“For the past ten years, I’ve had pain in my toes that progressed to my feet. I went to several different doctors, my General Medical Doctor, an Orthopedist, and a Neurologist, I was diagnosed with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy and told there was no treatment or cure. The symptoms were so bad it was like walking on broken glass. I heard an ad on KIRO radio. After five weeks, I started noticing big improvements. Now I can walk on the grass and carpet and stay on my feet longer than I’ve been able to in years. This summer I re-designed our back yard. I never would have attempted that before treatment. I love to golf and have been able to get on the course a lot more this summer. The staff is awesome. They helped me understand how to continue treatment at home. Their treatment program is thorough, and they spend more time with their patients than other clinics I’ve been to.”

– David K.

Wellness Tip of the Month
If you’re not familiar with peripheral neurology…

The following are some of the more common symptoms patients experience in their hands and/or feet:

• Numbness and tingling
• Burning or freezing sensations
• Pressure/throbbing
• Shooting/electric shock sensations
• Decreased balance/stability(feet)

Although the official answer is that diabetes is the most prevalent cause of peripheral neuropathy in western society, we have more patients come to us with the diagnosis of idiopathic neuropathy. Idiopathic means that the cause is unknown. Based on leading research, there are indicators that toxicity and autoimmunity are the main culprits.

Most neuropathy patients come to us expressing frustration that the medical providers they have seen have not been helpful, and even dismissive of their condition. Other than being told they just “have to live with it,” patients are typically prescribed one of the following medications:

• Anti-seizure prescriptions
  • Neurontin
  • Gabapentin
• Anticonvulsants
  • Lyrica
  • Pregabalin
• Serotonin reuptake inhibitors
  • Cymbalta
  • Duloxetine
• Opioids
  • Tramadol
  • Oxycodone

Of course, these medications are not site specific — they don’t just work on the nerves in the feet or the hands. They affect the entire nerve system. This is why most patients report that the side effects of impaired cognitive function, dizziness, visual disturbances, etc. outweigh the minimal benefit the experience in reducing their neuropathy symptoms.

Perhaps the only thing that is worse than ineffective drugs and their side effects is being told that nothing can be done to help their condition. Because most of the therapies we use are outside of the conventional medical model, many medical providers are not aware that they are an option.

Like David, our patient of the month, we have had thousands of patients experience great improvement with treatment. Following are excerpts from a few of our other patients’ testimonials:

“For almost 10 years, the quality of my life steadily declined due to numbness in the bottoms of my feet. My feet continually felt swollen and puffy, as if my socks were bunched up under my toes. The first thing I did was see my primary doctor, who quickly prescribed a drug called Lyrica. My next stop was a neurologist. I was diagnosed with a condition he called neuropathy; he said I would ‘just have to live with it.’ After only three weeks of care (at Olympic), my peripheral neuropathy symptoms began to decrease. I went from sitting down as often as I could to being able to stand with no pain for four hours or more. Now I can walk across a long stretch of fields to watch my grandkids play soccer without having to stop three or four times to take breaks.” – Bill F. Mountlake Terrace

“I had numbness and pain in my feet. The pain in my feet was getting so bad that having blankets on them kept me from being able to fall asleep. Walking on hard floors was very painful, and standing still was difficult. I could tell my balance was decreasing. I tried other treatments, including steroid injections, but they caused other problems. Since starting treatment at Olympic, the numbness in my feet is nearly gone, and the pain in my feet and back is much better! Now I’m back to enjoying my small farm, maintaining machinery and making repairs. I’m no longer scouting for places to rest while having casual conversations. The treatment approach is holistic. Having all these therapies in one place and the staff working together has been key to my success.” – Brian E. Olympia

Will all neuropathy suffers get this kind of results? The short answer is no.

My experience is that most patients that have more than an 80% loss of sensory nerve function do not benefit from treatment. This is why we always do a screening examination at consultation to determine if the condition has progressed too far for our treatments to be helpful.

This is a good reason not to put off getting evaluated. Time is of the essence with neuropathy.

If you know someone who is experiencing neuropathy symptoms, please share this information with them or direct them to our website. You could be the reason they find relief and regain their ability to live life the way they want to.

Team Member of the Month: