What is Peripheral Neuropathy (PN)?
By Ariel Kallenbach, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac., MAcCHM
Peripheral neuropathy is a painful and disruptive condition caused by nerve damage, often affecting the hands, feet, or limbs. This condition can be frustrating and painful, interfering with daily life, sleep, and movement, and causing significant stress and distress for sufferers.
In this article, we’ll share not only how acupuncture can help but also the voices of real patients who have lived with the challenges of peripheral neuropathy. Their experiences, raw, honest, and hopeful, highlights both the struggles of this condition and the relief that acupuncture can bring.
The nerve damage associated with peripheral neuropathy can result from medical conditions such as diabetes, side effects of chemotherapy, or factors such as aging or injury. Symptoms vary but are most often described as numbness, stabbing or burning sensations, tingling, or weakness, commonly in the hands and feet.
“For months, Sarah had been living in a world of constant discomfort. The severe burning pain, numbness, and tingling in her extremities had become her unwelcome companions, day and night. Peripheral neuropathy had taken control of her life, robbing her of simple pleasures and making even the most basic tasks a challenge.” 1
“I felt like I was walking on pins and needles,” Sarah recalls, her voice tinged with the memory of those difficult days. “The pain was relentless, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep.” 2
Peripheral Neuropathy Explained
Peripheral nerves extend beyond the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system or CNS) to carry information between the CNS and the rest of the body. These nerves are categorized into three types: sensory, motor, and autonomic, each with distinct functions. Sensory nerves relay sensations such as pain, temperature, and texture to the brain and are often responsible for the hallmark discomfort of peripheral neuropathy.
However, peripheral neuropathy doesn’t only affect sensory nerves. Damage to motor nerves, which control muscle movement, can cause muscle weakness, poor balance, or difficulty with coordination. Similarly, when autonomic nerves (which govern involuntary bodily functions) are impacted, symptoms such as abnormal sweating, digestive challenges, or bladder and bowel dysfunction may arise.
Thankfully, acupuncture offers a promising treatment.
Acupuncture and Peripheral Neuropathy
According to Chinese medical theory, pathways in the body—called meridians or channels—carry Qi (energy) and blood throughout the body to perform many tasks, including nourishing the limbs and tissues. Acupuncture for peripheral neuropathy addresses both the symptoms and underlying causes of pain and numbness.
From this perspective, peripheral neuropathy reflects an imbalance in the flow of Qi and Blood, which negatively impacts circulation and sensation in areas such as the limbs, hands, and feet. Blockages in these channels not only cause pain but also deprive the affected areas of nourishment.
This perspective aligns with Western medicine, which recognizes that adequate blood flow is essential to feed and maintain nerves with nutrients and oxygen.
The flow of Qi and Blood to the limbs can be impacted by deficiency or stagnation. To understand this, we can think of meridians like a garden hose:
- Deficiency: There isn’t enough Qi and Blood to nourish an area— when a garden hose has a weak stream and can’t adequately water the plants.
- Stagnation: Qi and Blood are blocked in the meridians, preventing nourishment of tissues— when a kink in the garden hose stops water from reaching the plants. This stagnation or blockage also leads to pain.
Acupuncture works to correct these imbalances by stimulating specific points along the meridians. This promotes the body’s natural healing processes and restores the harmony and flow of Qi (energy) and Blood, improving circulation in the areas affected by peripheral neuropathy.
Modern acupuncturists also integrate anatomical knowledge with these traditional principles by selecting points near prominent nerve pathways and using electro-acupuncture, which enhances nerve signaling.
Real Stories of Relief
“I would get very distraught before because sometimes I only slept for 2 hours at night. When I started acupuncture, I started to sleep, and even now, if my attendant doesn’t wake me up, I sleep 12 hours. He wakes me up to take medicine and to eat, but I sleep a lot more, like I’m recovering from all of the years I didn’t sleep.”3
For those living with persistent discomfort, acupuncture offers hope. This holistic approach addresses both physical symptoms and also improves emotional well-being. As one patient shared:
“[Acupuncture] has done me a lot of good because it really has alleviated a lot of the pain and many things that I had. It has lifted my spirits because when I came here, I was doing really badly… Very, very depressed. Very depressed.” 4
A Holistic Approach for All Causes of Neuropathy
Whether neuropathy is caused by diabetes, chemotherapy, injury, or aging, acupuncture stands out for its ability to treat the whole person. Patients often report relief not only from pain but also improvements in sleep, stress, and daily function. Studies have shown that acupuncture reduces pain and inflammation, enhances blood flow, and improves nerve signaling, making it an effective treatment for peripheral neuropathy.
