Unexplained Nerve pain

Unexplained Nerve Pain: The Mystery of Neuropathic Pain

I have had several clients in the last 3 -4 months with nerve pain complaints



If you have nerve pain, you know that it can take many forms: burning, tingling, electricity, and pins-and-needles are a few of the ways people describe the sensation. But if you have no idea what's causing the pain, you're not alone. Millions of people have unexplained nerve pain. While traditional medicine can offer some relief, there are a number of other ways to lessen the pain.
Known Causes of Nerve Pain
Nerve pain is caused by damage to the nerve. More than 50 medical conditions, drugs, and toxins are known to cause nerve damage, including:
• Diabetes mellitus
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Celiac disease
• Trauma
• Amyloidosis
• Fabry's disease
• Medications, including B6 (pyridoxine), isoniazid, HIV medicines, or chemotherapy
• Toxins, such as heavy alcohol drinking
• Autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and vasculitis
Once a nerve is damaged, it is more likely to start behaving abnormally. It may become quiet and send no information, which causes numbness. Or it may send excessive and inappropriate pain messages.
Unexplained Nerve Pain: Searching for Causes
For many people, the cause of nerve pain cannot be identified even after extensive testing. This is called unexplained (idiopathic) nerve pain, or idiopathic neuropathy. Unexplained nerve pain may still be due to nerve damage that occurred at some point, but current medical knowledge and testing can't say how, when, or why.
Between 15 million to 20 million Americans are believed to have unexplained nerve pain -- about one in 10 people over the age of 40. It's most likely to occur in people over 60 years old.
In some studies, almost half of the participants with unexplained nerve pain also had prediabetes. Some experts believe that the elevated blood sugars of prediabetes may be the main cause of this.
Other studies have found that metabolic syndrome -- the combination of high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, obesity, and prediabetes -- is also common in people with unexplained nerve pain. These factors may contribute to the pain.
Symptoms of Unexplained Nerve Pain
Idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, like diabetic neuropathy, usually causes numbness in the hands and feet. The numbness may go unnoticed if it causes no pain.
Nerve pain in idiopathic peripheral neuropathy is usually in the feet and legs but can also be in the hands and arms. People describe their unexplained nerve pain in different ways:
• Burning
• Tingling
• Pins-and-needles
• Crawling
• Electrical shocks
Simple touching can cause nerve pain, and pain may be constant even when there's no stimulation. Often, unexplained nerve pain is worst at night, interfering with sleep. This can compound the problem because people need adequate sleep in order to cope with pain.
Seeking Medical Care for Unexplained Nerve Pain
Anyone who has nerve pain should get a full physical examination done by a doctor. Get checked for diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood pressure. Get evaluated for recent viral illnesses and toxins to which you may have been exposed. Discuss your full family medical history with the doctor.
Medical therapies are available to treat unexplained nerve pain, and it's worthwhile to discuss them with your doctor. But while medications can help, they usually can't reduce more than half of the pain.
Self-Care and Home Treatment
Several self-care strategies can help you cope and live better with unexplained nerve pain.
• Get moving. Regular exercise may expand blood vessels in the feet over time, nourishing damaged nerves back to health. Start with a daily walk and gradually build up your pace and distance.
• Step up foot care. If you have nerve pain in your feet, examine them daily, wear comfortable shoes, and see a podiatrist regularly.
• Get some sleep. Getting a good night's sleep can be tricky if you have nerve pain. Increase your odds by limiting caffeine intake in the afternoon, keeping a consistent bedtime, and reserving the bedroom for sleep.
• Explore the mind-body connection. Ask your doctor or a trusted friend for a referral to a reputable professional who provides guided imagery, meditation, biofeedback, or hypnosis.
If your nerve pain isn't responding to medicines and your best self-care, it may be time to talk to a neuropathic pain specialist. Your primary care doctor will provide a referral, most likely to a neurologist. A neuropathic pain specialist may be familiar with the multiple "off-label" uses of medicines for nerve pain and be able to provide you with additional help.

