Diabetic Neuropathy Information

Managing Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorder caused by extended periods of high blood sugar levels. This occurs when your glucose levels go up and your body systems indirectly harm your sensory, motor, and autonomic nerves.

As you may know, motor nerves send signals from your brain to your muscles in order to produce movements such as walking.

Sensory nerves on the other hand, send messages to the brain that we call warmth, pain, and cold sensation.

Once these nerves are damaged, neuropathy sets in.

Individuals with uncontrolled blood sugar levels are at greater risk of having this disease, although individuals with all forms of diabetes can be at risk for a neuropathy.

It is possible to develop a diabetic neuropathy even before you are diagnosed with diabetes. Knowing its symptoms can be helpful too.

One may feel some numbness, cold sensation, and heightened sensitivity to the affected area. Neuropathy can also cause nausea, bloating, and sometimes, diarrhea. Profuse sweating as well as difficulty emptying your bladder are symptoms of neuropathy. Other symptoms are as follows: low blood pressure, dryness with women and erectile dysfunction with men.

One common type of neuropathy is called polyneuropathy. This type affects your toes first and then your foot and lower leg. Some advance stages affect the hands as well.

In order to diagnose a diabetic neuropathy, a physical exam, medical history and monitoring of symptoms are vital.

An EMG or electromyography is normally used to identify specific nerve damage. A clinician conducts this test by injecting a fine needle into your muscles in order to get an in-depth look at how much and to what extent there is damage.

Unfortunately, the nerve damage cannot be cured. However, there are steps you can take to slow down the progression and to ease the symptoms.

If you have diabetic neuropathy or you think you are at risk of having this nerve disorder, it is important that you exercise on a regular basis. Exercise can help maintain a healthy weight and will help manage your blood sugar levels. Maintaining your blood sugar levels may help slow down the progression of this disorder.

Preventing an injury is also important especially for those who have lost sensation or experience numbness in their feet. Check for foreign objects, cuts, or any rough spots as well as avoid using electric blankets and heating pads.

Do you have Diabetes or have a family history of Diabetes? Do you consume products with Aspartame? If you answered YES to both of these questions then you absolutely must read this article Aspartame and Diabetes

Chris McCombs is a Huntington Beach personal trainer with specialty in fat loss and muscle toning. He owns a successful company called Positively Fit Personal Training. His website contains valuable tips on fitness and "how to" style exercise videos.

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg
Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb