There are 29 million people living with diabetes in the U.S. right now. Sixty to seventy percent of those individuals will develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) at some point during their lives. In fact, DPN is the most common diabetes complications and it’s an increasingly-common problem within the African-American community. There are several ways to prevent diabetes-related complications, but if you’re already one of the millions of people living with DPN every day, here are three ways to manage your symptoms.
1. Meditate.
Depression and anxiety are quite common among people with DPN since many patients lose the ability to perform simple, everyday tasks, such as cooking, driving and tying one’s shoes. If you’re already taking medication prescribed by your doctor, then by all means, continue to do so, but consider adding meditation to your everyday routine. According to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, people who meditate regularly experienced less pain.
“Not often thought of, meditation can be quite helpful,” Dr. Carter says. “By helping lower your stress levels, it will help your blood sugar control, lower your vascular tone and how tense your blood vessels are [while] improving the blood flow to those nerves as well.”2. Lower your blood glucose levels.
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Keeping your blood sugar levels in check is absolutely critical when it comes to treating DPN because it lowers the patient’s risk of developing complications, including urinary tract infections and amputation.
“Keeping your blood sugar controlled is essential to managing DPN,” says Dr. Mark Carter, who practices internal medicine in Phoenix, Arizona. “When your blood sugar is controlled, the blood flow can improve with time if it’s still early in the disease.”
3. Change your lifestyle.
That means eating healthier and incorporating more raw foods into your everyday diet, exercising regularly if you don’t already and not smoking.
“Appropriate diet and exercise helps in several ways. Both of which will have a direct impact in controlling you blood sugar,” Dr. Carter says. “You also get the added benefit of better blood flow. Exercise has been shown to improve blood flow and help regulate the hormones involved in regulating your blood sugar i.e. insulin and cortisol. Exercise can help control the low-grade inflammation you get in the nerve cells when your blood sugar is not controlled as well.”
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Dr. Carter also stresses the importance of having a strong support system around you at all times. “If everyone else in your home is eating a high-carbohydrate diet and you are not the primary meal preparer, it’s going to be difficult to have good glucose control,” he says. “People who hold you accountable will help you succeed.”
