Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur if you have diabetes. High blood sugar can damage nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet.

The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include pain and numbness in the legs, feet and hands. It can also cause problems with the digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and heart. Diabetic neuropathy can be quite painful and disabling. Diabetic neuropathy is a serious diabetes complication that may affect as many as 50% of people with diabetes. But you can often prevent diabetic neuropathy or slow its progress with consistent blood sugar management and a healthy lifestyle.

Symptoms of Diabetic Neuropathy include :

Numbness in hands or legs

Tingling or burning feeling

Sharp pains or cramps

Muscle weakness

Extreme sensitivity to touch

Serious foot problems like ulcers, infections, bone and joint damage

Diagnosis & Treatment

Diagnosis of Diabetic Neuropathy is done by Physician through clinical examination and tests like Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) or EMG. Blood tests for diabetes control like Blood Sugar Fasting & PP, HbA1C, LFT, KFT etc are also required.

The best way to prevent or delay diabetic neuropathy is by living a healthy lifestyle and keeping blood sugar under good control. Avoiding smoking and binge drinking also contribute in preventing nerve damage due to diabetes.

The best treatment for diabetic neuropathy is the same as the treatment for diabetes. Eating more than 60% of your food in the raw form helps in controlling blood sugar. Always eat fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds all mixed up before taking any meal. Atleast 60% of your daily calorie need should be through raw food. The raw food takes long time to get digested and this results in slow absorption of sugar by the blood. If the sugar is getting released slowly in the blood stream then the chances of blood sugar going high would reduce drastically. This will result in higher levels of energy which will make you lead an active lifestyle. Once this cycle is established you would realize that you are walking more and exercising more with each passing day. This will make your diabetes disappear and prevent any kind of damage not only to the nerves but all the other organs.

Best Doctors and Cost

Dr Munendra Kumar is one of the best specialist for the management of diabetes and prevention of diabetic neuropathy. The Medical Management of Diabetes is not very expensive and you can expect to get all the tests like Blood and Urine Test, Ultrasound within Rs. 10,000. The medicines are also not very expensive as the main line of treatment is proper diet and regular exercise.

Diabetes is the mother of all diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, stroke. Diabetic neuropathy can result in complete loss of sensation in hands or feet leading to formation of ulcers on the limbs. This can sometimes result in amputation.

Diabetes can lead to huge medical bills as the treatment of diseases caused by diabetes is very expensive. Heart disease, kidney failure, liver failure or stroke can cause medical bills running into several lacs of rupees. Diabetic neuropathy can lead to loss of one or more limbs which would drastically reduce the quality of life and your earning capability. This would make you dependent on others which itself is a costly affair.