Peripheral Neuropathy Severity Linked With Lower Vitamin D Levels
Posted on March 22 2016
The Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy will astound and surprise you. Why doctors don't tell you these things is a mystery. But you will be surprised to learn that many of the Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy might be NUTRITIONAL.
Neuropathy is a painful nerve condition that usually effects the lower extremities, and is almost always long-lasting (also called chronic). Most often it's called 'idiopathic neuropathy', this means that no cause is able to be found and people are left in chronic pain with no hope for relief from their continuing pain.
If you have Vitamin D Deficiency, you can have DRAMATIC symptoms of pain and neuropathy. Surprisingly, there is even a HUGE relationship between the pain of Fibromyalgia and Vitamin D deficiency- which often ALSO has a LARGE component of 'overactive nerves' and nerve pain that is very likely a type of 'all over' neuropathy. But many people believe that because they get Vitamin D in their multivitamin or that they get "Plenty" of sun that they can't have Vitamin D Deficiency.
The vast majority of people with Chronic Pain from Vitamin D Deficiency suffer for years- sometimes even decades- before it is found that Vitamin D Deficiency is their problem. Doctors are just simply not aware that idiopathic neuropathy can be a Vitamin D Deficiency Symptom – and most believe that Vitamin D Deficiency is rare anyway (if you think that up to 85% of the population is 'rare').
Why shouldn't you just start taking some Vitamin D? That would be a HUGEmistake. Really, don't do it!! Here's why... If Vitamin D Deficiency really is one of the causes of peripheral neuropathy for you, then it's EXTREMELY likely that you have SEVERE Vitamin D deficiency. And if you decide to just take SOMEvitamin d to remedy that, it's almost 100% guaranteed that by yourself without guidance from a test and a KNOWLEDGEABLE health care practitioner that you will not take nearly enough vitamin d.
Test first! You should INSIST on getting a vitamin D test.
STUDIES:
"The National Institutes of Health generally considers a serum vitamin D level 20 ng/mL or greater to be adequate for bone and overall health in healthy persons and defines a level of less than 12 ng/mL to be associated with vitamin D deficiency"
The study demonstrated that patients with levels less than 20 ng/mL were more likely to have severe peripheral neuropathy, including both motor and sensory types; however, there was no increase in the overall incidence of peripheral neuropathy.
The findings suggest that patients with multiple myeloma, especially those receiving drugs associated with the development of peripheral neuropathy, should be monitored for vitamin D deficiency.
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REFERENCE
1. Wang J, Udd KA, Vidisheva A, et al. Low serum vitamin D occurs commonly among multiple myeloma patients treated with bortezomib and/or thalidomide and is associated with severe neuropathy [published online ahead of print February 23, 2016]. Supp Care Cancer. doi:10.1007/s00520-016-3126-1.
2. http://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com
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