June 2024
As this side of the hemisphere welcomes in the warm, summer weather, we at the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy encourage our patients to take advantage by taking daily walks, purchasing (or even growing!) fresh produce, and soaking up some vitamin D! We hope you find this issue to inspire you to enjoy nature and make some healthy decisions.
CRTS grant applications are now open
Applications for our Clinical Research Training Scholarships (CRTS) in peripheral neuropathy, which provide research grants to young investigators, are now open!
Interested in applying? Learn more.
Sign up for our Summer Web Series
We are excited to announce our new Summer Web Series, designed to provide valuable insights and support to our community. This 6-part series will span from July 9- August 1, and features expert-led sessions on a range of topics essential for understanding and managing peripheral neuropathy.
Join us for topics such as:
• Unraveling the Basics: Introduction to Peripheral Neuropathy
• Navigating Treatment Options, Managing Peripheral Neuropathy
• Living with Peripheral Neuropathy, Real Stories of Resilience and Hope
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and engage with experts and fellow community members!
RSVP For One or All Today!
Note: FPN suggests a $25 donation for your participation. Please consider supporting our mission so we can continue to provide patient education and advance PN research.
Patient Profile: Meet Jason
We invite you to read about Jason’s 30-year journey living with small fiber neuropathy. A husband, father, and supporter of FPN, Jason shares his story of hope and challenges as an individual who lives with PN.
COVID & PN: Research continues
Although we are no longer in the throngs of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still important studies and trials being conducted to learn more about the relationship of peripheral neuropathy to COVID and what treatments are working on patients.
In a recent study out of the NeuroCOVID clinic at Yale, several small fiber neuropathy patients were treated after their documented COVID onset. Demographics, symptoms, skin biopsy, clinical testing, treatments, and clinical response to treatment or no intervention were conducted in this trial.
Read more and see the study results from Neurology Journals.
Vitamin D deficiency and PN
In a recent study on vitamin D deficiency published on Medscape, it was reported that peripheral neuropathy, and specifically diabetic neuropathy, was more prevalent in patients with vitamin D deficiencies. It was also discovered that vitamin D deficiency was more linked to large fiber neuropathy.
‘Food Is Medicine’ movement
“Poor nutrition is the top cause of death and disability in the United States … causing more harm than tobacco use, alcohol, physical inactivity, and air pollution,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston, Mass.
In this article, experts highlight healthy foods’ positive impact on managing chronic pain and symptoms in patients who are impacted by diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Sleep benefits for PN patients
In this story published in FAP News Today, we are invited into the life of Ezekiel Lim, whose mother-in-law suffers from peripheral neuropathy. To ease her pain and get a reprieve from her symptomatic flare-ups, she found that a daily nap was extremely helpful.
“Caregivers must help ensure that their patients get seven to eight hours of sleep at night, if possible. They should help patients ready themselves for bed by ensuring they eat well for dinner, take their medications, and drink their last fluids about two to three hours before bedtime. They also shouldn’t bombard themselves with too much screen time before bed.”