What is Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy affects the vast majority of people with peripheral neuropathy, making it the most common form of nerve damage in diabetes patients. Medical professionals often classify this condition as “idiopathic” when the precise cause remains unknown, or “peripheral” when it affects only the arms and legs rather than autonomic nervous system functions like breathing.
Western Medicine Definition of Peripheral Neuropathy
According to Mayo Clinic medical experts, peripheral neuropathy results from nerve damage that often causes weakness, numbness, and pain, typically in the hands and feet, though it can affect other body areas as well.
Patients commonly describe peripheral neuropathy pain as tingling or burning sensations, while numbness feels like wearing thin stockings or gloves. The condition can stem from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic disorders, toxin exposure, and most commonly, diabetes.
Many peripheral neuropathy symptoms improve over time, particularly when treating underlying conditions. Various medications help reduce painful symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy.
Chinese Medicine Approach to Diabetic Neuropathy
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has gained recognition for distinguishing between surface symptoms and underlying root causes. Chinese medicine philosophy categorizes all ailments as imbalances related to internal organ function. Skilled TCM practitioners can identify which organs are imbalanced and predict symptom progression based on imbalance severity through physical examination.
This diagnostic pattern has proven reliable for thousands of years and applies systematically to all natural phenomena – from microscopic organisms to celestial bodies – to determine current health status and life cycle information.
Two Primary Causes of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Through clinical observation, diabetic peripheral neuropathy symptoms result from two main causes:
1. Poor systemic blood circulation
2. Poor peripheral fluid circulation
Identifying these underlying organ imbalances allows practitioners to implement therapeutic treatments that restore organ health.
Identifying Neuropathy from Poor Systemic Blood Circulation
Poor systemic blood circulation means compromised blood flow throughout the entire body. Here are the key signs and symptoms to recognize this pattern:
Skin Changes in Diabetic Neuropathy
Texture and Color Changes: Affected skin becomes noticeably thinner or flaky in areas with poor circulation and injures easily. The skin often darkens and develops blotchy patches, progressing slowly until significant darkening appears where socks are typically worn.
Nail Changes: Toenails become thick, brittle, yellow, and misshapen due to insufficient blood supply. Advanced cases may cause toenails to darken and fall off completely.
Visual Vascular Signs of Poor Circulation
Vein Changes: Veins around the knees may bulge and darken with stagnant blood. Smaller surface blood vessels appear thin and brown in color.
Vascular Collapse: Blood vessels can collapse, leaving skin indentations along their pathways. Veins may display a mosaic pattern in multiple colors (blue, red, purple, brown, and black) clearly visible on the skin. Darker colors indicate longer periods of poor blood circulation in those areas.
Pain Progression in Diabetic Neuropathy
Early Stages: Pain from insufficient blood circulation develops gradually over extended periods. Many people adapt to occasional aches or regular pain patterns.
Advanced Symptoms: As the condition worsens, heat, cold, and touch sensitivity decreases while feet, legs, or toes may itch or tingle regularly. The next progression stage involves “pins and needles” sensations.
Stage Progression: Advanced stages bring burning sensations that start intermittently but become relentless, affecting normal activities including sleep. Foot and leg cramps commonly accompany poor circulation at any stage.
Complete Numbness: Ultimate progression leads to complete sensation loss, causing people to stumble because they cannot feel their feet. People often mistake this stage for improvement due to lack of pain sensations experienced previously.
Tissue Damage from Poor Blood Flow
Muscle and Tendon Changes: Decreasing blood flow causes appendages to feel wooden as muscles and tendons atrophy. Joint mobility decreases, affecting walking patterns and causing a shuffling gait rather than normal walking.
Final Stage: The last stage warranting amputation recommendations is necrosis, where appendages become thin, hard, and black. Dead tissue requires surgical removal to prevent gangrene. This deterioration progression resembles livestock castration or tail docking techniques.
Hope for Diabetic Neuropathy Recovery
The encouraging news: damage remains reversible until necrosis diagnosis!
Stay tuned for Diabetic Neuropathy Part II, covering the identification of diabetic neuropathy caused by poor peripheral fluid circulation. Part III will explore traditional Chinese medicine treatment approaches for comprehensive neuropathy care.
