itself – in this case the nervous system. More recent research demonstrates Diabetes has an auto-immune component that can initiate & worsen PN – the primary reason it is often present with PN. These types of conditions can virtually involve any tissue of the body & act to exacerbate or worsen a condition like PN. Proper lab testing may be recommended to uncover this hidden complicating factor. Then specific Pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements to enable the healing of these tissues, lifestyle changes in diet & environmental stress reduction may be necessary to reduce overall inflammation, normalize the internal body chemistry/internal health & remove additional stress from the PN condition.
It is important to understand, there is no substitute for a thorough physical neurological examination, in this type of condition. This type of examination will always demonstrate the level of the neurological breakdown or lesion (of those tissues listed above), and then indicate where any specific additional testing should be performed, to determine if it is a frank lesion or a functional disconnect.
Patients often tell me their Primary Care Physician referred them to a Neurologist when this condition (PN) was first suspected. After waiting 6-8 weeks for the specialist’s appointment, they tell me the long-awaited neurological exam involved testing of one or two reflexes with a reflex hammer (which takes 1 minute, for a charge of $1,500 -$2,500) & then they indicate they are referred out for a generalized spinal/brain MRI or extremity EMG (which costs another $1,000-$2,000). Fortunately, in most cases, a mass or lesion is not found & the results of the MRI are considered negative or inconclusive.
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Our Approach With neurological physical exams
Often, but not always, the EMG will demonstrate abnormal nerve conduction in the affected extremity & confirm the diagnosis of (PN), but again will not demonstrate where the lesion or disconnect is, where again a thorough neurological physical exam will be specifically demonstrative.
Traditionally the patient is then usually told there is nothing to be done except possibly take some medication to take the edge off the symptoms – and that the condition will slowly progress, with worsening of the initial symptoms, then eventually development of loss of balance, requiring the use of a cane initially, later a walker & eventually a wheel chair, accompanied by complications of tripping & falling (after 60 years of age, this is the most common cause of death). Make no mistake about it, this is a condition which will end in your life prematurely, if the proper & effective treatment is not revealed & administered, by a qualified physician.
It is clear, even to the average individual that this scenario, (a 1 minute neurological exam followed by expensive high tech testing) which has been re-inacted thousands of times over the last 50 years across our nation, falls embarrassingly short of what these patients deserve in time & consideration. But now, things are different – there is a “silver lining in this cloud”. It is well accepted that the CNS (central nervous system) is like a computer. It is hard-wired, with the above mentioned tissues & soft-wired with programming. If there is no lesion in the tissues, then it is a programming or communication problem.
Are you suffering from:
Weakness in arms or legs
Abnormal sensations in feet or hands
Pain in hands or feet
Tingling or burning in extremities
This is why again, a thorough physical neurological examination is most important & most medically appropriate before any expensive testing is ordered. It will reveal the level of the problem (the programming or communication breakdown in a patient’s nervous system), and then direct the qualified physician to order the proper specific testing (to discover whether it is caused by a lesion or functional disconnect).
And there is more encouraging news! Medical research in approximately 2003 revealed that the CNS (brain, spinal cord & peripheral nerves) has plasticity (is moldable) & has the ability to regenerate.
Functional Neurology is a new sub-specialty that focuses on stimulating plasticity or regeneration.
I have over 60 hours of formal post-graduate training in Functional Neurology. When a thorough physical neurological examination demonstrates the level of breakdown in the nervous system, a physician who is properly trained & motivated can determine specifically where & how to activate the nervous system to stimulate plasticity & regeneration “resulting in improved function, from that level & downstream throughout the nervous system, as well as improved or reduced symptoms.”
So ultimately, yes it is possible to effectively improve the function of a patient with Peripheral Neuropathy & accomplish it without drugs or surgery.
We are accomplishing this on a daily basis here at Gossett Clinic.
Click here to hear it straight from our patients!
Then, if you or someone you know or care about suffers from PN, feel free to pass this information along & set an appointment for a consultation/case review with Dr. TK Gossett. He looks forward to helping you, a friend, or a loved one take charge of their life & regain their health!
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