DISORDERS
(Their description, characteristics or symptoms,
causes, and complementary or alternative treatments)
Disorder: CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME (CTS)
Description
: Compression or damage to the nerve in the wrist (median) that produces numbness, tingling, and sometimes pain. Weakness and tingling of the first three fingers and thumb may also occur. The carpal tunnel is a very small opening about one-quarter inch below the surface of the wrist through which the median nerve passes. The median nerve is vulnerable to compression or injury from a number of sources including swelling due to pregnancy or water retention, pressure from bone spurs, inflammatory arthritis, or even tendinitis.Symptoms: Symptoms can range from mild tingling and numbness to excruciating pain accompanied by a crippling atrophy of the muscles in the thumb. Most commonly, it produces burning, tingling, or numbness in the thumb and the first three fingers. The tingling is often referred to as feeling similar to the "pins and needles" associated with a limb "falling asleep," and it also involves a gradual weakening of the thumb. CTS can affect one or both hands and symptoms are often worse at night or in the morning. Pain may spread to the forearm and in severe cases, to the shoulder. Symptoms may improve in one week or take several months.
Incidence: CTS is more common in women after the age of thirty-five.
Causes: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is associated with repetitive wrist motion injury, which is linked to continuous rapid use of the fingers. Once considered an occupational hazard affecting only supermarket checkout clerks and bookkeepers, CTS did not become widely known until the 1980’s when personal computers came to dominate the workplace. Today, CTS is commonplace among people who earn their living using word processors or other computerized keyboards.
Treatments: If your occupation or hobby involves making repetitive movements with the hands and/or fingers, following are some recommendations to help prevent CTS:
 | Use your whole hand and all of your fingers when you
grip an object.
| Make sure your posture is correct. For keyboard
tasks, sit straight in your chair with your body tilted slightly back. Raise
or lower your chair so that your knees are bent at a right angle and your
feet are flat on the floor. Your wrists and hands should be straight and
your forearms parallel to the floor. Keep your wrists and hands consistently
in a straight line, and keep your elbows bent.
| Your computer should be about two feet away from you
and just below your line of sight.
| A chair with armrests attached can keep your wrists
from flexing too much.
| If the positions of your desk, chair and keyboard do
not allow you to keep your wrists straight while keyboarding, the use of a
"wrist rest" pad in front of the keyboard is highly recommended to
alleviate pressure on the carpal tunnel.
| Take a break from handwork for a few minutes every
hour.
| Shake out your hands periodically throughout the
day.
| The following exercises are recommended by The
American Physical Therapy Association: | Resting one forearm on a table, grasp the fingertips of that hand and pull
back gently. Hold this position for five seconds, then repeat the exercise
with the other hand. | Press the palm flat on a table as if doing a push-up. Lean forward to
stretch the forearm muscles and the wrists. | |
Nutrients:
Supplement Dosage Comments
|
Coenzyme Q10 |
30-90 mg. daily |
Improves tissue oxygenation |
|
Lecithin granules or capsules |
1 tbsp. 3 times daily before meals or 1200 mg. capsules 3 times daily before meals. |
Supplies choline and inositol for nerve function. A fat emulsifier. |
|
Vitamin B complex plus extra Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) |
100 mg. 3 times daily. 50 mg. 3 times daily for 12 weeks. 100 mg. twice daily for 12 weeks. Do not exceed this amount, or nerve damage may result. |
B vitamins are essential in nerve function. Improves tissue oxygenation. A potent diuretic. |
|
Zinc |
50 mg. daily. Do not exceed a total of 100 mg. daily from all supplements. |
Enhances healing. |
|
Grape seed extract |
As directed on label. |
A powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. |
|
Multivitamin and mineral complex |
As directed on label. |
For general nutritional supplementation. |
|
Primrose oil |
As directed on label. |
Contains essential fatty acids necessary for nerve function. |
|
Vitamin A |
25,000 IU daily. If you are pregnant, do not exceed 10,000 IU daily |
An important antioxidant. |
|
Vitamin C |
1000 mg. 4 times daily |
Important in healing and a potent antioxidant. |
|
Vitamin E |
400 IU daily. |
An important antioxidant. |
Herbs:
| Butcher’s broom, aloe Vera, devil’s claw, yarrow
and yucca are helpful for restoring flexibility and reducing inflammation.
