Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the peripheral nerves, the nerves that carry signals between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body. It most often appears in the feet and hands as numbness, tingling or burning sensations, sharp or throbbing pain, weakness, and difficulty with balance, because the longest nerve fibers tend to be affected first. It can follow from diabetes, traumatic injury, infection, toxin exposure, autoimmune disease, inherited conditions, or nutritional deficiencies. Peripheral neuropathy is a medical diagnosis made by a clinician, who identifies the underlying cause and directs care.
How Medical Foods Can Help
Iaomai's neuropathy formulas are medical foods intended for the dietary management of peripheral neuropathy under the ongoing supervision of a physician; they are not drugs, are not dietary supplements, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Depending on the formula, they supply nutrients in bioavailable forms that the body already uses in nerve-related metabolism: L-methylfolate and methylcobalamin, the active forms of folate and vitamin B12, which participate in methylation and in the body's maintenance of the myelin that insulates nerve fibers; pyridoxal 5-phosphate, the active form of vitamin B6, which is a cofactor in neurotransmitter synthesis; alpha-lipoic acid and N-acetyl cysteine, which are involved in the body's own antioxidant pathways; and S-benfotiamine, a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 involved in nerve energy metabolism. The formulas differ in composition, so which of these nutrients you receive depends on the specific product. Peripheral neuropathy may involve distinctive nutritional requirements, established by medical evaluation, that an ordinary diet may not meet, and these formulas are formulated to address those requirements as part of a care plan your physician directs. Any decision to add a medical food, and any judgment about how you are doing on it, belongs with your healthcare provider.
Methylation Cofactors for Nerve Tissue
L-methylfolate and methylcobalamin are the bioactive forms of folate and vitamin B12, and both appear in each of Iaomai's oral neuropathy formulas. Both are involved in methylation and one-carbon metabolism, processes the body uses in maintaining the myelin sheath around peripheral nerve fibers.
Nutrients in the Body's Antioxidant Pathways
Alpha-lipoic acid, included in EB-N5 and EB-N6, and N-acetyl cysteine, included in EB-C3, play roles in the body's own antioxidant systems; NAC is a precursor to glutathione. These nutrients are included for their recognized biochemical roles in normal metabolism.
Cofactors in Nerve Energy Metabolism
S-benfotiamine, a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 found in EB-N6, and pyridoxal 5-phosphate, the active form of vitamin B6 found in EB-C3, EB-N3, and EB-N5, act as cofactors in energy metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis. These are recognized biochemical roles of the nutrients themselves, not promised outcomes.
Common Symptoms
- Numbness or weakness in hands and feet
- Tingling or burning sensations
- Sharp or throbbing pain
- Difficulty with balance and coordination
- Sensitivity to temperature changes
What Causes Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy develops when peripheral nerve fibers are damaged by trauma, disease, toxin exposure, or metabolic dysfunction. The damage disrupts the signals traveling between the brain and the extremities, which is what produces the sensory and motor symptoms people notice. Diabetes is the most common cause: sustained high blood sugar, and the metabolic stress that accompanies it, injure nerve fibers and the small blood vessels that supply them. Other recognized causes include chronic alcohol use, compressive or traumatic injury, infections, autoimmune disease, exposure to toxins including some chemotherapy agents, inherited conditions, and nutritional deficiencies. Among nutritional deficiencies, those involving the B vitamins are recognized contributors, because vitamin B12, folate, vitamin B6, and thiamine are involved in methylation, in the maintenance of the myelin that insulates nerve fibers, and in the energy metabolism that nerve tissue relies on. Which cause applies in an individual case can only be established by medical evaluation, and the underlying cause shapes the care plan a clinician directs.
Medical Foods for Peripheral Neuropathy
Our scientifically-formulated medical foods are designed to address the nutritional needs specific to Peripheral Neuropathy.
Peripheral Neuropathy
EB-C3
Delayed release formula with L-methylfolate, Me-Cbl, NAC, and P-5-P for neuropathic conditions.
$149.00
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Peripheral Neuropathy
EB-N3
Delayed release formula supporting peripheral nerve health with methylated B vitamins.
$145.00
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Peripheral Neuropathy
EB-N5
Advanced neuropathy support with L-methylfolate, P-5-P, Me-Cbl, ALA, and UDF.
$149.00
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Individual experience. Results vary from person to person and are not typical or guaranteed. Testimonials describe one person's experience and are not evidence that any product will work for you. Iaomai Health products are medical foods for the dietary management of specific conditions, intended for use under the supervision of a physician.
Struggling with Peripheral Neuropathy?
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Explore how medical nutrition supports other related conditions that may co-occur or share similar underlying mechanisms.