Remember that the information presented here is not intended to replace the care of your own doctor. Before making any changes in the management of your own illness, you should consult your physician or other qualified medical professionals.
Question
I have
type 2 diabetes
with
neuropathy
in my feet (and to a lesser extent in my hands). I'm intrigued by
stories on the Internet about "near-infrared" laser therapy to partially reverse diabetic neuropathy. There
are some pretty positive stories about this therapy, but a little
checking shows that almost all the stories come from a manufacturer, www.anodynetherapy.com, and a
website, www.diabetesincontrol.com. The latter site has a lot of content from a doctor
but it does not mention that he is employed by the manufacturer. This self-promotion makes me skeptical,
but I have heard some remarkable stories of infrared therapy having shown results on injured horses.
So, my question is: Is infrared therapy a promising treatment for diabetic neuropathy, and
might there be any benefit to putting an infrared heat bulb in a lamp at home and shining it
at neuropathic feet (being careful to not cook the feet with the heat from the lamp)?
Answer
There are some publications about the use of infrared devices to decrease diabetic
neuropathy. These are preliminary and to my knowledge none of these devices have been approved
for use or have demonstrated long term significant results. I would definitely not
recommend using any infrared heat lamp or any other device, since
the devices used in the studies are specifically designed to deliver a certain type of light wave and
minimize any chance of injury. There are a variety of options
to treat diabetic neuropathy, I would advise you to explore these with your doctor.
(The most recent article about the infrared therapy is in the January, 2004 issue of Diabetes Care.)
lbb
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