As someone with diabetes, once you start experiencing pain due to diabetic neuropathy, you’ll start to desperately search for ways to treat the pain. That’s because diabetic neuropathy pain can become extremely debilitating and can significantly impact your day-to-day life.
Luckily, there are ways to treat diabetic neuropathy pain that don’t involve drugs or surgeries. In this article, we’ll be going through some alternative ways in which you can help to treat your diabetic neuropathy pain using essential oils.
Essential Oils for Nerve Pain – Our Recommended Essential Oils for Numbness and Tingling
Nerve pain is one of the most agitating types of pain because it typically isn’t as easy to treat as other varieties of pain such as muscle or joint pain. However, there are a handful of essential oils that are proven to help with diabetic neuropathy and nerve pain.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint Oil has traditionally been used to help with a myriad of different types of pain, including headaches, joint pain, muscle aches, and nerve pain as well. Peppermint oil can either be applied topically (e.g., on your skin) or taken orally in the form of peppermint oil tablets.
Ginger Oil
Like peppermint oil, ginger oil has historically been used to deal with pain and inflammation. This is because ginger oil specifically contains a compound called zingibain, which is proven to provide anti-inflammatory benefits. While ginger oil has been linked to any studies specific to diabetic neuropathy pain, we certainly think it’s worth trying to help reduce the pain and soreness associated with neuropathy.
What Essential Oils Are Good for Neuropathy in the Feet? – The Best Essential Oils for Foot Pain
For people with diabetes, neuropathy is most commonly felt in the extremities, such as the feet. Those suffering from diabetic neuropathy in their feet may deal with troublesome symptoms such as burning, tingling, muscle weakness, sensitivity to touch, numbness, and swelling.
If this sounds like something you’re dealing with, you can try treating the pain with these essential oils:
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is yet another essential oil that has been proven to help those suffering from chronic pain. In a 2016 study, patients who were given lavender oil after a painful operation reported less pain than those who were given a placebo.
Additionally, lavender oil also helps with falling asleep. Many people suffering from diabetic neuropathy have trouble falling asleep due to the pain in their feet. With lavender oil, you can have a more restful sleep, more easily.
Holy Basil
Holy basil is an interesting essential oil when it comes to its effectiveness in treating nerve pain. In a recent study conducted on rats, holy basil essential oil caused a significant decrease in sciatic nerve pain. However, this link has not been proven to be relevant to humans, yet.
Either way, we think it’s worth trying holy basil essential oils to see if it’s effective!
St John’s Wort
Similar to Holy Basil, St John’s Wort is another plant whose essential oil has been linked to treating nerve pain. In 2017, one patient suffering from a facial neuropathic condition called trigeminal neuralgia reported feeling relief by using St John’s Wort essential oil. However, the only caveat with this powerful plant is that it may interfere with certain prescription drugs, so we recommend talking to your doctor before taking any St John’s Wort essential oil.
Chamomile
You’ve probably heard of chamomile before, as it’s popularly used in teas, or for uses in mental health treatments for conditions like anxiety, and insomnia. But did you know that it can also be effective for treating your diabetic neuropathy pain? Chamomile has been used to reduce painful inflammation, like the inflammation caused by diabetic neuropathy in the feet. This is because chamomile contains a compound called borneol, which is also a compound found in lavender oil (which is why they’re both used for pain treatment!).
Just like St John’s Wort, Chamomile can also adversely interact with certain prescription drugs. For this reason, we recommend having a chat with your doctor about chamomile before taking it.
How to Use Essential Oils for Diabetic Neuropathy
Once you’ve decided on which essential oils you want to incorporate into your overall treatment plan for your diabetic neuropathy, you may be wondering how you should use the essential oils.
Generally speaking, essential oils are either taken orally (in tablets) or used topically on the skin. For people suffering from diabetic neuropathy, we recommend trying different approaches to see which ones work best for your needs. You can try diluting the oils and applying them to your feet, and massaging them to improve their effectiveness.
Before incorporating essential oils into your routine, it's important to consult a healthcare professional to ensure their safe and effective use.
Diabetic Neuropathy Solutions – Viasox
In addition to trying a variety of different essential oils, we also recommend wearing diabetic socks to help treat your diabetic neuropathy pain.
When it comes to diabetic socks, nobody does it like Viasox. Viasox is America’s favorite diabetic sock brand, and for good reason. Viasox non-binding diabetic socks feature:
- An antimicrobial bamboo construction
- Extra padding to promote comfort while standing
- Dozens of fun styles do you never have to sacrifice on style
- A comfortable, non-binding fit to promote blood flow
Simply put, Viasox socks are tailor-made to improve your lifestyle as a person with diabetes. Fight back against neuropathy pain with Viasox, and return to a healthy lifestyle, in style!