Think you don't have time to eat well and you 'll just pop some pills to make up for it?

Feeling a little draggy? Need extra energy? Will popping some vitamins perk you up a little? Can supplements be an effective nutritional shortcut to optimal health? If you decide to take a supplement, which is best? When you are on the run, more often than not, normal fatigue (not due to illness) is related to the following:
Inadequate sleep
Not enough food (or the wrong types)
Going long periods without eating
Overtraining (e
xercise)
Mental stress
Taking a vitamin supplement will not make up for sleep deprivation, stress, or lack of eating. If it were only that easy, I would be the first in line with my hand out and my mouth wide open. Although some vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as iron deficiency anemia, can cause fatigue, vitamins themselves do not supply energy. Only carbohydrates, protein, and fat do. Vitamins help convert these energy-supplying nutrients into the biochemical form that the body needs. If fatigue comes from burning the candle at both ends, your best solution is a combination of sleep, stress management (including setting limits for projects and your schedule), and mindful eating, rather than simply taking a supplement. Think of it this way: when endurance athletes want extra energy for performance, they are advised to load carbohydrates, not vitamins.

POPULAR MISCONCEPTIONSAn unhealthy diet with a vitamin and mineral supplement still remains an unhealthy diet. A supplement is no excuse for poor eating, but it can easily become a crutch if you are not careful. The core nutritional problem in this country is not one of deficits but rather excesses: too much saturated fat, too much cholesterol, and too much sodium. You have already seen that these particular dietary components have the most damaging effect on your health. A supplement will not counteract a diet that is high fat, high sodium, high cholesterol, or low fiber.

Following are some popular misconceptions people have about vitamin and mineral supplements.A good supplement will meet all your nutritional needs.No such single supplement exists because everything you need could not fit into a gulp-size pill. In addition, many factors that enhance nutrient absorption are found only in foods.Supplement companies can put only the known nutrients into their pills.Some important nutrients and food factors, such as phytochemicals may not have been discovered or identified yet. For example, phytochemicals, compounds that occur naturally in plant foods, have been found to fight cancer, but scientists have barely scratched the surface of identifying them. Broccoli alone, for example, has about 34 phytochemicals. But until they are identified and isolated, phytochemicals cannot be added to supplements. And even if added to a supplement, they might not be effective.

For example, a study conducted in the Carotenoid and Health Lab at Tufts University demonstrated that a pill containing six grams of lutein did not have the same effect as a diet containing the same amount of lutein. The lutein-rich spinach diet phase of the study increased blood levels of lutein by more than 40 percent compared to the same amount of lutein in pill form. The researchers concluded that the dietary lutein was much more available to the body than the pill form. It was also significantly less costly to get lutein from the diet.Supplements labeled “natural” are better than other supplements.The most natural form in which a vitamin can be found is food! To get a vitamin or mineral into pill form requires many extraction processes and then condensation into a tablet or capsule; this is far from natural. The term natural is not well defined and is often just a marketing gimmick to imply unsubstantiated benefits or safety.
Nutritional supplements are safe.As toxicologists are fond of saying, it’s the dose that makes the poison or cure. Nutrients in high levels can be dangerous. For example, the mineral iron can be fatal in large doses. That’s why you the see the warning labels on children’s vitamins. Iron overdose is one of the most common causes of poisoning in children.

It's always nice to receive a letter like this! It made my day!

Hi Georgina,
Just a quick note to thank you for the great recipe you gave me. I made an error when buying the Quaker mix and instead of buying cookie mix I bought muffin mix. I made 24 muffins and 1 loaf from one bag, my kids helped make the muffins and they LOVE THEM!!! I do too, they are so yummy. Next time I will pay more attention and buy the cookie mix.

You had mentioned you could send me the link to your blog, that would be great if you could do so. I am in the process of discussing the meal plans with my husband to see if we want to go ahead with the menu.

