Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - symptoms, causes and treatment

Do you have pain, numbness or tingling in your hand (especially the Index finger and thumb)? Does the pain or numbness get worse when you use your hand a lot? Have you lost your grip? You may have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? How did I get it? How can I make it go away?

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Your hand is held together by tough ligaments that don't stretch very much at all. The ligaments between the base of your thumb and little finger form a tunnel of sorts that nerves and blood vessels go through. When all is well, this is an ingenious design that protects delicate nerves and gives you full use of your hand without pain.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a phrase that describes the inflammation of the median nerve in the hand. (See Carpal Tunnel illustration)

What causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is usually caused by constant, repetitive motion that results in inflammation. This is worse in women and people who have experienced an injury to their hand. It is also worse in people with arthritis, diabetes and people who are obese.

Aside from these triggers, let me tell you of my experience with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. People tend to have two things in common when they experience this disorder: a B vitamin deficiency (B-6 and B-12) and a serious problem in their neck.

All imbalances in the human body classically come from four causes: injury, toxicity, deficiency and stress. With this in mind, it makes sense that such a painful disorder could be triggered by such a simple cause. Of course, life is never quite that simple. With Carpal Tunnel there may also be toxicity generated by a hormone imbalance, smoking, excessive drinking or other chemical imbalance. But in the end, all of the people with Carpal Tunnel that I have ever seen also suffer from a nutrient deficiency and neck injury. (Nerve-healthy nutrients can be found in TriVita's Nerve Formula).

How to treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
The first step in any successful program must be accurate assessment of the condition. See a doctor for a proper diagnosis. Several really scary conditions masquerade as simple Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (and even simple Carpal Tunnel is not so simple!).

Begin with conservative care for your wrist and your neck as directed by a competent healthcare provider. If your neck is causing the problem, by all means address the cause! Supplement with Sublingual Vitamin B-12 and B-6 to keep the levels of B vitamins at their peak. If you are using TriVita products, use original Sublingual B-12 as it has more Vitamin B-6 in it than Super B does.

If surgery is needed to relieve your trapped nerves, find the best surgeon available. Follow their instructions closely. Most people recover completely from this condition by reducing inflammation at the nerve, preventing re-injury and addressing the cause.

Take Control of Your Health:

• Get properly diagnosed
• Follow prescribed therapy very closely
• Take your supplements, such as:
• TriVita Sublingual B-12, B-6 and Folic Acid
• Nopalea for inflammation
• TriVita Nerve Formula
• Treat your neck if necessary

Dangers of Refined Sugars - how eating sugar affects our health

For more than a generation the breakfast-cereal industry has given us more and more sugar. One family of products even coats the outside of the flakes, puffs and biscuits with sugar. As one comedian observed, "Only sugar has more sugar than these cereals!" But this idea of "frosting" a cereal with sugar gives us an opportunity to talk about your physical examination and blood tests.

Inside your body
Did you know that your red blood cells can become sugar-frosted, just like certain breakfast cereals? Yes, it's true! As a function of carrying energy from the food you eat to your muscles and brain, your red blood cells must absorb sugar. Some of the sugar in your red blood cells will crystallize and "sugar coat" the cell. This cell becomes very damaging to your brain, your eyes, nerves, blood vessels and kidneys.

The process is called "glycosylation" (gly' - kos - ill - a' - shun). It is represented on your blood test as glycosylated Hemoglobin A-1-C (Hgb A1C). Your A1C reading represents the total amount or percent of your blood that is sugar-coated. It should be a very small amount if any. The normal amount of A1C in a healthy person's blood is between 4% and 5%. If your A1C goes over 6% you will begin to damage the delicate tissues of your heart, brain, nerves and organs.

So, on your next medical examination be sure to have your Hgb A1C tested.

A closer look
Have you ever seen caramelized sugar? Most of us are not familiar with that term, but we do know one example of caramelized sugar: peanut brittle! When you make peanut brittle you must heat the sugar mixture until it crystallizes. When you try to bite off a piece (not recommended!) it can damage your teeth, lips and gums. If you drop it, the peanut brittle shatters - it is called "brittle" after all!

Now, imagine forcing peanut brittle through delicate tissue paper. This is what happens when sugar-coated blood cells are forced through your bloodstream, your brain, heart, nerves, lungs, kidneys, etc. The high A1C rips, shreds and tears your delicate tissues until they can no longer function.

Lowering A1C
Of course, the way to keep A1C levels low is to avoid refined sugars. Is there anything that lowers A1C once it is high? Yes! Many of the answers are found in the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness.

• Deep breathing lowers stress, which in turn helps lower A1C.
• Weight-bearing exercise burns sugar and dramatically lowers A1C.
• Also, foods high in fiber will reduce the amount of sugar entering your bloodstream.

Most importantly, to bring down a high A1C you must avoid refined sugar like poison! Dietary supplements may also help.

• Vitamin C can help your body reduce blood sugar for a short time. Continued use of Vital C can protect against your blood sugar forming excessive A1C.
• Essential fatty acids like those found in OmegaPrime® can help your body reduce triglycerides - a step toward reducing A1C.
• Still, I can think of no better dietary supplement for helping lower A1C levels than GlucoManage. The nutrients and herbs found in GlucoManage are absolutely essential to properly process sugar from your diet. Without these nutrients you can be sure that your A1C levels will continue to climb a little every year.

Learn to listen
If your blood sugar has started to rise and your A1C is above 5% you need to start a program to balance your blood glucose immediately! But, be patient - a blood cell lives for four months. Even though your blood sugar will change from day to day, your Hgb A1C will not. Test it three times per year. Hemoglobin A1C does not come down quickly. But for every point you lower your A1C, you lower your risk of disability related to glycosylation: heart attack, dementia, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.

Take Control of Your Health:

• Test your blood sugar:
• Fasting glucose
• Hemoglobin A1C
• Triglycerides
• Select healthy energy:
• Drink pure water
• Sleep peacefully
• Eat nutritiously
• Enjoy activity
• Avoid sugar-laden drinks and foods
• Avoid stimulants like caffeine
• Avoid irritants like alcohol and nicotine
• Eat high-fiber foods like legumes and vegetables
• Select supplements that can help your body reduce your A1C:
• GlucoManage
• Vital C
• OmegaPrime