| Capsicum relieves pain and is a catalyst for other herbs.
| Ginkgo biloba is beneficial for improving circulation and also aids nerve
function.
| St. Johns Wort stimulates circulation and helps to restore local nerve
impulse transmission.
| Skullcap relieves muscle spasms and pain.
| Wintergreen oil aids in pain relief and circulation to the muscles. | |
Recommendations:
| Eat half of a fresh pineapple daily for one to three weeks until relief is
achieved. Pineapple contains bromelain, which reduces pain and swelling.
| Avoid salt and all foods containing sodium. They promote water retention and
may aggravate carpal tunnel syndrome. They will also counteract any diuretics
that your physician may prescribe.
| If possible, alternate tasks rather than performing a single task for long
periods.
| Maintain ideal weight, and lose weight if necessary. Losing weight has
brought relief to many people with CTS.
| Use a splint to help prevent flare-ups. Splints are cloth-covered metal or
plastic braces that attach to the forearm with an elastic bandage (an Ace
bandage or the equivalent) or hook and loop fasteners; they are available at
medical supply stores and many pharmacies. Be sure to apply and wear the
splint properly, and wear it as much as possible for several days to determine
if symptoms are reduced.
| Avoid supplements that contain iron. They are suspected of aggravating pain
and swelling in joints. | |
Considerations:
| Cool and/or damp conditions tend to aggravate CTS; keep your workplace warm
and dry.
| If CTS develops as a result of the edema of pregnancy, it usually clears up
of its own accord once the baby arrives and excess fluid disappears.
| If weakness develops in the thumb, it is an indication that the median nerve
has been damaged. Surgical treatment may be recommended. This surgery involves
cutting the transverse carpal ligament, a thick, fibrous band that covers part
of the carpal tunnel. A second opinion should be obtained before surgery is
agreed to. If the second doctor’s opinion confirms that surgery is
necessary, it is best not to put the operation off for too long, as delays may
result in permanent nerve damage.
| Physicians treat CTS in a variety of ways, usually with a combination of
anti-inflammatory drugs, splints, and the recommendation that you avoid any
aggravating activity. Sometimes corticosteroid injections in the wrist are
used. This treatment is controversial and should not used unless the pain is
debilitating, since the injections themselves cause considerable discomfort.
| A new treatment involves the use of a low-energy ("cold") laser to
penetrate tissues, stimulate nerves and increase microcirculation in the
affected area. | |
Vitamin For Life Recommended Regimen and cost:
|
Product No. 59618- |
Description |
Comments |
Cost |
|
949-11 |
Coenzyme Q-10 100 mg. Capsules |
1 Capsule daily. |
$19.95/30 |
|
921-15 |
Lecithin 1200 mg. Softgels |
1 Softgel daily. |
$4.50/100 |
|
890-15 |
B Complex 100 mg. Tabs. |
1 tablet 3 times daily. |
$8.95/100 |
|
835-15 |
B1 50 mg. Tabs. |
1 tablet 3 times daily for 12 weeks. |
$3.75/100 |
|
894-15 |
B6 100 mg. Tabs. |
1 tablet daily for 12 weeks. |
$3.65/60 |
|
923-15 |
Zinc Gluconate 50 mg. Tabs. (chelated) |
1 tablet daily. |
$3.64/100 |
|
222-12 |
Grape seed extract 150 mg. plus boiflavonoids |
As directed on label. |
$32.95/60 |
|
129-17 NP |
Multivitamins without Iron |
As directed on label. |
$14.95/90 |
|
990-12 |
Evening Primrose Oil 1000 mg. Softgels |
As directed on label. |
$13.95/60 |
|
958-15 |
Vitamin A Natural 10,000 IU Softgels |
As directed on label. |
$4.95/30 |
|
970-12 |
Vitamin C 1000 mg. with Rose Hips Tablets. |
3 tablets daily in divided doses. |
$5.75/60 |
|
234-15 |
Vitamin E 400 IU (D-Alpha Tocopheryl) |
As directed on label. |
$8.95/100 |
Sources:
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd EditionBy James F. Balch, M.D. & Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
Alternative Medicine, The Definitive GuideCompiled by Burton Goldberg
