neuropathy

Does anyone have any experience with neuropathy?  My 68-yr-old aunt
has painful burning sensations in her legs at night, and even the
Cleveland Clinic said that it just isn’t very treatable.  Basically I
guess it is an inflammation of nerve endings.
   She still works part-time and used to walk a mile or two in the
evenings, when her legs weren’t bothering her, so it’s not a result of
extreme inactivity.
   Are there any dietary factors that might influence something like
this?

One Response to “neuropathy”

  1. admin says:

    In article <5…@uceng.UC.EDU> lbech…@uceng.UC.EDU (laurie bechtler) writes:
    >Does anyone have any experience with neuropathy?  My 68-yr-old aunt
    >has painful burning sensations in her legs at night, and even the
    >Cleveland Clinic said that it just isn’t very treatable.  Basically I
    >guess it is an inflammation of nerve endings.
    >   She still works part-time and used to walk a mile or two in the
    >evenings, when her legs weren’t bothering her, so it’s not a result of
    >extreme inactivity.
    >   Are there any dietary factors that might influence something like
    >this?

    Certainly dietary factors can produce neuropathy.  Patients who are
    chronically deficient in thiamine or take too much pyridoxine can
    develop this syndrome.  Many heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)
    can produce it.  However, this is rare, and the folks at the Cleveland
    Clinic most likely ruled this out, as well as other factors such
    as pernicious anemia (B12 deficiency which is *not* dietary).
    Is she diabetic?  That’s the most common cause.