Posted on 03/09/2024 5:12:56 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Nerve fibers (axons) transmit brain and spinal cord signals through nerves to target muscles or skin, and vice versa. Damage to these fibers thus leads to a disruption of connections and, consequently, to paralysis or numbness. The chances of recovery depend mainly on the speed at which the severed fibers regenerate as this process is time-limited, so usually only short distances can be overcome.
Consequently, nerve injuries in the legs and arms often lead to permanent damage, which later may be accompanied by neuropathic pain. Therefore, a key therapeutic goal of research is the development of therapies to accelerate nerve fiber growth. However, despite intensive worldwide research, such therapies still need to be created.
This goal may have been successfully approached by Dr. Philipp Gobrecht and Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fischer. In a newly published study, they investigated proteins called vasohibins that influence the state of the cytoskeleton in axonal growth cones (microtubules).
They found that the balance between detyrosinated and tyrosinated microtubules differs between adult and newborn animals. This is relevant because axonal growth in newborns is nearly twice as high as in adults due to optimally tyrosinated microtubules.
Using a defined compound (parthenolide) from feverfew (Tanacetum Parthenium), they inhibited the vasohibins so that the balance between detyrosinated and tyrosinated microtubules in neurons of adult animals became similar to that of newborn animals.
This led to a significant acceleration of nerve regeneration. Remarkably, the scientists also demonstrated in living animals that after daily intravenous administration, parthenolide significantly accelerated the healing process of damaged nerves, allowing the animals to move their toes and sense stimuli much earlier after treatment than untreated controls. A modified form of parthenolide, which can be administered orally, showed similar effects.
"Experiments on human nerve cells have already shown a regeneration-promoting effect," says Prof. Fischer.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
NOW Foods Feverfew is one example.
Does this work in the brain after stroke?
Could this be useful for people with dementia? Asking for a friend, really.
Will it help ALS patients? Lou Gehrig’s disease. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Thanks.
Very interested.
Following comments....
I have peripheral neuropathy in my left foot. Its a kind of tingling numbness that I notice mostly when I’m walking for more than a couple minutes. At the same time my left wrist has a kind of nerve pain that only shows up when I stress it with exercise.
My understanding is that alpha lipoic acid may do some good to help restore the myelin around the nerves.
Does it sound like Feverfew extract will be of some benefit here too?
I bought the Now feverfew on Amazon. amazon recommended NOW’s feverfew too.
Its not clear to me how much parthenolide I’m getting or what the recommended dose is.
According to the bottle, the feverfew is 0.5% - 0.7% Parthenolide. That’s for 175 milligrams of feverfew extract and 150 milligrams of feverfew powder.
I googled the recommended dose for parthenolide. According to google results:
The recommended dose of parthenolide, a compound found in feverfew, can vary depending on several factors such as age, weight, overall health, and the specific condition being treated. Additionally, there is no universally agreed-upon standard dose for parthenolide in humans as its use is often in herbal or dietary supplement form rather than a regulated medication.
For feverfew supplements containing parthenolide, typical doses may range from 50 to 250 milligrams per day, taken orally. However, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare professional or herbalist for personalized advice before starting any new supplement regimen, as they can provide guidance tailored to individual needs and potential interactions with other medications or health conditions.
bump-
Interesting. I’ve had a wound on my leg that won’t heal (thanks to my new rescue pup from over a year ago) and the nerve pain is what bothers me the most. My doc put me on Cymbalta and Gabapenten, which help a bit, but there’s still a lot of pain. I’ll research this more. Thanks for posting.
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I never had any ,uck with lipoic acid which i took for many months in hopes of restoring feeling-
I have both peripheral neuropathy in my feet from chemo (actually I was getting it before chemo, but the chemo accelerated it), and in my dominant hand due to surgery which severed the main nerve running down the arm (forget what the nerve is called now)
The feet neuropathy feels like my socks are bunched up under the pads of the feet below the toes- and gets quite unnoying at times, even painful. One thing I found that helps some is blue emu he.ps numb the feeling so it isn’t so bad.
I will probsbly try lipoic acid AND fever few together to see if it might help- the hand issue is dangerous as i’ve burnt the hand a couple of times reaching into the oven to remove a roast or whatever, and never felt it, but had pretty good blisters from the burns. Picked up a pan from the inside the oven, thought I had the oven pad over the handle, but didnt, and didnt realize it- got a pretty good burn that time too.
Peggy, you can try Manuka honey which is supposed to heal when standard medical stuff doesn’t work. Get sterile Manuka honey though- I got mine off Amazon- not too expensive.
Do a search for “Manuka honey for wounds that won’t heal”, there is quite a bit of literature on it. It’s recommended for diabetic ulcers and such that won’t heal well. Should be good for other type wounds too.
Did you try the R-lipoic acid? That has helped me. It takes time...maybe a year.
Yes, didn’t seem to do much for me. I think the chemo really messed things up. I had peripheral neuropathy in both hands too from the chemo, but they weren’t as bad as the feet, and the hands recovered mostly, until The surgery severed the nerve in the one arm- I doubt anything Will bring back feeling there as they had tk remove quite a bit of the muscle there and like too much of the nerve was removed in the process. The feet might be able to make a comeback, maybe partially.
I’ve been seeing a wound care nurse and therapist for the last 9 months. The wound is healing very, very slowly. I finally broke down and purchased a very expensive prescription that breaks up the slough faster for faster healing. The pain is the nerves - keeps me up at night. They think I have a autoimmune problem but I refuse to get a biopsy since they’d have to go into the wound using lidocaine only, which does nothing for me. No way I’d go through that pain. The Cymbalta and Gabapenten helps somewhat but makes me so sleepy.
Sorry you are going through that- pain is a hard thing to deal with, especially at night if it jeeps waking a person up. The honey supposedly works in hard to treat cases like that. Pubmed has several articles on it- not saying it’s right for everyone, but for me if I had leg ulcers I would try it, along with traditional treatment.
I will look into it. Thanks!
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