Thanks again, it was a pleasure meeting you,
sincerely,
Sandy

P.S. You inspired me to maintain my fitness level. You are in incredible shape. I can only hope to look as great as you when I'm 50.

Acrylamide in Foods

First detected in some foods in 2002, acrylamide is a substance formed in high-carbohydrate, low-protein foods that have been cooked at very high temperatures. Note that it is not something added to foods; rather, it forms in certain foods after cooking. Acrylamide has raised some interest because some studies show that animals fed high levels of acrylamide developed cancer. Many ongoing studies are investigating whether low levels of acrylamide in foods pose a health risk to humans.
What Foods Contain Acrylamide?
The highest levels of acrylamide are found in french fries and potato chips; it has also been detected in some cereal products, toast, and coffee but at much lower levels than what is found in potato chips. Generally, the cooking methods associated with the formation of acrylamide are roasting, baking, and frying.
How Can I Avoid Acrylamide?
Although it has only been recently discovered, acrylamide has been around for as long as we have been baking, frying, or roasting potatoes and other plant-based, high-carbohydrate foods. Here are several ways to reduce the formation of acrylamide when preparing foods, as provided by the FDA and Health Canada:
Boil or steam potatoes; the cooking temperatures in these two methods are not high enough for the acrylamide-producing reaction to take place.
Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator because it may result in higher levels of acrylamide formed during cooking. Store them in a cool, dark place such as your pantry.
Before you fry or roast potatoes, soak the cut slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes. (Remember to dry the slices before frying to prevent splattering.)
Cook only until the potatoes turn a golden yellow color instead of brown (the darker areas contain more acrylamide). In the same vein, toast bread to the lightest acceptable browning level, and discard any dark or burned crust.
Use a maximum temperature of 350F for frying and 450F for baking potatoes.
The FDA also provides acrylamide data on individual food products.
The Bottom Line
While there is no need to panic or wage an all-out war against acrylamide, it is still a good idea to limit your intake of potato chips and french fries in general. These two foods (particularly the pre-packaged/frozen versions) tend to be deep-fried and high in salt and/or artificial seasonings, so they should not be regular features on your plate regardless of the acrylamide levels. To address the occasional craving, make them yourself from scratch and follow the guidelines provided above. (Note the tremendous value of cooking at home; you're in control of what you add to the food and how it gets cooked). And finally, let's put this in context: if you eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits you will naturally limit the amount of processed potato products (or any other highly-processed foods) your body gets anyway.

Ab work in Disguise!

