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Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)

What is CIPN?  How to get relief

Chemotherapy drugs are poisons that attack fast growing cells (rapidly dividing cells).. The theory behind using these toxins is that it will destroy the fast growing cancer cells before it does too much damage to normal cells.

Hair is a quickly dividing, fast growing cell and the reason that hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy.

Bone marrow produces fast growing cells. Normally, when blood cells wear out in the body, they are replaced by new ones from the bone marrow.  When the chemotherapy drugs damage these fast growing cells,  it can  cause a low blood count which can result in other side effects such as fatigue, headaches, and chills. 

Nerve damage

The nervous system is the system that transmits information between the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the rest of the body.  It is designed to transmit feeling such as touch and temperature.   It delivers messages from sight, it delivers messages to the muscles to move.

Chemotherapy is hardest on the nervous system due to the fact that nerve cells are more sensitive than other cells. 

Nerve cells are more sensitive to these toxins then other cells and thus they are often affected and can be damaged easily.   This is the also reason for nerve damage to the brain, also known as "chemo fog" or "chemo-brain", and the peripheral neuropathy side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

After exposure to the chemotherapy drugs, the cells that responsible for producing myelin, the fatty substance that helps insulate and protect nerve conducting fibers, can become damaged. 

Nervous system changes in chemotherapy patients can develop months or years after treatment.  The onset of these symptoms are variable.  Some drugs may cause symptoms during or immediately after the first dose, and some have a delayed onset of symptoms, up to several weeks, months, or even years after the last dose.

The severity of these symptoms is related to the cumulative dosage of the drug received.

Additionally, someone with pre-existing neuropathy (no matter the cause) may be at risk for more severe and long lasting neuropathy.

Loss of feeling in the hands and feet can make it hard to pick up small objects and cause clumsiness and difficulty walking. Some people with nerve damage first notice a "pins and needles" feeling, not unlike when an arm or leg falls asleep. 

As motor nerves are the most  sensitive to toxins, this nerve damage may make you feel clumsy and cause difficulty in daily activities such as opening jars, fastening buttons, or even squeezing toothpaste tubes.   Loss of balance and coordination is also due to this damage. 

Post Chemo Neuropathy

Per the American Cancer Society, "Chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is caused by the chemotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment."    (Neuropathy is also sometimes called paraesthesia or even myalgia.)

The symptoms or signs of CIPN depend mostly on which nerves are involved. The most common symptoms are:

• pain

• burning

• tingling (or a "pins and needles" feeling)

• muscle shrinkage

• weakness

• balance problems

• trouble with tripping and stumbling while walking

• loss of feeling (numbness)

• decreased or no reflexes

• increased sensitivity to temperature (usually cold) or pressure, so that things hurt more than usual

• constipation

• trouble passing urine

• blood pressure changes

• trouble swallowing

"CIPN often affects both sides of the body the same way; for example, the toes of both feet. It can cause severe pain and can affect your ability to do everyday things like walk, write, button your shirt, or pick up a coin. If it gets very bad it can cause very serious problems like changes in your heart rate, trouble breathing, paralysis, or organ failure"

This is the reason that medical doctors have to keep close watch over their patients when receiving chemotherapy.

Are these long term side effects of chemotherapy?

The only way to correctly manage this chronic neuropathy is to address the real causes, not the symptoms.

Can the Nerve Damage be Reversed? 

When the myelin sheathing of the nerve cells are damaged or degenerate due to the cancer treatment, the signals being transmitted are scrambled, resulting in your body receiving signals that real interpreted as numbness, heat, cold, tingling, pain, etc. 

This is similar to an electrical wire that is covered with insulation, and the insulation is beginning to crumble.  Without insulation, the unprotected wire will start short-circuiting.  

It has been known for some time that increased levels of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) in the blood stream are very effective in reducing and reversing nerve damage. Unfortunately, the oral intake of vitamin B1 does not greatly increase the levels of B1 in the blood stream.  

Previously, the way that blood stream levels of B1 was increased was through periodic intravenous feeding or through injections every few weeks.

The reason that injections have to be used is that Thiamine (sometimes spelled Thiamine), like all of the B vitamins, is water soluble.   Thiamine cannot be stored in the body and flushes out within 4 to 5 hours. 

Oral intake of Thiamine over 5 mg results in greatly reduced absorbability, and is flushed right out of the body (this is why urine frequently turns yellow when taking larger doses of B vitamins).

