When I was growing up in the South, my mother always told me, "You are what you eat." With Americans leading the pack in obesity and type 2 diabetes, it appears that she may have been right. Years of drive-through dinners and instant breakfasts have caught up with us, making us rethink every bite that passes our lips in our quest to fight off the complications of diabetes. 

But what about the good stuff, those necessary nutrients we don't get in our daily diet? Could the lack of certain vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients be hurting us, particularly in the case of diabetic neuropathy?

That's what preliminary results from a year-long study by Dr. Mark Gostine, founder of Michigan Pain Consultants, and Dr. Larry Pawl, a recognized oncologist, appear to confirm. In a follow-up to their findings, published in the Journal of Practical Pain Management in July/August of 2007, the doctors reported that after introducing essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants into the diet of diabetic patients for a year, the pain, numbness, and burning associated with their diabetic neuropathy decreased by almost 65 percent.

Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes. Peripheral nerves in the hands and feet are damaged by high blood sugar levels. Of the 20.8 million people with diabetes in the United States, an estimated 14.6 million have or will develop some form of numbness, tingling, and pain in their extremities during their lives. Although treatment for diabetic neuropathy has improved with the use of anti-epileptic drugs and antidepressants, most of the commonly used medications can cause dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, or sedation. Because of these side effects, many (including the pharmaceutical companies) are looking to natural supplements as a way to treat diabetic neuropathy.

The purpose of Drs. Gostine and Pawl's study was to determine if long-term use of NeuropathyRx-a combination of N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, L-carnitine, selenium, and vitamin C-could improve the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. Thirty-two diabetic patients with various degrees of peripheral neuropathy were followed for a period of six months to a year after introducing these micronutrients into their diet. At monthly intervals, the patients were questioned about their compliance and asked to rate their pain, numbness, and burning on a scale from zero to ten (zero being no pain and ten being the worst possible pain). 

In the first open label study, spanning three months, patients reported a 41 percent drop in their numbness, a 63 percent decrease in their burning pain, and a 56 percent reduction in overall pain. In a follow-up extension study, patients who remained on the supplement continued to see improvement in their neuropathy symptoms. Nine months after starting NeuropathyRx, patients reported a decrease in their numbness by 62 percent, a drop in burning pain by 69 percent, and a reduction in overall pain by almost 65 percent.

Because these nutrients are hypothesized to work in the regeneration of the nerve sheath, Drs. Gostine and Pawl are also conducting studies with NeuropathyRx in patients with chemo-induced neuropathy and neurofibromatosis.

A non-prescriptive, NeuropathyRx costs around $40 for a one-month supply of 120 capsules and offers a money-back guarantee if the customer is not completely satisfied. NeuropathyRx is available at neuropathysolution.com or by phone at 1-877-243-6633.