“My feet feel like they’re on fire.”
“Each step feels like I’m walking through wet paint.”
“I live in constant fear that I could fall.”
“I can’t sleep, my hands and feet tingle all night.”
What do all of these people have in common? They suffer from peripheral neuropathy. It’s estimated that more than 20 million people in the US have peripheral neuropathy. Unfortunately, this figure may be significantly higher as the disease is often misdiagnosed because of its wide array of symptoms. Dr. Rebecca Gibbons of Achieve Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine (AAIM) in St. Petersburg shares this belief. “I’ve been treating neuropathy in all its various forms, for a long time so often my patients come to me because of the symptoms, not because of a diagnosis. They read the testimonial of another patient or one of their friends or family members have been treated here and they say to themselves ‘hey, I feel the same thing.”
Fran B. of Treasure Island testified to this. “I remember my husband driving me to my consultation and I saw a woman running just outside our neighborhood. I was so envious – I just kept thinking ‘I would give anything just to walk again for more than just a few feet without pain or my legs getting weak’. My primary care doctor told me my troubles with pain and balance were just symptoms of old age and gave me a prescription. I was so depressed.”
“Almost all of our patients come to us with a story similar to Fran’s. They’ve been everywhere else. They’ve been told there’s no hope. They’ve been told ‘it’s just part of getting older’.” shares Mandy, a Patient Care Coordinator at AAIM. “They have been told it’s just a part of getting older.”
Those diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy often face a very grim reality; Western medicine declares that there is no solution while most alternative therapies carry large price tags and offer little to no resolve. Which is why Dr. Gibbons and the staff at AAIM pride themselves on being ‘the last resort with the best results’.
Peripheral neuropathy is a result of damage to the nerves and this damage is commonly caused by lack of blood flow in the hands and feet. A lack of blood flow results in a lack of nutrients; the nerves then begin to degenerate and die which causes pain ranging from discomfort to debilitating. Because neuropathy is a degenerative condition, once those nerves begin to deteriorate they will continue to do so until they are completely expired, leaving those suffering with crippling balance issues. “In this case, the absence of pain is not necessarily a good thing,” shares Dr. Gibbons. “This usually indicates that your nerves are hanging on by a fragile thread.”When it comes to treating peripheral neuropathy, regardless of its origin, early detection greatly improves your chances of a full recovery.If you or someone you love are suffering with chronic pain that presents as burning, tingling or ‘pins and needles’ or you’ve recently been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, it’s important to know that there are options. There is hope!
Call (727) 272-3587 to schedule an initial consultation.
Visit WWW.AchieveACUIM.com to learn more.