“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2
Did you catch the first word in the above scripture? The question is not if you will go through difficult trials, the question is when. At some point it will happen. For some of you that trial may be a battle for your life. Has your health visited the valley of uncertainty? Has it been to the place where you don’t know the outcome? It’s a strange place to find yourself. It tests the strength of the human spirit and invites you to re-evaluate your relationship with your Creator. If you’ve gone through cancer treatments, then you’ve walked through uncertain times.
Cancer has touched us all in some way. I just lost a dear friend, mentor, and spiritual brother two days ago to the devasting effects of leukemia. He was only 52 years old. The grief is real and the reality of our fragile, short time on earth smacks you in the face when you bury someone you love dearly.
If you have not personally endured it, then it’s a good bet it has affected someone close to you. Cancer treatments are tough and leave an aftermath of destruction. A common drug treatment for cancer is chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is used to kill the multiplying cancer cells. With any type of drug treatment there can be a risk of side effects. One common side effect of chemotherapy is chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).
CIPN is when the chemotherapy, while trying to kill the bad cancer cells, damages the peripheral nervous system. Most commonly, CIPN affects the arms, hands, legs, and/or feet. Symptoms of CIPN may include numbness, tingling, burning pain, stabbing pain, coldness, and possible weakness.
The symptoms of CIPN are very similar to diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The biggest difference is that those with CIPN will generally have more numbness and pain in the hands and arms than diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
The cause of CIPN is not completely understood. What researchers believe, at this point, is that the chemotherapy drug causes damage to the surface membrane of the peripheral nerves, damage to the energy-producing mitochondrial, inflammation, and vascular impairment. When the microcirculation is disrupted to the blood vessels that surround the nerves then the nerves begin to become damaged and have dysfunction.
CIPN is a huge problem. There are over a million new cases of cancer diagnoses each year. Out of those, approximately 700,000 receive chemotherapy. Over 50% of those patients will experience CIPN. It can start after the very first chemotherapy treatment or later in treatment. The pain and symptoms associated with CIPN is a top reason why patients are unable to continue their chemotherapy treatment or unable to receive their optimal chemotherapy dose.
There are over 100 different causes for peripheral neuropathy. CIPN is one of the most difficult to treat and there are no drugs approved by the FDA to manage CIPN. Most of the drugs used for peripheral neuropathy are mostly ineffective for CIPN.
Thankfully, with advancements in technology, we now have clinically-proven functional neuropathy treatment protocols for peripheral neuropathy, including CIPN. A comprehensive functional neuropathy protocol is designed to help heal the damaged tissue and restore nerve function. As the nerves heal, the symptoms of CIPN are alleviated.
You would be hard pressed to find an illness or disease that is more feared than cancer. It can affect anyone at any time. Cancer can hit hard like deep waters and change fast like a swift moving river. In the midst of your health battle, the weight and magnitude can be overwhelming. Thanks to the promises we have in Jesus, Isaiah 43 tells us we are never alone and our circumstance, with His help, will never be more than we can bear.
-by Brandon Crouch, D.C.
About the author: Dr. Brandon Crouch is a Chiropractor with Crouch Family Chiropractic. Dr. Crouch is an advocate for being proactive when it comes to your health and encourages people to make healthy, informed decisions. For more information or questions, you can contact him online at: www.crouchfamilychiro.com.
