Natural Neuralgia Remedies to Relieve Nerve Pain, Damage & Irritation

What is the Neuralgia?

Neuralgia is a disorder which results in severe, spasmodic pain along a nerve or group of nerves. The pain is often described as sharp and shooting, and in more severe cases, neuralgia is so debilitating and agonizing that it affects the quality of a person’s life. It may affect anyone, but older people tend to be more susceptible to it.

Types of Neuralgia

There are various types of neuralgia such as trigeminal, postherpetic, occipital and glossopharyngeal:

Trigeminal neuralgia is also known as tic douloureux and is one of the most common types of neuralgia. It affects one side of the face only causing brief but excruciating pain along the trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensation to the face, cheeks and jaw. This type of neuralgia may be caused by Multiple Sclerosis or tumors pressing against the nerve, but the causes are generally unknown. The pain may be so agonizing that spasms of the facial muscles (tic) are caused. It lasts between 30 minutes and an hour, and the facial pain occurs at the same time on successive days. Everyday activities such as brushing your teeth, washing your face or eating can trigger pain. Women over the age of 50 years are most commonly affected.

Postherpetic neuralgia is a severe and unbearable pain experienced after an attack of Shingles (herpes infection) has disappeared. The affected area is extremely sensitive to any form of touch and pain is felt immediately. Postherpetic neuralgia occurs anywhere on the body, typically where the Shingles rash occurred. The pain may continue for a few months or even years. Infectious diseases that may also cause neuralgia include syphilis and Lyme disease.

Occipital neuralgia occurs as a result of the spasms of pain to the front, back and sides of the head. It may be caused by a pinched nerve, compression of nerves in the spinal column, whiplash or sometimes even diabetes or gout. When tense muscles or ligaments presses against the nerve, irritation, inflammation and pain may occur. This pain is dull, throbbing, tingling and causes numbness. It affects the back of the head, occasionally the forehead.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is characterized by intense pain occurring along the glossopharyngeal nerve. Pain occurs spontaneously and is felt in the back of the throat, tonsils, (link to tonsillitis) tongue and occasionally the ears. This pain is usually triggered by talking, yawning, chewing or swallowing.

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Dignosing Neuralgia

Neuralgia is based on a thorough on a neurological or dental examination as well as a complete medical history. Generally, your symptoms and location of pain will confirm the diagnosis of neuralgia. During the physical examination, your doctor will also be able to ascertain the underlying cause of your symptoms – for instance, if you have sinus or problems with your jaw. Blood tests to check for infection may be ordered as well as x-rays to check whether the affected nerves have being compressed.

Symptoms of Neuralgia

Common symptoms include:

Pain found in the same location for each episode, on or near the surface of the body, or along the path of a specific nerve
Sharp, burning or stabbing pain
Affected area is sensitive to touch
Pressure or touch to the affected area is felt as pain
Muscle weakness as a result of motor nerve damage
Movement may be painful

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What Causes Neuralgia?

Neuralgia is caused by nerve damage or irritation as a result of inflammation, infection, a systemic disease or the compression of a nerve.

The type of neuralgia that occurs depends on the underlying condition that is affecting or irritating the nerve. The irritation is caused as a result of:

Tooth decay
Poor diet
Eating cold foods
Chewing, yawning, swallowing or talking
Eye strain
Nose infections
Shingles (herpes zoster)
Exposure to damp and cold
Arthritis
Systemic diseases
A pinched nerve
Injury

Help for Neuralgia

There are specific treatment options to reduce the symptoms of the various types of neuralgia. To relieve the symptoms of postherpetic neuralgia, topical pain relievers, TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and antidepressants are used. Usually antiseizure drugs are prescribed to minimize the pain of postherpetic, trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralagias.

Trigeminal neuralgia may be numbed with radio frequency waves, gamma rays or glycerol injections if the patient does not respond to drug treatment. Surgery may also be required if neuralgia is caused by a tumor or artery compressing the nerve. In addition, alternative therapies that include B-complex vitamins, a diet high in protein, carbohydrates and fats as well as acupuncture have also been successful in the treatment of neuralgia.

Natural treatments are very effective for treating neuralgia and nerve damage, such as herbal and homeopathic remedies and tissue salts. These remedies are not only safe and gentle to use, but also supports general well-being and improve overall health. Tissue salts help to maintain cellular health in the organs and nervous systems of the body.

Herbal ingredients such as Zanthoxylum clava herculisis (Toothache Tree) and Matricaria recutita (German Chamomile) contain anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the nervous system while at the same time relieve pain. Other beneficial herbs include Arctium lappa (Burdock) and Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil's Claw) which are excellent for treating arthritis, lumbago, rheumatism, fibrositis, sciatica and small joint disease.

Neuralgia remedies to relieve burning or shooting pain caused by irritation of or damage to a nerve.