Every year, thousands of Americans are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Guillen Barre, and tens of thousands with Bells Palsy. Many more become afflicted with a neuropathy of some sort. What are these syndromes, how are they caused, and how can they be treated?
Description
Multiple Sclerosis is the gradual lesioning of the brain and demyelinization of the nervous system. The symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis are numbness, loss of coordination, slurring of speech, and weakening of muscles. Guillen Barre symptoms are sudden muscle weakness or paralysis in the limbs, and may include numbness, tingling, lack of coordination, and difficulty moving the facial muscles. Bell’s Palsy is a paralysis or weakness on one side of the face, causing the face to droop. Both syndromes develop quickly – often within hours. Neuropathy is a condition where a person develops tingling, pain, numbness, or other sensations in some part of their body, often the hands and feet. In Guillen Barre, the nervous system is under attack by the immune system, and the myelin sheath, the lining of the nerves, is destroyed. In Bell’s Palsy, a main facial nerve is inflamed leading to its partial paralysis. Neuropathy occurs when nerves are damaged from diabetes, toxins, medications, or other causes.
Prognosis and Natural Treatments
Most cases of both Guillen Barre and Bell’s Palsy do recover on their own within a few months. Acupuncture can aid the in the speed and fullness of recovery. Neuropathy is often an ongoing issue, especially when it is caused by diabetes or long term medications. Yet here too, acupuncture can work wonders to prevent further nerve damage, and reduce inflammation and pain. In all cases, I search for the underlying causes of the individual’s condition, using Nutrition Response Testing and herbal medicine and whole food supplements.
What I have found most often in Bell’s Palsy cases are underlying viruses that are creating inflammation in the facial nerve. Clearing these viruses, through supporting the body’s immune function, is of utmost importance. A patient may still recover without clearing these viruses, however, the recovery may not be complete, and leave the patient with a few areas in his/her face that is still weak or paralyzed. Another danger of not clearing the offending viruses is that the facial nerve is left vulnerable to attack again. The viruses may be just temporarily moved from the area, but will still be lurking semi-dormant, waiting for the immune system to weaken so it can multiply and attack again.
Guillen Barre is generally more complicated to treat, but again I check for underlying pathogens and toxins. Sometimes, the toxin is thimerosol, the mercury compound in vaccines, that has found its way to the nerves. Other times it is a bacteria or virus that has taken refuge in the nervous system. The body tries to attack it in the nerves, but in the process is injuring itself. Here treatment is aimed heavily at slowing this attack directly at the nerves and redirecting it to just attack the pathogen. In the beginning, much of the treatment relies on anti-inflammatory herbs. Then herbs to strengthen the immune system, including guiding herbs that guide the treatment to just attack the pathogen, not the nervous system. And finally, some supplements to rebuild the nerves and their lining.
The key to treating neuropathy is to find the cause, and treat that. For instance, if the neuropathy is caused by diabetes, care should be given to helping the patient manage blood sugar. If the neuropathy is caused by a chemical toxin, then the liver and kidneys need to be decongested to allow the toxin to flow out of the body. Many times neuropathy is caused by medications that cannot be stopped, and in that case, acupuncture is very helpful to reduce the severity and frequency of symptoms.
