Neuropathy and B Vitamins

A recent Wall Street Journal article about a prescription form of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 to treat diabetic neuropathy makes us wonder about another attempt to make supplements available only by prescription. According to the article, the prescription supplement boosts the production of nitric oxide which in turn relieves neuropathy.
Integrative physicians have long had great success alleviating diabetic neuropathy with a targeted protocol including:

• Vitamin B1,vitamin B6, and folic acid by injection noting that the form of folic acid and thiamine does matter
• Counter pulsation
• Targeted dietary recommendations, physical activity, and supplements to address insulin resistance and blood sugar levels
• Alpha lipoic acid among other nutrients
The March 2003 issue of Diabetes Care discussed a collaborative study between the Mayo Clinic and a Russian medical center that found that alpha lipoic acid significantly and rapidly reduced the frequency and severity of symptoms of the most common form of diabetic neuropathy. The research stressed that the effects of ALA were “significant.” How many times do we see the effects in conventional research stressed as “significant”? Claritin has a reported efficacy of only 30%, yet it registered sales of $2 billion in a single year.
What a shame that integrative physicians who offer patients relief from diabetic neuropathy are the target of state boards of medicine, with charges that include being “outside the standard of care for the practice of medicine in the respective state.” Care for diabetic neuropathy by integrative physicians is clearly well above the current standard of care for a condition that affects 30-70% of all diabetics.

With nearly 10% of the U.S. affected by type II diabetes, your support of AAHF in its fight to ensure integrative physicians’ right to practice is critical.