Neuropathy and Short Circuit of Electrical Wires
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.