The Connection Between Alcoholism And Neuropathy

Alcohol, Neuropathy, Liver

Alcoholism is a disease that can strike anyone as the addictive nature of drinking can quickly lead to a lifelong problem that’ll damage your health in more ways than one. One of the more common and significant conditions that alcoholism can cause is neuropathy.

Alcohol is toxic to nerve tissue.

Alcohol is a depressant. Although you might feel that it makes you feel more alert and lively, alcohol actually has the opposite effect on your brain and nervous system, it slows them down, which is why your thinking and responses become impaired.

Another effect of alcohol is that it prevents your body from absorbing essential nutrients from food, such as thiamine, folate, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, and vitamin E. All of these are important for proper nerve function, and without them, neuropathy can occur.

The way your stomach, liver, and kidneys work to filter waste out of your body is altered by the effects of alcohol. Your body finds it harder to remove toxins, which can mean they build up in greater numbers, causing increased damage to your nerves.

Neuropathy occurs when your nerves have become damaged.

Your nerves are part of your peripheral nervous system, which your body uses to send signals to and from the brain to control feeling, movement, and basic functions like your blood pressure, digestive system, and heart rate. When your body isn’t receiving the right nutrients to sustain nerve functionality and your nerves are consistently being attacked by the toxins from alcohol, they become damaged.

The symptoms of neuropathy can vary depending on which nerves have been affected. When it comes to alcoholic neuropathy, common symptoms include numbness, pins and needles, weakness, and loss of balance, particularly in your feet and legs. Other symptoms you may develop include:

Treatment options are available for alcoholic neuropathy.

One of the best forms of treatment is to reduce or completely stop your alcohol intake, since this will stop your nerves being exposed to the toxins and the lack of nutrients in your diet. It is possible to reverse some of the nerve damage by going sober. So getting as much help and support as you can to control your alcohol addiction is important to support the treatment options available to you and reducing the symptoms of neuropathy.

Dr. Charmaine Ortega wants to provide you with the best treatment plan possible to provide relief from your symptoms of neuropathy and prevent further damage to your nervous system. That means conducting cutting-edge tests to establish the extent of the damage and creating a comprehensive treatment plan.

The right course of action to reduce the symptoms of neuropathy for you might include guidance on lifestyle changes, treatment for underlying conditions that may contribute to your nerve damage alongside your alcoholism, and regenerative stem cell therapy.

Stem cell therapy is a form of regenerative medicine to treat neuropathy.

With no surgery, medication, or pain, stem cell therapy is a noninvasive form of treatment for neuropathy that renews and replaces the tissue that makes your nerves, to restore lost function, and to repair damage caused by the alcoholism. Stem cell therapy is at its most effective when your alcohol addiction is under control, because continued drinking will further expose your nerves to toxic damage and negate the effects of the stem cell treatment.

If you have been suffering from alcoholism and are concerned about neuropathy or are currently experiencing symptoms of the condition, get in touch with us today to book your consultation with Dr. Ortega at St. Luke Integrative Medical Center.

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