Our brain and nerves are involved in everything we do in our daily life. The various nerves in our body can be divided into three types.

Autonomic nerves- They control the partially voluntary or involuntary activities of the body e.g. digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure and temperature regulation etc.
Motor nerves- They control voluntary movements of the body by carrying impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the various muscles in the body.
Sensory nerves- They help us feel the various sensations like pain, touch etc. by relaying information from skin and muscles back to the brain and the spinal cord for processing.

As these nerves influence almost all we do, nerve damage can adversely affect the quality of our life.

SYMPTOMS OF NERVE DAMAGE

Nerve damage can lead to wide variety of symptoms depending on the location and the types of nerves involved. Damage to autonomic nervous system leads to the following symptoms:-

Too much or too little sweating
Lightheadedness
Dry eyes and mouth
Bladder dysfunction

Damage to the motor nerves may lead to the following symptoms:-

Weakness
Muscle wasting
Fasciculations or twitching
Paralysis

Damage to the sensory nerves may lead to the following symptoms:-

Pain
Sensitivity
Numbness
Tingling or pricking
Burning
Disturbance with positional awareness

CAUSES OF NERVE DAMAGE

The main causes of nerve damage are as follows:-

Autoimmune diseases- Various autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis etc produce symptoms of nerve damage as the immune system in these conditions attacks the nerves.
Cancer- Cancerous growth can lead to nerve damage by pushing against and crushing the nerves or leading to nutritional deficiencies. In other cases, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may lead to nerve pain and damage.
Compression/ trauma- Anything that causes trauma or compression of nerves e.g. pinched nerves in carpal tunnel syndrome or crush injuries can result in nerve pain.
Diabetes- Diabetes can affect adversely all three types of nerves. Up to 70% of people with diabetes suffer from nerve damage and the probability increases as the disease progresses. Sensory nerves are the most commonly affected leading to burning or numbness.
Side effects of drugs and toxic substances- Certain medications like the ones used to treat cancer or HIV, have the ability to cause nerve pain and damage. Toxic substances ingested accidentally like lead, arsenic and mercury may also lead to nerve damage.
Nutritional deficiencies – Deficiency of certain nutrients such as vitamin B6 and B12, may lead to symptoms of nerve damage. Such nutritional deficiencies may develop due to improper or inadequate diet and may also result from excessive alcohol ingestion or develop after gastric surgery.
Infectious diseases- Certain infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, HIV, herpes virus have the ability to affect the nerves in the body leading to nerve damage.

TREATMENT OF NERVE DAMAGE

The first step is to treat the underlying cause leading to nerve damage. This includes the following:-

Regulating blood sugar levels in people with uncontrolled blood sugar.
Correcting nutritional deficiencies.
In the case prescribed medicines are causing nerve damage then a change of medicines is done.
Surgery or physical therapy to release compression or trauma to nerves.
Treatment of autoimmune or infectious diseases causing nerve damage.
Complementary or alternative approaches like meditation, hypnosis, acupuncture may also help to alleviate nerve pain and discomfort.

Along with the above measures homoeopathy provides the best solution for the treatment of nerve weakness and nerve damage without any side effects. Certain homoeopathic medicines act best as brain and nerve tonic and strengthen them. In some incurable neurological conditions, homoeopathy helps the patient cope better with their difficulties.

Best homoeopathic medicines for nerve weakness are:-

MAGNESIA PHOSPHORICA- It is indicated when the nerve pain due to nerve damage is relieved by warm applications and pressure applied on the affected part. The pain is intermittent and unbearable driving the patient to frenzy. It can be of shooting, cutting, stabbing or stitching types. The pains are lightning like in coming and going and tend to change place rapidly. These pains are aggravated by exposure to cold. This medicine is best suited for neuralgic affections of facial nerves, stomach, abdomen and pelvis. HYPERICUM PERFORATUM- It is best suited for nerve pain after trauma. Pain in the back due to trauma to the spinal cord and pain in fingers and toes after injury by sharp instruments like nails and needles responds best to the action of hypericum. These pains are tingling and burning in nature. KALMIA LATIFOLIA- This medicine is suited for neuralgic pains that are attended to or succeeded by numbness of the affected part. The pains are sticking, darting, pressing and characteristically tend to shoot in a downward direction. ACONITE NAPELLUS- It is indicated when the onset of nerve pain is sudden and violent and due to exposure to cold winds. The patient becomes very restless due to severe pain with marked mental and physical anxiety. In addition, increased thirst especially for cold water is almost always felt. BELLADONNA- It is best suited when nerve pain is severe and throbbing in character and it comes suddenly and goes suddenly. The affected part is congested and imparts a burning sensation on examination. CHAMOMILLA MATRICARIA- It is best suited for nerve pain in patients who are hypersensitive to pain and find their sufferings unbearable. They tend to get very irritable and even violent in anger with pain. MEZEREUM- It is suited in cases of post herpetic neuralgia where even after disappearance of eruptions present along the course of nerves, the nerve pain persists for a long duration. Here the pain is characteristically burning in nature and is aggravated in cold air. ARSENICUM ALBUM is another very good medicine for burning post herpetic nerve pains which are relieved by applying warmth to the affected part. LEDUM PALUSTRE- it is best suited to treat nerve pain that arises after injury especially from sharp pointed objects like nails or stings of insects and the pain is accompanied by coldness of the affected part. Our brain and nerves are involved in everything we do in our daily life. The various nerves in our body can be divided into three types.

