How We Approach Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Long-term chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), is one of the
most common complaints among cancer survivors whose care included chemotherapy
–afflicting between 30 to 40%.
We believe that understanding and effectively managing the pain associated with cancer therapies is an integral part of your cancer care.
Our doctors build you a personalized plan designed to give your body the best foundation it can have to address CIPN including:
Nutrition Guidance
Nutrition can have an important bearing on neuropathy. We can provide guidance on what, as well as when and how to eat to make sure your body has the appropriate amount of nutrition to facilitate healing–not too little, and not too much.
Injection Therapies
Using intramuscular and intravenous injection, we can deliver targeted amounts of compounds useful in healing from neuropathy in a way that your body can easily access them. Many chemotherapies are delivered via IV for just that reason; we want to do the same and supply what the body needs for recovery.
Physiotherapy
This segment of our protocol includes therapies like acupuncture, cold laser, and hydrotherapy.
These therapies stimulate nerves and muscles leading to improved blood circulation. Additionally, their application can stimulate the release of endorphins to further modify the body’s response to pain.
Personalized Supplementation
The word supplement refers to something that completes or enhances something else when added to it. Although the diet modification that our physicians recommend provides a good foundation, your body may need additional support in specific ways. We provide direct recommendations based on your individual need to complete or enhance the availability of molecular compounds that your body needs to recover.
Exercise Planning
Exercise is important in a neuropathy protocol because exercise is an excellent way to maintain blood flow to the appendages most likely to be affected by CIPN. It’s more sophisticated than pulling up YouTube and looking for yoga poses or pilates. Research is showing that exercise can release multifunctional cytokines (signaling molecules) that may directly modulate a neuroprotective and/or regenerative response.
Because a balance needs to be met between reaching that protective state and over-extending into a strictly inflammatory state, what exercises and how much are an important consideration in your protocol.
Sleep Modifications
Sleep is crucial to the body’s ability to repair itself.
CIPN is a cruel condition because in many cases, one of the symptoms that affect those afflicted is impaired sleep. By means of natural and/or pharmicological intervention, our doctors incorporate your ability to reach restful sleep into your protocol.
Possible Chelation
Chelation is a medical procedure that introduces a chelating agent that binds with something (such as heavy metals) and facilitates their removal from the body. Not everyone needs chelation. In cases where CIPN is determined to be severe, and our physicians determine that there could be a benefit of chelation, they may recommend it as a part of your protocol.
Contact Us
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is is an unfortunate side-effect to many chemotherapy drugs.
No treatment can definitively eliminate CIPN as a side-effect of treatment 100% of the time, but our holistic approach ‘leaves no stone unturned’ in providing the support that your body needs to facilitate recovery–something we think makes a lot of sense.
If you or someone you know is concerned about peripheral neuropathy as a complication of their cancer treatment, contact our office at 480-990-1111, or fill in this form, and we’ll be in touch soon!
Talk to Us Before Your Chemotherapy Begins
The most effective way to address CIPN is not to develop it in the first place.
With that in mind, we advise involving our team before you begin your chemo so we can incorporate the methods of our approach of recovery to prevention as well.
It may feel like an unnecessary step–to try to treat something that doesn’t exist yet–but remember, side-effects accompany almost any form of cancer therapy. Whether or not you’re prepared to deal with the side-effects of your treatment depends (in some measure) on whether or not you understand what they are and prepare to manage them effectively.
Your medical oncologist will carefully review your risk of side effects and weigh the potential of a therapy to kill cancer cells against the likelihood of developing complications when attempting to develop the most beneficial treatment plan.
In some cases, the treatment that is most likely to succeed against your cancer type carries a much higher risk of associated peripheral neuropathy.
What exactly the risk is, in your case, is something to discuss with your physician before treatment begins.
Certain chemotherapeutics & other non-conventional therapies have a higher prevalence of neuropathy associated with their use, such as:
paclitaxel
cisplatin
oxaliplatin
epothilones
thalidomide
docetaxel
bortezomib
lenalidomide
pomalidomide
suramin
vincristine
It is possible that you could go through treatment and never develop CIPN. However, it’s important to discuss the chemotherapy regimen that your doctor recommends, because the side-effects from a number of the therapies above are well documented. Many studies have shown that up to 90% of patients undergoing chemotherapy developed some degree of CIPN.
Doing all you can to prevent CIPN may make it easier, or more likely to recover while avoiding long-term complications.
CIPN Isn’t Just About Pain
CIPN isn’t just about the pain and tingling you feel.
It can disrupt everyday activities ranging from your ability to work, your relationships with family and friends, your ability to participate in and enjoy leisure activities, and lead to sleep disturbance, mood issues, fatigue and additional functional problems.
At present, there is no way to predict in advance the extent to which a person will develop CIPN due to any one–or any combination of chemotherapeutics.
While some prescription medications have proven effective at managing the pain associated with CIPN; there aren’t currently any medications that specifically address loss of sensation.
Additonally, the drugs used to treat the symptoms of CIPN predominantly affect how the nervous system transmits or interprets the sensations rather than attempting to correct the condition itself, a necessary step to fully restore normal functionality.