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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffThese measures can help reduce your risk of diabetic neuropathy:
- Keep your blood pressure under control. People with diabetes are more likely to have high blood pressure than are people who don't have diabetes. Having both high blood pressure and diabetes greatly increases your risk of complications because both damage your blood vessels and reduce blood flow. Try to keep your blood pressure in the range your doctor recommends, and be sure to have it checked at every office visit. Also consider checking it regularly at home. What level to aim for if you have diabetes is controversial. The American Diabetes Association recommends keeping your blood pressure below 130/80 millimeters of mercury Hg (mm Hg). However, recent studies suggest systolic blood pressure targets of 135 to 140 mm Hg are equally beneficial.
- Make healthy food choices. Eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of healthy foods — especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and limit portion sizes to help achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
- Be active every day. In addition to helping you achieve a healthy weight, daily activity protects your heart and improves blood flow. It also plays a major role in keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure under control. The American Diabetes Association generally recommends about 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day daily at least five times a week. However, if you have severe neuropathy and decreased sensation in your legs, your doctor may recommend that you participate in non-weight-bearing activities, such as bicycling or swimming.
- Stop smoking. If you have diabetes and use tobacco in any form, you're more likely than are nonsmokers with diabetes to die of heart attack and stroke. And you're more likely to develop circulation problems in your feet. If you use tobacco, talk to your doctor about ways to quit.
References
- Diabetic neuropathies: The nerve damage of diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/neuropathies/neuropathies.pdf. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Feldman EL, et al. Treatment of diabetic neuropathy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Aring AM, et al. Evaluation and prevention of diabetic neuropathy. American Family Physician. 2005;71:2123.
- Chaudhry V. Peripheral neuropathy. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2907120. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Tesfaye S. Advances in the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care. 2009;3:136.
- Standards of medical care in diabetes, 2009. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(suppl):13.
- Masharani U, et al. Pancreatic hormones and diabetes mellitus. In: Gardner DG, et al. Greenspan's Basic and Clinical Endocrinology. 8th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2633151. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Veves A. Painful diabetic neuropathy: Epidemiology, natural history, early diagnosis, and treatment options. Pain Medicine. 2008;9:660.
- Diabetic neuropathies. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:956.
- Robertson CB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 10, 2009.
- ACCORD study group. Effects of intensive blood-pressure control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. New England Journal of Medicine. 2010. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa1001286. Accessed March 15, 2010.
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