Neuralgic Pain

By: Narda

October 22. 2021

As per Dictionary.com, neuralgic pain is: “A sharp and paroxysmal pain along the course of a nerve”

Neuralgia or neuropathic pain is a health condition that impacts the nerves. It is a specific pain that carries to the brain something akin to an electric shock sensation

There are different categories of nerve pain:

Nociceptive Pain: Typically, the result of tissue injury
Inflammatory Pain: An abnormal inflammation caused by an inappropriate response of the body’s immune system
Neuropathic Pain: Pain caused by nerve irritation
Functional Pain: Pain without obvious origin, nonetheless, painful

Types of neuralgia:

Occipital — a pain that start at the base of the skull and spreads to the back of the head
Pudendal — pain between the legs
Sciatica – compression of the sciatic nerve, radiating to the hips, buttocks and leg
Carpal tunnel syndrome — compression of the median nerve
Fibromyalgia — chronic pain in different parts of the body
Peripheral neuropathy — damaged to the peripheral nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body
glossopharyngeal neuralgia – pain in the throat, tonsils, tongue, and ear
intercostal neuralgia – pain in the chest
brachial neuralgia – pain in the arm
sciatica – pain affecting the leg, hip, and back
femoral neuralgia – painful feeling in the upper leg
lateral femoral cutaneous neuralgia – painful sensation on the outer side of the thigh
occipital neuralgia – chronic pain in the back of the head and upper neck, and behind the eyes
trigeminal neuralgia (facial neuralgia) – pain in parts of the face, which includes infra-orbital and supra-orbital neuralgia
postherpetic (post-herpetic) neuralgia – pain in the area where herpes zoster or shingles once occurred. This pain can last for several months or even years

The symptoms of neuralgia are varied and include:

A shooting, stabbing, or burning pain
A sudden electric shock
A sensation of pins and needles
Painful sensitivity to even a minor touch
Sensitivity to cold temperatures
Worsens at night
Challenges to sleep, sex, work and exercise
Causes strong mood changes
Numbness or weakness of the affected part
Irritable bowel or stomach

Causes:

Diseased or injured central nervous system
Injury to the brain, spine, or nerves
Poor blood supply to the nerves
Alcoholism
Phantom pain after an amputation
Deficiency of vitamin B12 or vitamin B1
Emotional distress
Poor sleeping habits
Genetic factors
Shingles
HIV/AIDS
Multiple sclerosis
Diabetes
Stroke
Cancer surgery and treatments

WHAT TO DO:

Consult with your physician to consider your options. You may choose between modern and natural medicine. If you choose a combination of both, make sure to consult with your doctor as some natural remedies my conflict with your doctor’s prescribed medication.

St. Johns Worth infused oil: You may buy it or you may make your own by following directions in our “How to” section. Directions: Rub on affected area, as needed. From the Backyard Medicine by Julie Burton-Seal and Mathew Seal
Bayberry compress: Use for shingles. Bayberry is an anti-inflammatory, refreshes, disinfects and is also astringent. Make a decoction of ten minutes for the fresh herb or a three-minute decoction for the dry herb. In a medium saucepan put one or two handfuls of the herb in three cups of water, bring to a boil as per instructions above and then let it cool. Apply using a gauze soaked in this decoction and leave it on until it dries. Repeat the process. From La farmacia natural de la abuela by Ana Fernández Magdalena

Oats compress: In a medium saucepan put two handfuls of stoneground (integral) oats roughly ground; add half a litter of water and cook for 60 minutes. Let it simmer and sieve. Use a piece of cotton fabric and apply while warm on the hurting area, leave until it reached ambient temperature and repeat the process. Use it as hot as you can take without burning yourself. Repeat as many times as necessary. From La farmacia natural de la abuela by Ana Fernández Magdalena
Propolis: Warm high-quality, raw propolis and using a soft fabric apply on the painful area. Leaving the cataplasm on place, change every day until needed. Propolis is a good anesthetic that will also allow the nerves to recover.

Extra tips

Take a B-Complex cap a day
In some cases, a high-protein diet is advised
Consider acupuncture
Tissue salts (cell salts, biochemistry salts, are powerful mini doses of our body’s essential minerals)
Try the parsley and lime juice in our migraines section, in some cases it has proven beneficial