Submitted by One Degree Functional Health
As we look forward to the colder months ahead, nerve and joint pain are bound to increase. What used to be a time to look forward to walks through an apple orchard and enjoying time with family over the holidays has become a time of increased pain medications, caution of unsteady balance, and reliance on memories alone as you adjust to the “new normal” your body has insisted upon.
But what if you were put back in control of what normal should be?
A major component to nerve pain is a condition called neuropathy. This condition effects the nerves throughout the body commonly starting with the hands and feet. Neuropathy is presented most by numbness and tingling, unsteady balance, and/or pain presented as “pins and needles.” Unfortunately, neuropathy is a progressive condition that will only increase with time unless intervention occurs. This condition does not isolate only in the hands and feet but extends its communication of pain to other parts of the body. Victims of neuropathy often experience intense knee or shoulder pain which can increase over time to debilitation and an isolating lifestyle.
Like many medical conditions, neuropathy is surrounded by untruths and misinformation that can hinder the hope and wellness of the one affected. With Diabetic Associated Neuropathy affecting a third to half of the diabetic population, neuropathy can many times be presented as only a diabetic issue.
However, neuropathy is a condition that affects 20 million to 30 million Americans with numerous causes and root conditions. Heart conditions can lead to neuropathy as blood flow may be compromised to the nerves. Other root causes include past surgeries, trauma, chemotherapy, and other medication affecting different areas of the body. An underlining factor, yet not as explored, of neuropathy is connected to the metabolic system and nutritional needs that body craves.
Because of the plethora of complicated roots neuropathy and other joint pain originate, masking the pain is the most common “solution” the medical field offers. This is done primarily through heavy sedatives which can promote worsening balance, weakness, and joint pain which, ironically, are the some of the issues the medication therapy attempts to mask.
A functional health approach reviews the body as a whole unit created to heal once all systems are in engaged. The nervous system sending pain messages to the body is not an isolated act. Rather, it’s a response stemming from a compromised metabolic, circulatory, endocrine, and/or immune system. Looking at these and other systems within the body, guidance through nutritional and supplemental therapies have proven to promote healing far more than masking through medications. Once the body has been nourished properly, it can then retrain to re-engage the nervous system not only stopping the progression of neuropathy but healing the damage that has already progressed.
If you or your family struggle with nerve or joint pain, One Degree Functional Health is dedicated to providing Hope, Health, and Happiness to you and your loved ones. Call to schedule an exam today at 309-868-3054.
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