Neuropathy.
You may have heard about it but not really ahve a clue as to what it is.
Neuropathy is the degredation of the melin sheath( fat sheath) of the nerves that insulate it from surrounding tissues.
This is caused by Ketosis or Ketones.
The nerves are bare like a chewed wire and the electrical impuses flow over into the surrounding tissue.
This creates afeeling of heat, pins and needles, pain and RLS.
Neuropathy can be ocntrolled, but it never really goes away.

Treatmenst vary.
How do or those you know cope with neuropathy?

Benfotiamine (synthetic fat soluble B1) is known to help, as can any anti-oxidant. Omega 3's EFA's and Alpha Lipoic Acid can also be used to reduce inflammation.

Here is a link dicussing more of the biochemical pathways of neuropathy...

http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~asithipo/MAPK-DN.pdf#search='etiology%20of%20diabetic%20neuropat hy'

If it were inflammation that woudl be something else. Inflammation affects the surrounding soft tissue.
the actual stripping of the fat sheat or insulation is waht causes the surrounding tissues otbecome " burned" and over aggitated by the unchanneled electrical charges.

As to the bentofamine.. its currently undergoing cicnical trials at Fordham univeristy hospital .
It is not approved here in the US only in Germany.

The approved for neuropathy are:
Lyrica
Cymbalta
L-Carnitine is showing promise in first stage neuropathy. This must be taken in 1000mg doseage whcih may also cause stomach upset and nausea. 1000 pateints were surveyd but not in clicnical trial.
An aldose reductase called AS-3201


Alpha lipoic acid has been going through clinical trials but those taking placebos and those taking the studied chemical are seeing similar results.

QR-333 is currently in stage 2 clinical trial. only 67 percent are showing an improvment.


Ruboxistaurin (LY333531) is an oral protein kinase C (PKC) beta-inhibitor that Eli Lilly and Co. currently has in phase III clinical trials for diabetic peripheral neuropathy

this is the updated list as of Monday Nov 13th 2006

Diabetic Neuropathies: The Nerve Damage of Diabetes
On this page:

Causes
Symptoms
Types of Diabetic Neuropathy
Neuropathy Affects Nerves Throughout the Body
Peripheral Neuropathy
Autonomic Neuropathy
Proximal Neuropathy
Focal Neuropathy
Preventing Diabetic Neuropathy
Diagnosis
Treatment
Points to Remember
Hope Through Research
For More Information
Diabetic neuropathies are a family of nerve disorders caused by diabetes. People with diabetes can, over time, have damage to nerves throughout the body. Neuropathies lead to numbness and sometimes pain and weakness in the hands, arms, feet, and legs. Problems may also occur in every organ system, including the digestive tract, heart, and sex organs. People with diabetes can develop nerve problems at any time, but the longer a person has diabetes, the greater the risk.

An estimated 50 percent of those with diabetes have some form of neuropathy, but not all with neuropathy have symptoms. The highest rates of neuropathy are among people who have had the disease for at least 25 years.

Diabetic neuropathy also appears to be more common in people who have had problems controlling their blood glucose levels, in those with high levels of blood fat and blood pressure, in overweight people, and in people over the age of 40. The most common type is peripheral neuropathy, also called distal symmetric neuropathy, which affects the arms and legs.

[Top]
Causes
The causes are probably different for different varieties of diabetic neuropathy. Researchers are studying the effect of glucose on nerves to find out exactly how prolonged exposure to high glucose causes neuropathy. Nerve damage is likely due to a combination of factors:

metabolic factors, such as high blood glucose, long duration of diabetes, possibly low levels of insulin, and abnormal blood fat levels


neurovascular factors, leading to damage to the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves


autoimmune factors that cause inflammation in nerves

mechanical injury to nerves, such as carpal tunnel syndrome


inherited traits that increase susceptibility to nerve disease


lifestyle factors such as smoking or alcohol use
[Top]
Symptoms
Symptoms depend on the type of neuropathy and which nerves are affected. Some people have no symptoms at all. For others, numbness, tingling, or pain in the feet is often the first sign. A person can experience both pain and numbness. Often, symptoms are minor at first, and since most nerve damage occurs over several years, mild cases may go unnoticed for a long time. Symptoms may involve the sensory or motor nervous system, as well as the involuntary (autonomic) nervous system. In some people, mainly those with focal neuropathy, the onset of pain may be sudden and severe.