Bruce Lee took advantage of his time by training his incredible abs unnoticed while sitting in boring meetings. He isometrically contracted his abs by pressing his lower back into a chair. There was no apparent movement, but his rectus abdominis muscles were receiving a secret, awesome workout.Your torso is a vital area for you to tone and strengthen if you want to increase your power. Torso exercises stabilize the spine, protecting you from injury. Abdominal muscles allow your torso to turn, twist, and bend. Your waist connects your upper and lower body to generate the tremendous torque necessary for dynamic punching and kicking. Solid abdominals are essential to make this connection. Strong core muscles also enhance your balance, protecting your internal organs.The set of abdominal muscles referred to as the "6-pack" is the rectus abdominis, and in reality it is a "10-pack" - go ahead, count them. This muscle group originates on the pubic bone. The insertion (end of the muscle that is attached to the body part to be moved) is on the cartilage of ribs 5 through 7 and the xiphoid process (the lower tip of the breastbone). The rectus abdominis is a straplike muscle designed for smooth, long movement. Its main purpose is to raise your body from bed each morning. The simple crunch trains this muscle group by flexing the trunk forward.For perfect crunches, begin each repetition as if you were in slow motion. Contract your rectus abdominis, exhaling as you let your muscles pull your shoulder blades up off the floor. Exhaling on each repetition allows you to squeeze your abs without arching your back. Inhale on the return to prepare you for the next contraction; expand into the neutral spine position without relaxing fully, keeping the abs active.Beware of infomercial abdominal machines. Many of these products make false claims, use only a one-dimensial approach to ab training, are cheaply made, and are not really properly aligned, tested, or designed for safe, repeated use. To firm up your abs free of charge (well, we hope you paid for the book), lie on your back with your knees bent, your chin resting forward toward your chest. Curl your head and shoulders off the floor (without momentum or the use of a crane) upward and forward until your shoulder blades leave the floor. Follow this progression: Tilt, curl, flex for two seconds, then uncurl, untilt. Focus on flexing your rectus abdominis. The range of motion is only a few inches. It should feel as if you are working your upper abs more because the top of your rectus abdominis is thinner than the layer toward the pubis. Perform 10 repetitions. Use your rectus abdominis muscles to raise your body, not your head and neck. If crunches are too difficult, raise yourself off the floor with your arms and perform just the down phase of the crunch.You can modify your arm position to change the degree of difficulty of crunches. The least resistance occurs when your arms are straight and outstretched along the sides of your body. Level 2 of difficulty is to cross your arms over your chest. Level 3 is elbows bent, fingertips to your ears, or arms extended up; either arm variation adds more resistance to the crunch.To perform a reverse crunch, lie on your back with your knees flexed to your chest. Place your hands under your hips. Keep your knees together as you bring your feet toward the floor without touching it. Hold for three seconds, then slowly draw your knees back to your chest. It should feel as if you are working the lower part of your rectus abdominis because your hip flexor muscles (iliopsoas) are assisting.When you attempt to train your abs, the hip flexors (iliopsoas), which are more powerful muscles, do most of the work. This is the main reason that, when done incorrectly, crunches (or anything for that matter) can be a disappointing waste of time. Even when you perform a crunch correctly, your rectus abdominis begins the movement but your hip flexors cannot help but become involved, especially if you attempt to perform crunches quickly with nonmuscular momentum. By raising the torso slowly and coming up only part of the way (full sit-ups have been known to be a big no-no for some time now), you can target your rectus abdominis instead of your hip flexors.If you anchor your feet under a sofa, table, or gym bar or have a partner hold your feet, you work mostly the hip flexors because you naturally pull against the anchor with your legs. This diminishes the role of the abs in the activity. With your feet

Here's a List of some fast Food restaurants with below each which items are the healthiest:

McDonalds-
Chicken Oriental salad
low fat dressings
Whole wheat Chicken McGrill with BBQ sauce
Chicken Protein platter
Fruit & Yogurt Parfait (hold the granola)

Wendy's-
Mandarin chicken salad
Spring Mix Salad
low fat dressings
Ultimate Chicken grill plus side salad
Large chili plus side salad
Jr. Frosty Dairy Desert

Burger King-
Fire-Grilled Chicken or Shrimp Garden or Caesar Salads
fat free dressings
BK Veggie Burger + side salad

Harvey's-
Entree grilled Chicken Caesar or Garden salad with light dressing
Beef barley Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Harvest vegetable Soup
Signature grilled Chicken Burger
Veggieburger

Subway-
6" SUBS:-
Roast beef
Oven roasted chicken breast
savory turkey breast
Turkey breast, ham and roast beef
Veggie Delite
Sweet Onion chicken Teriyaki
Ham
Deli-style sandwiches:
Ham
Roast Beef
Savory Turkey breast

Salads:
Garden fresh
Mediterranean Chicken

Dressings:
Honey Mustard
Red Wine vinaigrette
Sweet Onion

Tim Horton's-
Sandwiches- on brown
Garden Vegetable
Harvest turkey breast
Tuna salad
Turkey Bacon Club
Chicken and roasted red Pepper

Soups-
Chicken Nodle
Vegetable Beef barley
Hearty Vegetable
Turkey and rice
Chicken Gumbo
Tomato Florentine
Minestrone
Beef Noodle
Chili

