Dr. Weyrich's Naturopathic Functional Medicine Notebook is a collection of information on topics of interest to Dr. Weyrich that may be of interest to the world wide audience. Due to limitations of time, not all information that Dr. Weyrich knows or would like to further research is published here. Dr. Weyrich welcomes financial contributions to support specific research topics, as well as copies of non-free access journal articles for him to review on a topic. Constructive criticism is also welcome.

Overview of Paresthesia

Paresthesias are abnormal sensations, such as numbness, tingling, burning, or a feeling of ants crawling on the skin (formication) [Starr2005, pg 125].

Complimentary and alternative treatments for paresthesia that are considered below include:

  • Low Dose Naltrexone

Etiology of Paresthesia

Paresthesia is a multifactoral disorder; potential causes include:
  • Pinched or damanged nerve due to structural imbalance
  • Nerve dysfunction associated with hypothyroidism [DeGroot1996], [Starr2005, pg 125].
  • Nerve dysfunction associated with compromised blood circulation.

Diagnosis of Paresthesia

  • Structural evaluation by a Naturopathic Medical Doctor, Chiropractor, or DO.
  • Basal body temperature below 97.8 degrees F, elevated TSH, or depressed T3 (suggests hypothyroidism).

Differential Diagnosis of Paresthesia

Hypotheses regarding Paresthesia

Please see conventional, complimentary and alternative medical treatments for important background information regarding the different types of medical treatments discussed below.

Naturopathic, Complimentary and Alternative Treatments

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

According to the Low Dose Naltrexone home page [LDN], LDN has been seen to benefit many different neurodegenerative diseases associated with autoimmune processes, including Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease. Although Dr. Weyrich is not aware of any reports of treating paresthesia using LDN, Dr. Weyrich speculates that paresthesia may also respond to LDN.

Dr. Weyrich has been trained in the use of Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). However, Dr. Weyrich has not treated any cases of paresthesia with LDN.

Please see What is Low Dose Naltrexone? for more information.

References for Paresthesia