Juanita Hibbert wrote:
> Kathrynne, I just zoned on one particular
> in your post to Lynne.
> Please tell me more about B vitamins
> and their affect on nueropathy. George
> has severe nueropathy in both legs.
> At one point he was given 25mg of vitB
> "for the pain" It did not help. Perhaps
> more would help?
Juanita, there are various forms of neuropathy, as you know, and B
vitamins won't necessarily help. I mention it because a number of B
vitamins are implicated in PD, among them B12. A deficiency of B12 can
manifest as a burning or tingling feeling in the feet and legs, similar
to neuropathy. Pantothenic acid deficiency can also result in this
burning feeling.
Further regarding neuropathy, I recently came across some interesting
information on alpha-lipoic acid, which you might want to discuss with
your physician, as follows:
(1) "Thiamine in diabetic neuropathy
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Two hundred consecutive diabetic patients from Dar es Salaam who had
symptomatic peripheral neuropathy were assigned to receive either
thiamine
(25 mg/day together with pyridoxine 50 mg/day or control supplementation
(1 mg/day each of thiamine and pyridoxine). Pain, numbness, paraesthesia
and impairment of sensation in the legs were assessed, and blood
thiamine
levels measured before and after 4 weeks of treatment.
At four weeks, the severity of signs of peripheral neuropathy decreased
in
49% of the active patients compared with 11% of the controls. There was
a
correlation between the mean pre-treatment whole blood thiamine levels
and
severity of symptoms : (AOV p = 0.03).
Ref: East Afr Med J, 1997;74:803-8"
(2) " Alpha-lipoic acid is used as a prescription drug in Germany for
diabetic neuropathy. Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that
appears to fight off free-radical damage as well as boost the
effectiveness of vitamins C and E. The best food sources are spinach
and broccoli, but even they have very low amounts.
"Most trials have been with animals, but several human studies indicate
that daily doses of 100-1200 mg (obtainable only through supplements
such as "Alpha-Lipotene") appear to noticeably reduce lower-limb
neuropathy (nerve damage causing numbness, tingling, and pain) in
diabetics. Diabetics who want to try the supplement should check with
their doctor who should also monitor for possible side efects (a
reported one is low blood sugar).
"However, there's not enough available research to support a beneficial
effect of alpha-lipoic acid for the average individual. Most supplement
forms like "Alpha-Lipotene" are available in 100 and 250-mg strength and
cost around $15-20 for sixty 100-mg tablets and $25 for sixty 200-mg
tablets.
"A MEDLINE search for 1996-98 will pull up some 100 "hits" for
alpha-lipoic acid. In some cases, a new conjugate with gamma-linolenic
acid (GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid one step up from linoleic acid in the
destauration/elongation sequence) appears to be the most promising for
neuropathy. "
My very best regards,
Kathrynne
--
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD
Author: "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease"
"Constipation and Parkinson's" -- audiocassette & guidebook
"Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Parkinson's disease"
& Risk Assessment Tools
"Risk for malnutrition and bone fracture in Parkinson's disease,"
J Nutr Elderly. V18:3;1999.
http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/