Swiss Chalet-
Santa Fe Grilled chicken Salad
Vegetable Stir fry on Rice
Chicken Stir Fry on rice
Quarter chicken White(skinless0 with coleslaw/vegetables
Chicken on a Kaiser(eat open faced no top bun)
Dressings -lite or fat free only

Packed lunch has advantages- less temptation, planning the right balance ahead of time, lower cost, knowing exactly what you are getting in your food!- every lunch - and snack- needs a protein of some kindand a complex carbsome ideas:-tuna, salmon, crab,chicken, turkey, lean ham, egg salad, white fish, lean roast beef these can go on/in a salad base, or inside 2 slices whole grain bread, or tortilla wrap, pita bread, or even in egg rollwrappers and quickly stir fried or baked.- the best tortillas for nutrients are the sundried tomato, then the whole wheat or spinach-soup in a wide mouth thermos (just not cream soups)-raw veggies cut up with hummus( the spicier ones will also help speed up the metabolism)-string chees, part skim mozzarella, boursin, goat cheese, mini baby bells, feta-apples- controlled studies have shown that when nothing else changed in the diet except eating 3 raw unpeeled apples per day those who did lost weight.pears or berries are the next best fruits-cherry tomatoes-protein powder and a container( some have their own seive inside to help mixing) with water or skim milk, ready to shake just before drinking as a protein shake Next email will be fast food lunches/meals.-Georgina DellaportaB.A., R.N.,CPTN,Can-Fit-Pro, AFP,NFC

ok so lets start withideal weight for a height of 6'1" is probably about 210lb , a bit more if your body fat % is lower than 12%.To get there -at a healthy rate - the ideal balance would be:1700 cal per dayBalanced at*** 20% fats (mostly good fats)=60gm fat/day 30% protein=202gm protein/day 50% carbs (mostly good - complex carbs)337gm/day and 35 gm fibre per dayso how to get this?#1- eat 5-6 times per day, small frequent meals rather than large ones#2- 12x 8oz or 8 x 12 oz bottles of spring water per day= dehydration for even 3 hrs decreases the metabolism by about 5%.#3-dont go more than 4 hrs without at least a small amt of protein!-Breakfast is extremely important-suggestions: omelet or scrambled egg- made with 1 whole egg and 1/4 cup of egg whites (use a carton of Simply Whites)-cottage cheese mixed विथ some frozen berries and a teaspoon of each cinnamon and splenda-protein shake + a piece of fruit- 12 grain bagel विथ siced chicken or turkey breast,lettuce, tomato.IF you are getting the Tim's version- get them to hold the butter and no cheese. -mustard and catsup are not a problem, nor is hot sauceHigh cholestrol, high fat items ARE a problem- both for your weight and more imprortantly your blood pressure- cheese , butter, margarine, coconut, regular mayonnasie, egg yolks, marbelized steaks-(the top and tip sirloin are healthiest), pork, ribs, skin on chicken and turkey, pot pies, sausages, bacon, next email i will tackle lunches- packed and fast food.

Nutrition Consultation

Whether you have weight to lose, a desire to gain, or just to maintain the healthy weight you have.

Your nutrition consultation will include:

An assessment of your actual weight and body fat percentage and where you are on the chart of healthy for your age, height and gender

What is your goal body fat %- healthy, fit, or athletic- and how soon you could reach that goal,

Why diet more than exercise is to blame for what’s around your middle and how to get the waistline you want!

An understanding of why a balanced meal plan - protein/carbs/ fats is crucial to your health and longevity

Exactly how many grams each of proteins, carbs and fats per day are specifically right for YOU.

The difference between good and bad fats, complex and simple carbs,

Why soy is great for some but not for others

How you can put not just yourself but your children, and /or partner onto clean healthy eating and have them enjoy it!

How to do all this in a busy schedule.

How to maintain an even blood sugar level, lower needs for insulin, blood pressure medications, anti-depressants with real food.

Suggestions for better restaurant choices, better kids choices, great products vs. poor ones on the grocery store shelves.