Autonomic nerves- They control the partially voluntary or involuntary activities of the body e.g. digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure and temperature regulation etc.
Motor nerves- They control voluntary movements of the body by carrying impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the various muscles in the body.
Sensory nerves- They help us feel the various sensations like pain, touch etc. by relaying information from skin and muscles back to the brain and the spinal cord for processing.

As these nerves influence almost all we do, nerve damage can adversely affect the quality of our life. SYMPTOMS OF NERVE DAMAGE Nerve damage can lead to wide variety of symptoms depending on the location and the types of nerves involved. Damage to autonomic nervous system leads to the following symptoms:-

Too much or too little sweating
Lightheadedness
Dry eyes and mouth
Bladder dysfunction
Damage to the motor nerves may lead to the following symptoms:-
Weakness
Muscle wasting
Fasciculations or twitching
Paralysis

Damage to the sensory nerves may lead to the following symptoms:-

Pain
Sensitivity
Numbness
Tingling or pricking
Burning

Disturbance with positional awareness CAUSES OF NERVE DAMAGE Main causes of nerve damage are as follows:- Autoimmune diseases- Various autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis etc produce symptoms of nerve damage as the immune system in these conditions attacks the nerves. Cancer- Cancerous growth can lead to nerve damage by pushing against and crushing the nerves or leading to nutritional deficiencies. In other cases chemotherapy and radiotherapy may lead to nerve pain and damage. Compression/ trauma- Anything that causes trauma or compression of nerves e.g. pinched nerves in carpal tunnel syndrome or crush injuries can result in nerve pain. Diabetes- Diabetes can affect adversely all the three types of nerves. Upto 70% of people with diabetes suffer from nerve damage and the probability increases as the disease progresses. Sensory nerves are the most commonly affected leading to burning or numbness. Side effects of drugs and toxic substances- Certain medications like the ones used to treat cancer or HIV, have the ability to cause nerve pain and damage. Toxic substances ingested accidentally like lead, arsenic and mercury may also lead to nerve damage. Nutritional deficiencies – Deficiency of certain nutrients such as vitamin B6 and B12, may lead to symptoms of nerve damage. Such nutritional deficiencies may develop due to improper or inadequate diet and may also result from excessive alcohol ingestion or develop after gastric surgery. Infectious diseases- Certain infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, HIV, herpes virus have the ability to affect the nerves in the body leading to nerve damage. TREATMENT OF NERVE DAMAGE The first step is to treat the underlying cause leading to nerve damage. This includes the following:-

Regulating blood sugar levels in people with uncontrolled blood sugar.
Correcting nutritional deficiencies.
In case prescribed medicines are causing nerve damage then change of medicines is done.
Surgery or physical therapy to release compression or trauma to nerves.
Treatment of autoimmune or infectious diseases causing nerve damage.
Complementary or alternative approaches like meditation, hypnosis, acupuncture may also help to alleviate nerve pain and discomfort.

Along with the above measures homoeopathy provides best solution for the treatment of nerve weakness and nerve damage without any side effects. Certain homoeopathic medicines act best as brain and nerve tonic and strengthen them. In some incurable neurological conditions homoeopathy helps the patient cope better with their difficulties. Best homoeopathic medicines for nerve weakness are:- MAGNESIA PHOSPHORICA- It is indicated when the nerve pain due to nerve damage is relieved by warm applications and pressure applied on the affected part. The pain is intermittent and unbearable driving patient to frenzy. It can be of shooting, cutting, stabbing or stitching types. The pains are lightning like in coming and going and tend to change place rapidly. These pains are aggravated by exposure to cold. This medicine is best suited for neuralgic affections of facial nerves, stomach, abdomen and pelvis. HYPERICUM PERFORATUM- It is best suited for nerve pain after trauma. Pain in the back due to trauma to spinal cord and pain in fingers and toes after injury by sharp instruments like nails and needles responds best to the action of hypericum. These pains are tingling and burning in nature. KALMIA LATIFOLIA- This medicine is suited for neuralgic pains that are attended or succeeded by numbness of the affected part. The pains are sticking, darting, pressing and characteristically tend to shoot in a downward direction. ACONITE NAPELLUS- It is indicated when the onset of nerve pain is sudden and violent and due to exposure to cold winds. Patient becomes very restless due to severe pain with marked mental and physical anxiety. In addition increased thirst especially for cold water is almost always felt. BELLADONNA- It is best suited when nerve pain is severe and throbbing in character and it comes suddenly and goes suddenly. The affected part is congested and imparts a burning sensation on examination. CHAMOMILLA MATRICARIA- It is best suited for nerve pain in patients who are hypersensitive to pain and find their sufferings unbearable. They tend to get very irritable and even violent in anger with pain. MEZEREUM- It is suited in cases of post herpetic neuralgia where even after disappearance of eruptions present along the course of nerves, the nerve pain persists for a long duration. Here the pain is characteristically burning in nature and is aggravated in cold air. ARSENICUM ALBUM is another very good medicine for burning post herpetic nerve pains which are relieved by applying warmth to the affected part. LEDUM PALUSTRE- it is best suited to treat nerve pain that arises after injury especially from sharp pointed objects like nails or stings of insects and the pain is accompanied by coldness of the affected part.

Nerve healer