Vitamin reverses nerve pain

Q. I heard a caller on your radio show talk about a vitamin for peripheral neuropathy and restless leg syndrome. What is it? Can you tell me more?

A. The compound is benfotiamine, a synthetic form of thiamine (vitamin B-1). It has been used in Germany to treat peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes. Our caller, a physician, says the dose is 300 mg twice daily to start with; maintenance is 150 mg twice a day. Benfotiamine is available without a prescription, but not all pharmacies carry it.

When he called, we had forgotten that we’d heard from other listeners several years ago about the same compound: “I have suffered for about four years from an intermittent, sharp ‘electric’ pain on the sole of my left foot. Recently it became worse and was interfering with my sleep.

“I heard you speaking about peripheral neuropathy, and a diabetic caller said her doctor had recommended benfotiamine. This had returned feeling to the bottom of her feet for the first time in many years.

“After reading all I could find on the subject, I ordered benfotiamine and began taking it. Within 24 hours my pain had almost completely disappeared, and the very isolated recurrences are comparatively mild.”

A placebo-controlled trial for diabetic neuropathy found a significant benefit for pain (Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes, November 2008). We could find no trials of benfotiamine to treat restless leg syndrome, but it could be worth a try.

Q. I’m a 48-year-old male not taking any medicines, just daily vitamins. At the start of this year, my blood pressure was about 135 over 86. It had been hovering around that level for months.

I recently lost nearly 50 pounds (down from 261), and my blood pressure has dropped to 118 over 78. If you weigh more than you should, then it is possible to control your blood pressure by losing weight, eating right and exercising.

A. What a great success story! Congratulations on your weight loss. We agree that losing excess pounds is a great way to control blood pressure. There is much more information on nondrug approaches for controlling hypertension in our Guide to Blood Pressure Treatment. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (64 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. B-67, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. You have had several questions about stage fright, so I’d like to share my experience. I am a professional singer, and my daughter gives public presentations as part of her job.

We both swear by valerian! It does the trick for nerves if you take it 15 minutes prior to performing or speaking.

A. Valerian has traditionally been used, alone or with lemon balm, to ease anxiety or even help fight insomnia. A laboratory study suggested that these herbs can help overcome anxiety (Phytotherapy Research, February 2006).

2011 King Features Syndicate, Inc.