JD, I am NOT kidding when I say you should ask for your money back over whoever made you pay for your ND degree. It almost seems like you find some information on the Internet, and "add to it" to make up the rest with your own unscientific ideas!!!! Do you even understand what you say? Your book says that diabetes is an autoimmune disease! Well, TYPE 1 is (the rare non-preventable kind). Type 2, the most common kind affecting 95% of diabetics, is NOT. Also, autoimmunity is not "recent" news! They have known Type 1 is autoimmune in nature since the 1970's!!!!

Benfotiamine has been used in Germany for years, and is sold as a dietary supplement in North America. There have never been any proven documented side effects. If we wait for the FDA to approve everything, we will be damaged beyond repair AND paying $150 a bottle for it after the pharmaceutical companies determine the price and market it as a drug. Also, look at Vioxx. The FDA did a great job at determining that was safe! It's been used successfully for years without issue, so of course Big Pharma wants to "test it" so they can turn it into a patented drug.

The great thing about the supplements I mentioned is that they are safe in recommended doses, and you can get them NOW. They have also been shown to work. Diabetics need to also take anti-inflammatories to treat the inflammation from elevated BG's, and Type 1's even more so, since they ALSO have inflammation from the autoimmune process.


P.S. I found a website for a Naturopathic School in your home state. Is this where you went? Because if you did, they teach the same classifications of diabetes as I have been stating all along. This is right off the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine Website. So, if you DIDN'T attend here, I ask again, where did you get your degree? I suggest you go back to university. I will help you if you like, but posing on the internet and spreading misinformation is NOT doing diabetics any favors. You seriously could have killed someone with the advice you gave regarding the insulin pump. To all people reading this, please see a Certified Diabetes Educator (Medical Doctor, Registered Nurse, Pharmacist, or Registered Dietitian with a CDE designation) for any diabetes advice.


Attacking the Incidence of Diabetes in Children Head-on
By Patricia Bannon
Sep 14, 2005


Research and treatment at the Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center has found significant results and benefits for all ages from a naturopathic treatment regimen for diabetes.



According to the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a federally sponsored program, diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in school aged children today. The American Diabetes Association has stated the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes is higher than virtually all other severe chronic diseases of childhood. Each year, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Coincidentally, because 10 to 15 percent of children and teens are overweight, double the number of two decades ago, increasing numbers of young people are developing Type 2 diabetes. Today more than 19 million Americans overall have diabetes, and one in three is not even aware of it. Diabetes is now the fifth deadliest disease in the United States. It has been estimated that the annual economic cost of diabetes has exceeded $130 billion a year, or approximately one out of every ten health care dollars spent in the United States. Diabetes can be life-threatening, as diabetics have 4-6 times the risk of dying from heart disease and stroke. Other serious complications of diabetes can include heart disease, vision loss/blindness, stroke, kidney disease, liver disease, and limb amputations.



There are several types of diabetes: Type I, which is a quick onset auto-immune disorder where a person¡¦s own antibodies attack and kill the pancreatic cells that make insulin; Type 1.5 diabetes, also known as LADA (Latent Auto-immune diabetes of the adult), which is a slow onset auto-immune form of diabetes; Type 2 diabetes, which is related to insulin resistance--where the body cells do not respond to insulin¡¦s signals to take in blood sugar¡Xas well as obesity, lack of physical activity, nutrient deficiencies, and a diabetic family history; and, MODY, maturity onset diabetes of the young, which is a very rare genetic problem where with producing insulin in the pancreas or accepting it at the cell. All types of diabetes but LADA are seen in children.