Peripheral Neuropathy

Neuropathy is nerve problem that causes pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness in different parts of the body. Peripheral neuropathy usually begins in the hands or feet and gets worse over time. It is known to be a symptom or complication of diabetes. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, neuropathy forms because high blood sugar interferes with the nerves ability to transmit signals. Additionally, it weakens the walls of the small blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves, and without those nutrients and oxygen the nerve cannot properly maintain healthy function.

Other factors that can contribute to neuropathy are:

• Inflammation of Nerves: Inflammation of Nerves: In simple terms, neuropathy is inflammation of the nerves. Inflammation is the characterized by swelling, redness, heat, and pain.
  
  
• Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies: Vitamin B12 deficiency causes a wide range of hematological, gastrointestinal, psychiatric and neurological disorders.
  
  
• Alcohol abuse: Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.
  

It’s easy to speculate as to why neuropathy causes tingling, numbness, and pain: The tingling sensation is the undernourished nerves misfiring, the numbness is a starved group of nerves without enough blood flow to function at all, and the pain is the body alarm system signaling that something is going wrong.