Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome
|
People suffering from Carpal
tunnel syndrome (CTS) develop progressively increasing
finger stiffness in the morning, their grip weakens, and
they experience crippling pain in their hands and wrists. |
|
CTS is usually thought to
result from long-term repetitive motions of the hands and
wrists. A few years back it was most often seen in factory
workers, secretaries, and supermarket cashiers whose jobs
required them to repeat the same hand and wrist motion
hundreds of times each day. However with the widespread use
of personal computers, the incidence of carpal tunnel has
spread across all professions. |
|
Splinting, rest,
anti-inflammatory drugs and frequently surgery are the
treatments most often recommended by conventional
physicians. However although these treatments relieve the
pressure and may eliminate the symptoms, they do not treat
the cause of CTS. |
|
Repetitive motion is not the
only culprit when it comes to CTS. Women who are either
pregnant or taking oral contraceptives, and also diabetics
all have a higher than average incidence of CTS. All three
groups also have an increased requirement for vitamin B6. |
|
It was this connection, made
more than 20 years ago, that led John Ellis, M.D., of Mount
Pleasant, Texas, to conduct several well controlled studies
to show that severe B-6 deficiency causes CTS. Repetitive
movement, however, may aggravate the condition. |
|
Vitamin B6 is now the most
frequently used and well-known nutritional treatment for
CTS. However, vitamin B-6 is not an overnight cure. Studies
show that CTS will improve after taking 100mg of B6 twice
each day for two to three months. |
|
As people are rarely deficient
in only one nutrient, a combination of B-2 and B-6 has been
found to be the most effective. Taking 50 mg of B-2 each day
has been found to be an effective dose. |
|