What Is Diabetic Neuropathy? - Part 3

This is a quote from this article. “Although the metabolic causes of diabetic neuropathy are perfectly well understood and documented, treatments for this disorder are still limited.” This statement shows that researchers and scientists think they know it all, but studies are still surfacing that can prove them wrong. Some medical researchers are becoming too smug and making statements they should not be making.

Then we have this article that says, “Nearly half of all diabetics suffer from neuropathic pain, an intractable, agonizing and still mysterious companion of the disease. Now Yale researchers have identified an unexpected source of the pain and a potential target to alleviate it.” This is very contrasting. Maybe metabolic causes are understood and it is the neuropathic pain that is the mysterious companion. Regardless, statements like these stand out like the sores they are and create doubts as to whether scientists really understand.

Another quote from the same article even tends to make decisions even more difficult to understand, “How diabetes leads to neuropathic pain is still a mystery,” said Andrew Tan, an associate research scientist in neurology at the Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "An interesting line of study is based on the idea that neuropathic pain is due to faulty 'rewiring' of pain circuitry. With a growing number of diabetics, the condition represents a huge unmet medical need. Once neuropathic pain is established, it is a lifelong condition.”

As much as I detest these statements, we need to realize that authors of studies are attempting to have their research noticed and stand out among all the reports issued on a daily basis. I do not agree that this should be totally necessary and some statements are not that believable as it is, because too many readers of medical science reports have a jaded view caused by statements that are not quite believable.

The study reported by Gretchen Becker in her blog on Health Central covers a potential target for reduction or prevention of the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy and the report can be read here. Yes, this is the second mention, but well worth reading.

Neuropathic pain, whether caused by diabetes or other causes, is still painful and sometimes debilitating, reducing the quality of life for those suffering from it. Since I am one of those people who was diagnosed with neuropathy approximately 10 years prior to the diagnosis of diabetes, it has been a long 19 years with the pain in my feet.

I am glad to see that research is finally beginning to make some progress into the cause and potential treatment for those suffering from neuropathy. I have a tendency to read past the sensationalism promoted the study reports, but at times, I want to scream at what I know to be irresponsible statements.

Final of three parts.