But have you ever considered how the strength (or weakness) of your immune system may affect your Neuropathy condition?

Autoimmune Disease

Next to diabetes, autoimmune disorders rank among the highest sources in causing Neuropathy. When the immune system attacks itself (as is the case when dealing with things like Celiac Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis), nerves can be adversely affected.

Any time the immune system turns on the body it can – and will – attack nerve cells. Once these delicate fibers are damaged, chronic Neuropathy results.

How It Works

Let me explain. Immune cells have another job; to interact with neurons. When they do this properly, they are able to lessen sensitivity and ease chronic pain sensations.

Let’s say that your body sustains an injury. It is the job of the immune system to release inflammatory messages that work with neurotransmitters, receptors, and neurons to form an integrated network designed to alter immune responses to pain.

In addition, the immune system releases analgesics to target pain and help keep it under control. While pain is necessary to tell you that something is wrong within the body, the immune system also tries to control it

When the immune system becomes overactive, these natural responses are stalled. This can increase pain levels in the Neuropathy patient.

Integral to good health, strong nerves, and pain control, the immune system has a lot of work to do. The good news is that when it is working properly, the immune system releases its own built-in pain controllers to keep nerves from misfiring.

So by strengthening the immune system, the Neuropathy patient can find relief.

Building a Healthier Immune System

Building a healthier immune system is not as difficult as you may initially believe. The body is designed to work well, and when you give it the right tools, it will quickly fix what is wrong and do the work that it is made for.

To build a healthier immune system, you must give it the nutrients it needs. This includes eating a well-balanced diet, steering clear of things that can keep it from working well. These things include:

Stress: Chronic stress can wear out the immune system, leaving it too tired to do its job. Do what you can to ease the stresses in your life – and on your body – so that your immune system can remain strong.

Alcohol, Drugs, and Nicotine: Drinking too much, taking illicit drugs, and smoking cigarettes can damage the immune system and increase Neuropathy symptoms.

Sleep: A healthy body needs 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep each night to rejuvenate itself. Slumber is a time to give your body the break it needs to replenish cells and rest. Without enough sleep, your immune system begins
to break down, leaving you vulnerable to attack.

Toxic Overload: From the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink and bathe in, our bodies are overloaded with toxins every single day. Some research says that the average person comes in contact with as many as 10,000 different toxins in a single day.

All of this exposure has a detrimental effect on our health and well-being. Give your immune system a break by looking for simple ways to lower your risk of toxins (avoid processed foods, use natural cleaning supplies, eat organic, etc.).

The post The connection between auto-immune diseases and Neuropathy first appeared on Mark Fellers' Neuropathy And Nerve Pain Blog.