As I discussed in the last
week post, the neurologist whom I helped with his neck problem started referring
me patients. (Those not familiar with this narrative please
click here)
Recently he called me about
one a relatively healthy 72 year old man, who developed typical neuropathy such
as the one accompanying diabetes, while as the patient couldn't even be
diagnoses as being in pre-diabetic stage. So he contemplated on this case
and for a while couldn't come to any conclusion.
When he introduced this
case, the doctor mentioned that the patient’s had high level of cholesterol and
was taking statin (cholesterol lowering) drugs. From my experience I knew
that people who take statin drugs usually develop edema, especially in the
ankle area and I shared this observation with the doctor. The doctor
recollected that although his patient’s heart was functioning normally as well
as other vital organs like kidneys, liver, etc. he did have some edema in the
ankle area. I offered that this lymphedema could compress nerve and thus
could promote neuropathy. The doctor was surprised and noted that he couldn't find any scientific literature supporting that fact that edema could be the cause of
neuropathy. As he promised to do more investigation on the matter, he
also asked me to do something in reducing the size of this lymphedema.
I was glad to be of service
in this case since Medical Massage has a special protocol for lymph drainage
that significantly reduces and in most cases eliminates edemas. Since in
this particular case we dealt with lymphdynamic edema, I expected it to be gone
pretty fast.
When patient arrived, he
was mildly sad and depressed, because he loved to play golf and the neuropathy
was preventing him from enjoying his game. He was complaining that the
last three months he wasn’t really himself and no one knew what the problem was.
He was even afraid to drive because he couldn’t control his reactions.
From the first treatment I
significantly reduced edema size. I knew that it could come back,
informed him about it and recommend him to come back for treatments.
At next visit, edema was still there, but to my surprise it didn’t return
to the same size.
Subsequently I performed
eleven more treatments. The patient’s feet regained normal color, the
edema has practically disappeared as the symptoms of neuropathy. Because nerve
damage wasn’t permanent, after twelve treatments nerve, in absence of edema,
recuperated.
The doctor investigated the
patient, called me and said that he was amazed at the clinical outcome.
He also suggested that based on these results we should try this method
with other patients and should write a paper. His suggestion was based on the fact that he
had the hard time finding any description of such results in the scientific
literature. I was doubtful in regard of such a paper. For me the interesting observation was no the
fact that lymphedima could cause neuropathy. I was taught of this connection
long time ago during my school studies and clinical practice. Sometimes,
post surgical patients who developed lymphedemas due to ankle area traumas also
develop neuropathy. In the case of
diabetes, the vessels that supply blood to nerves are damaged. Thus people who suffer diabetes eventually
also develop neuropathies.
Interestingly, when edema is not caused by diabetes, although the
mechanics of the disorder is different, its effect on nerves is similar. Edema compresses the region it interrupts the
normal blood supply to nerves and eventually causes neuropathy. I didn’t want
the article would come across as an example of a well known saying: “everything
new is just well forgotten old.”
To me the interesting aspect
of this clinical experience was that even though the patient continued taking
statins, lymphedema and accompanying it neuropathy didn't come back. Three weeks after the treatments were stopped;
the patient reported no swelling and no neuropathological symptoms. This fact might be deserving of an article.
