For patients who deal with chronic tingling, shooting pains, numbness, and debilitating discomfort, a neuropathy diagnosis comes as no surprise. Thinking their only option is invasive intervention, many individuals are shocked to learn about non-surgical treatments that provide pain relief and symptom reduction. Whether you’re a patient yourself or dealing with a neuropathic individual, here are non-surgical treatment options for neuropathy.
1. Warm Baths
Skip the shower because a new way of alleviating your neuropathic symptoms is here! By soaking in a bath, specifically with additives like Epsom salt, shea, Himalayan salt, and lavender oil, you can ease your woes and fall into a deep slumber after getting into bed.
When you wake up the following morning, you’ll feel ready and willing to take on any challenge that comes your way! For neuropathy patients, this boost of energy is a much-needed reminder of what life could be like without chronic discomfort.
2. Cardiovascular Training
Before turning your nose up in disgust at the thought of doing hours of cardio, hear us out: cardiovascular training schemes, when performed regularly, drive essential blood, oxygen, and nutrients to areas of the body with nerve damage.
And, as you already know, the source of a neuropathic patient’s suffering comes from compromised nerves scattered through their bodies. With cardio training, these marred nerves receive the building blocks to repair and heal inflammation.
3. Eliminate Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use
While running the risk of sounding like an overprotective parent or teacher, drinking, smoking, and drug use are damaging your life in more ways than one. A study found that patients who smoked regularly experienced detrimental side effects more often than their non-smoking peers. In simple terms, the more you smoke, the greater your risk of battling powerful symptoms and ailments.
What’s more, drinking and drug use exacerbate neuropathic symptoms by a substantial margin. Although we don’t expect you to quit overnight, slowly removing these habits from your life will improve your quality of life substantially.
4. Meditative Practices
Don’t worry: you don’t need an orange robe for this next tip! Instead, we recommend finding a quiet area in your home that you can practice meditation in for a 15- or 20-minute session. Neuropathy patients find that meditative practices improve their ability to thwart off dull aches and pains before they grip their waking hours.
To begin, sit in a comfortable position with your back in an erect posture. For readers who find this difficult, sit with your back firmly against the wall, or find a chair with a sturdy back.
After getting into position, close your eyes and bring your attention to the air leaving and entering through your nose and mouth. Hone in on the air passing through your airway and the way your stomach expands and contracts with each repetition. This practice, although basic and unassuming, calms the mind and allows the practitioner to keep aches and pains and bay.
5. Laser Treatment
High-quality laser treatment is, without a doubt, the leading non-surgical means of eliminating neuropathic discomfort for patients. In layman’s terms, the laser passes over a patient’s body, penetrating the innermost layers of the skin. When the beam passes over a damaged nerve cell, the light stimulates inner-cell activity so that it heals, repairs, and soothes the patient’s discomfort.
Laser treatment allows patients to leave the office on their own terms with minimal recovery time. Whether you’re afraid of needles or going under anesthesia, laser treatments provide patients with results that rival surgical intervention.
6. Deep Sleep
When we think of pain and the feeling of “pins and needles” crawling across our arms and legs, the idea of sleep never passes our minds. Instead, we opt for over-the-counter pain medication as we rush to make an appointment with our physician.
But what if there were a way to remove our pain entirely and feel great in the process? If this sounds too good to be true, think again! Stage IV sleep, also known as rapid-eye-movement sleep (REM) or paradoxical sleep, heals our body in ways that no medication can. If you’re an individual who suffers from insomnia or dysfunctional sleep habits, getting your nighttime routine in order is essential.