Nutrition Planning: A Little Extra for Your Postherpetic Neuralgia Patients
Treatment of the patient with postherpetic neuropathy or herpes zoster can be challenging.
They’ve already been through the pain of shingles…
The rash disappeared and they hoped to be normal again.
What they didn’t count on was postherpetic neuropathy.
Chances are, by the time they get to your office, they’ll be frustrated… depressed… irritable.
The medicines are not working and they are looking for a solution.
Something…anything…to make the pain of their postherpetic neuropathy stop and bring them back to life.
As a post-herpetic neuropathy specialist, he is uniquely positioned to give them what they need to heal. The missing pieces of the treatment puzzle that have not been addressed thus far.
That little something extra: a good nutrition plan
Your postherpetic neuropathy patient is probably accused of listening to the “take 2 of these and call me in the morning” approach to their neuropathy pain. That approach hasn’t worked or they wouldn’t be in his office. They must address the most basic ingredient in healing the human body: nutrition.
There are certain vitamins and minerals that have been shown to decrease pain caused by shingles and postherpetic neuropathy. Your post-herpetic neuropathy patients should make sure they are getting these vitamins and minerals, in healthy amounts, to give their body what it needs to heal.
This is where you come in. By providing nutritional counseling services to your postherpetic neuropathy patient, you not only address their actual physical symptoms in real time, but also provide them with vital information they need to participate in their own care and take control of their health again.
Make sure any nutrition plan you prescribe for your postherpetic neuropathy patients includes:
– Whole grains and vegetables to provide B vitamins to promote nerve health. Whole grains promote the production of serotonin in the brain and will increase your sense of well-being.
– Fish and eggs for additional vitamins B12 and B1.
– Green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale and other vegetables) to get calcium and magnesium. Both nutrients are vital for the health of nerve endings and the transmission of nerve impulses, and as a bonus, they boost the immune system.
– Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables (such as pumpkin, carrots, yellow and orange bell peppers, apricots, oranges, etc.) for vitamins A and C to help repair skin and boost the immune system.
– Sunflower seeds (unsalted), avocados, broccoli, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts (unsalted), tomatoes and tomato derivatives, sweet potatoes and fish for vitamin E to promote skin health and relieve soreness postherpetic neuropathy.
– A good multivitamin and mineral supplement to fill in the gaps in your daily nutrition.
Advise them to avoid:
– Coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
– Fried foods and all other fatty foods. Fatty foods suppress the immune system, and that’s the last thing you need to combat postherpetic neuropathy.
– Foods rich in protein such as animal protein. Protein-rich foods raise the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine, which are linked to high levels of anxiety and stress, which will only make you more irritable.
– Alcoholic drinks. Alcohol consumption limits the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the body and can make a bad situation worse.
– Processed sugar. They don’t have to eliminate sweets completely, just control them. Keeping blood sugar levels steady will help control irritability.
– Control salt intake. Opt for a salt substitute with potassium instead of sodium and stay away from canned foods like bacon, ham, pickles, etc. Reducing your salt intake will help alleviate inflammation and that alone will do wonders for the healing process.
Sit down and discuss your postherpetic neuropathy patient’s lifestyle and diet as part of the initial consultation process. The information obtained will help you design a tailored nutrition plan for your patient and help build a relationship between you. And pay close attention to the responses you get in that first meeting—they’ll give you a good idea of whether or not you have a compatible patient.
Stress Management Strategies
Now that you’ve addressed the nutrition portion of your postherpetic neuropathy treatment program, discuss your stress level with your patient. Even with good nutrition, if you’re letting the stresses of life and postherpetic neuropathy get the better of you, your body is working too hard. They are expending energy fighting stress that could be used to fight postherpetic neuropathy.
Create a lifestyle plan for your patient using the appropriate patient stress management tools. Some suggestions could be:
– Exercise regularly. If they are physically able, a brisk 15-minute walk every day is a good starting point.
– Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, tai chi, yoga or meditation. Any of these will calm the mind and, in turn, calm the body and nerves.
– Find a hobby that takes your mind off the pain of postherpetic neuropathy.
The combination of nutrition and stress management will work wonders for your postherpetic neuropathy patients. When used in conjunction with other medical treatment options available to you, it can give these patients a new lease on life and develop healthy habits that will stay with them long after the pain of postherpetic neuropathy is a distant memory.
We hope this provides you with information on nutritional advice and diet planning for your postherpetic neuropathy patients. Offering these services may be the missing piece of the treatment puzzle you’ve been looking for to treat this challenging patient population. Adding these services to your treatment options can also help you build a successful medical practice.
When you are trained and ready to offer these services, let them know you are there.
