What is Neuropathy

Alcoholic neuropathy is a kind of neuropathy or nerve damage that is usually found among those who are heavy drinkers continuously for a minimum of 10 years. Studies show that the years of alcohol abuse depletes the body of vital nutrients that cause the damage of nerves.

The symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy is numbness of hands or feet or both, shooting pain from the limbs, weight loss, dizziness, shortness of breath and sometimes temporary paralysis.

Patients who are diagnosed with alcoholic neuropathy are prescribed with pain management medicines and multivitamins to replenish the loss of vitamins because of excessive alcohol intake. Patients are also strictly prohibited in continuing with drinking alcoholic drinks.

Alcoholic neuropathy is the physical effect of years of alcoholism. We have often heard of the effects of alcoholism on the psychological and social lives of the patients but we rarely hear about the physical effects which target directly the patients’ neurons.

Not all people with diabetes will have neuropathy. It develops only in less than 50% of diabetics. If you are a diabetic, how will you know if the coatings of your nerves are damaged or if you have neuropathy?

These are the most basic symptoms of the disease:

1. Numb hands, legs or feet. Even if you pinch it, you can’t feel it.
2. Pain that seems to travel from one point to another point
3. Tingling sensation
4. Sensation like you are being pricked by many pins
5. Feeling dizzy with sudden movements or turns
6. Problems with peeing
7. Problems during sexual intercourse

If you have at least 2 of the following symptoms and you have diabetes or have been alcoholic for more than 10 years, see a doctor so that you’ll know the best way to handle the medical situation and take care not to make it more serious.

The simplest definition of neuropathy is the damage of nerves. Neuropathy comes from two words neuro and pathy. Neuro means nerves while pathy means a disease or disorder.

Our nerves are like the electrical wires in our homes. Nerves and wires are the conduits where electricity travels. If we want to turn on our light at home, we just usually push the light switch on and then the light is on. What we don’t see are the wires that are connected from the switch to the light.

Electrical wires have protective coatings that prevent different wires from touching each other. When wires are stripped of this coating, a short circuit happens. The wires produce sparks. This is the usual cause of fires at homes. We often call this short circuit.

Our nerves also have protective coverings called myelin sheath. When neuropathy happens, this nerve insulation is slowly stripped which exposes our nerves that are very sensitive.

This is where the numbness and pain of a neuropathy patient come from. Although there are many kinds of neuropathy, all of them have to do with degeneration of the nerves.