Menu
Dr. Weil Logo Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
  • Health & Wellness
    Health & Wellness
    Body, Mind & Spirit
    • Addiction
    • Allergy & Asthma
    • Autoimmune Disorders
    • Back Pain
    • Bone & Joint
    • Cancer
    • Colds & Flu
    • Dental & Oral
    • Diabetes
    • Disease & Disorders
    • Ears, Nose, & Throat
    • Feet
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Hair, Skin, & Nails
    • Headache
    • Heart
    • Insects & Parasites
    • Liver & Kidney
    • Mental Health
    • Pregnancy & Fertility
    • Respiratory
    • Sexual Health
    • Sleep Issues
    • Stress & Anxiety
    • Vision
    Balanced Living
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Gardening
    • Healthy Home
    • Healthy Living
    • Meditation & Inspiration
    • Meet Dr. Weil
    • Pets & Pet Care
    • Technology
    • Wellness Therapies
    Health Centers
    • Aging Gracefully
    • Children
    • Condition Care Guide
    • Men
    • Women
  • Diet & Nutrition
    Diet & Nutrition
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Pyramid
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet Pyramid
    Cooking & Cookware
    Healthy Cooking & Cookware
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Food Safety
    Diets & Nutrition - Food Safety
    Nutrition
    healthy nutrition
    Recipes
    healthy recipes
  • Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Herbs
    herbal remedies - herbs
    Supplements & Remedies
    suppliments & remedies
    Vitamins
    ask-dr-weil_vitamins-supplements-herbs_vitamins-topnav
  • Ask Dr. Weil
  • Blogs
    Blogs
    Bulletins
    The Legacy Of Living Yes | Spontaneous Happiness | Andrew Weil, M.D.
    Health Tips
    Healthy Drinks To Start Sipping | Andrew Weil, M.D.
    Spontaneous Happiness
    blog_spontaneous-happiness_topnav
  • COVID-19
  • Dr. Weil Origins Skin Care
  • Marketplace
  • Healthy Aging
  • Podcasts
  • Meet Dr. Weil
  • Accessibility
  • Subscribe
Are Your Feet Burning?
Subscribe
Press "Enter" to search
  1. Home
  2. Health & Wellness
  3. Body, Mind & Spirit
  4. Feet

Are Your Feet Burning?

I have numbness and burning in my feet and its worse at night. Is there anything I can do for this?

Andrew Weil, M.D. |January 10, 2005

are your feet burning
2 min

What you describe sounds like a common condition called peripheral neuropathy, which stems from damage to the peripheral nerves that branch out through the arms, legs, fingers and toes. The symptoms include weakness, numbness, tingling and burning or painful sensation.

Peripheral neuropathy is often due to diabetes but can occur as a result of toxic trauma (such as chemotherapy) or mechanical injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Sometimes, it is due to prolonged use of crutches or even sitting in the same position for too long. Other disorders that can lead to peripheral neuropathy include atherosclerosis, autoimmunity, infections, advanced kidney disease and hypothyroidism as well as a number of drugs and environmental toxins.

Your first step should be a general medical checkup to rule out underlying disease as the cause of your symptoms and to determine exactly what the problem is. Your doctor should do complete blood work and may refer you to a neurologist who will probably do an EMG (electromyelogram) to assess muscles and nerve conduction.

If you have no underlying disease, you can try one or all of the following strategies to deal with your symptoms:

  • Take one B-100 B-complex vitamin daily. The B vitamins are necessary for normal nerve function, and supplementing is a good preventive measure. (Don’t take more than 200mg of B-6, as higher daily doses can actually cause symptoms of neuropathy.)
  • Take 100 mg of alpha lipoic acid once a day. This antioxidant protects microcirculation to the nerves. You can gradually increase the dose to 300 mg twice a day over the next month.
  • Try acupuncture. You can find a qualified acupuncturist in your area through NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine ) or the AAOM (American Association of Oriental Medicine).

Other therapies that can help include Chinese medicine. A practitioner can provide you with herbs that may speed recovery. You can also try reflexology for neuropathy of the legs, feet and toes. If a toxic exposure is the cause, time is your greatest ally – injured nerves will slowly recover once the exposure ends.

Conventional treatments include tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline HCl (Elavil, Endep) and imipramine (Tofranil), which act on the central nervous system and may reduce pain independent of their action as antidepressants. It usually takes a few weeks for results to become noticeable. Anti-seizure medications like phenytoin (Dilantin), carbamazepine (tegretol) and gabapentin (Neurontin) are also used effectively for peripheral neuropathy.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Advertisement
Related Weil Products

Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging for Diabetics

Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging for Diabetics – If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, an anti-inflammatory diet can help promote healthy blood sugar levels. Sign up for the Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging online guide for diabetic-friendly recipes, eating guides and an exclusive version of Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid – join today and get…
Get Started
Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging

Start Your 14-Day Free Trial

Free Newsletters

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Follow Dr. Weil’s Food Pyramid

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil's FREE health living advice delivered to you!

By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to the DrWeil.com Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive emails from DrWeil.com, and you may opt out of DrWeil.com subscriptions at any time.

Trending Now

Feet spa treatment
Feet

Are Ionic Footbaths Detoxifying?

are your feet burning
Feet

Are Your Feet Burning?

| Foot Health | Andrew Weil, M.D.
Feet

Athlete's Foot

Footcare and handcare at the spa
Feet

Best Steps for Foot Care?

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil - Get Free Newsletters Right In Your Inbox

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
Information
  • About Us
  • Press Information
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Manage Email Subscription
Trending Articles
Feet spa treatment
Feet

Are Ionic Footbaths Detoxifying?

are your feet burning
Feet

Are Your Feet Burning?

Daily Tips
Minimize Sore Throat Pain
Health Tips

4 Ways To Minimize Sore Throat Pain

Getting Enough Vitamin C
Health Tips

3 Reasons Why The Body Needs Vitamin C

  • Flickr
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. Any third party offering or advertising on this website does not constitute an endorsement by Andrew Weil, M.D. or Healthy Lifestyle Brands.

©Copyright2023 Healthy Lifestyle Brands, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. www.drweil.com