Peripheral neuropathy

For a lay person:

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It usually starts with numbness, tingling or burning in the feet and hands.

For a trained medical person:

Commonest causes are diabetes, alcohol, B12 deficiency, chemotherapy and hereditary neuropathy. Workup includes glucose, B12, thyroid tests and nerve conduction studies. Management treats the cause and neuropathic pain.

In Chinese medicine:

Flaws and Sionneau's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Damp heat invasion and excessiveness; Lung-stomach fluid damage; Spleen-stomach deficiency weakness; Liver-kidney insufficiency; Spleen-kidney insufficiency with cold dampness pouring down. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: Get urgent care for weakness that is spreading quickly. Check your feet daily if they are numb.