Additionally, chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy has been found to be made worse by insufficient amounts of B12 in the body.

Vitamin B12 supports the sheathing that protects nerve cells and has shown in studies to promote the regeneration and growth of nerve cells. 

In the past, it has been difficult to remedy the B12 deficiency.

The reason for this is that while vitamin B12 is readily stored by the body, it is not readily absorbed by the body. For this reason much larger amounts have been used in supplementation, but even large oral dosages have not been an adequate solution.

Keep reading, there is a solution:

The most common type of vitamin B12 used in supplements is called Cyanocobalamine. Taking Cyanocobalamine can result in absorption of as little as 1/2 of 1% of the amount taken, which makes it almost impossible to get enough of this vitally important vitamin.

In addition to the very low absorption, the body must convert the Cyanocobalamine (which cannot be used by the body) to a form of vitamin B12 the body can use called Methylcobalamine. Unfortunately, as the body gets older it loses this ability to convert Cobalamine to Methylcobalamine.

For the above reasons, as people get older, many physicians recommend regular monthly injections of vitamin B12 to maintain adequate body levels or to replenish greatly depleted stores of this vital nutrient.

A Remedy for this Problem: 

You might have heard of the new type of vitamin B1 being produced, called Benfotiamine. It is a fat-soluble version of vitamin B1. What does this mean?  It means this new form of vitamin B1 can be taken orally in large dosages and it will not flush out of the body the way ordinary Thiamine (vitamin B1) does.

The result is that by taking Benfotiamine the blood stream levels of vitamin B1 can now be greatly increased, nutritionally supporting the body to rapidly and effectively decrease or eliminate the symptoms of Neuropathy.

Also available is Methylcobalamine (called Methyl B12). This is the form of vitamin B12 that can be directly utilized by the body and is available in the quantities nutritionally needed by the body to repair itself. Methyl B12 can be taken orally and is immediately available to the body much like injectable vitamin B12.

Where can I find these supplements?

RECOMMENDED:  (This is where we have researched products and found one that we know will work for you.) 

The vitamins talked about above are available together.  The name of the product is  “Nerve Support Formula”   It contains both Benfotiamine and Methyl B12. The result is that the blood stream levels of vitamin B1 and vitamin B12 can be greatly increased, providing the nutritional support needed by the body to rapidly and far more effectively to decrease or eliminate the symptoms of  neuropathy by repairing the nerve damage that was done. 

Reports are that someone previously using just the Benfotiamine reported a lessening of their symptoms within 4 to 7 days. The  “Nerve Support Formula” is far more effective than either the Benfotiamine or Methyl B12 alone.

Both Benfotiamine and Methyl B12 have been shown to be non-toxic and without any side effects even in very high dosages.

These vitamins have a 90 Day money back guarantee and the company who makes it also has a live support line.  This money back guarantee means that you can buy 1, 2 or 3 bottles (up to three months worth) and return them if this doesn't work for you.  They  have consultants that will  guide you through whatever you need to do to get relief.  They don't just sell you a vitamin.  

Sounds too good to be true.  We researched it and found that they have a 85-90% success rate.    How fast does it work? Well, that depends on the individual's genetics and the severity of the neuropathy.  

However, people often have gotten relief in as little as two weeks.    Some take longer, due to the fact that this remedy is actually giving the body what it needs to heal the body.  It allows the body to actually repair the nerves.

They have lots of great success stories. that you can read here

Get more information about this product

If you are experiencing  nerve damage with symptoms such as:

• pain

• burning

• tingling (or a "pins and needles" feeling)

• muscle shrinkage

• weakness

• balance problems

• trouble with tripping and stumbling while walking

• loss of feeling (numbness)

• decreased or no reflexes

• increased sensitivity to temperature (usually cold) or pressure, so that things hurt more than usual

• constipation

• trouble passing urine

• blood pressure changes

• trouble swallowing

Go to the Nerve Support Formula  for more information.  It costs $44.20 for 120 capsules.   It will not interfere with any medications you might be taking. For FAQ  

The Nerve Support Formula is made in an "FDA Inspected Facility"  and  cGMP labs (Good Manufacturing Practice Facility) which is the standards needed to manufacture pharmaceuticals.   What does that mean?   Go to Quality of WSN Manufacturing

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? CALL  888 758-5590  OR EMAIL AND GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 

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