“It’s pretty uncomfortable. You try to sleep and then you fall asleep for 20 minutes and wake up because of the pain. You try to move your legs. So, even my children don’t want to lie down with me for more than 10–15 minutes because I move too much.” 5
Acupuncture gives patients a sense of hope and empowerment. Those who have integrated acupuncture into their care often report decreased reliance on pain medications, improved resilience, and an ability to re-engage in activities that matter to them.
Peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of chemotherapy, and acupuncture has shown significant promise in alleviating it. Leading institutions such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson, and MD Anderson use acupuncture as part of integrative oncology care.
- A 2018 study found acupuncture reduces the severity of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in patients treated with the drug Paclitaxel (Taxol).
- A 2020 study showed that “those who received acupuncture were able to decrease reliance on pain medication, improve their sleep and daily function, reduce stress, and engage more with their own self-care. They noted that the acupuncture intervention also gave them hope in the face of their chronic disease.” 6
- Another study in 2020 showed that women undergoing breast cancer treatment experienced significant improvements in neuropathy symptoms after eight weeks of acupuncture
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Regardless of the cause, acupuncture can effectively manage peripheral neuropathy. Acupuncture is unique in its ability to treat the whole person. Beyond addressing physical symptoms, it helps to harmonize the mind and body, alleviating stress and emotional strain often associated with chronic conditions. The combination of traditional and modern approaches makes acupuncture a powerful tool for addressing peripheral neuropathy and improving patients’ quality of life.
“I want people to know that there’s hope beyond conventional treatments,” Sarah says passionately. “Acupuncture gave me my life back.” 7
If you’re living with peripheral neuropathy, the Acupuncture Clinic of Boulder is here to help. Peripheral neuropathy can feel isolating, but you’re not alone. We would be honored to support you on your journey to healing and better health.
Sources:
1, 2, 7 Quotes from Sonoma Acupuncture
3, 4 Female, age 67, acupuncture group, Liu et al., 2020, Female, age 60, acupuncture group, Liu et al., 2020
5 Female, age 45, usual care group,
6 Liu et al., 2020
Acupuncture for neuropathy, cancer pain, anxiety, and more. (2024, October 9). Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. https://www.mskcc.org/news/acupuncture-for-neuropathy-cancer-pain-anxiety-and-more
Bao, T., Baser, R., Chen, C., Weitzman, M., Zhang, Y. L., Seluzicki, C., Li, Q. S., Piulson, L., & Zhi, W. I. (2021). Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors with Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Randomized Clinical Trial. The Oncologist, 26(11), e2070–e2078. https://doi.org/10.1002/onco.13933
Bao, T., Seidman, A. D., Piulson, L., Vertosick, E., Chen, X., Vickers, A. J., Blinder, V. S., Zhi, W. I., Li, Q., Vahdat, L. T., Dickler, M. N., Robson, M. E., & Mao, J. J. (2018). A phase IIA trial of acupuncture to reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy severity during neoadjuvant or adjuvant weekly paclitaxel chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. European Journal of Cancer, 101, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2018.06.008
Dimitrova, A. (2017). Introducing a Standardized Acupuncture Protocol for Peripheral Neuropathy: A case series. Medical Acupuncture, 29(6), 352–365. https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2017.1242
How does acupuncture improve peripheral neuropathy? (n.d.). Henry Ford Health – Detroit, MI. https://www.henryford.com/blog/2021/04/how-does-acupuncture-improve-peripheral-neuropathy#:~:text=Acupuncture%20For%20Peripheral%20Neuropathy,work%20better%2C%22%20Kulas%20says.
Liu, R., Santana, T., Schillinger, D., Hecht, F. M., & Chao, M. T. (2020). “It gave me hope” Experiences of diverse safety net patients in a group acupuncture intervention for painful diabetic neuropathy. Health Equity, 4(1), 225–231. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2020.0004
Lu, W., Giobbie-Hurder, A., Freedman, R. A., Shin, I. H., Lin, N. U., Partridge, A. H., Rosenthal, D. S., & Ligibel, J. A. (2019). Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer survivors: A randomized controlled pilot trial. The Oncologist, 25(4), 310–318. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2019-0489
Sonoma Acupuncture. (2024, August 13). Finding Hope: A Peripheral Neuropathy patient’s journey with acupuncture. Sonoma Acupuncture and Integrative Health. https://sonoma-acupuncture.com/finding-hope-a-peripheral-neuropathy-patients-journey-with-acupuncture/
