A different kind of windsurfing injury

[GarryW]

Injuries are discussed in this forum all the time but this may be a new one. I am a Type 2 diabetic and while my diabetes is well under control Neuropathy in my feet continues to get worse. You may ask what does this have to do with windsurfing but it does create a difficult situation. I have trouble finding my footstraps because I can't feel anything in my left foot. While in lighter wind it's not that big a deal because I can look down but in stronger Gorge winds it's difficult to look down while dealing with what's ahead of you. I've tried supplements and and various forms of therapy but for the most part they haven't been successful so I'm throwing this out to all of you. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[isobars]

1. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is all but untreatable. Many meds have been tried but fail for most patients. By far the best "cure" is prevention, but once it gets to or past midfoot, reversal is highly unlikely. A WSing bud had longer, rougher chemo than I did, leaving him unable to find his straps or feel his board. His jibing days are over, he says.

2. I'm guessing your doctors (because that's what most of them were taught and Big Pharma still promotes that myth) told you the only way to slow, stop, or reverse T2DM is with drugs (e.g., insulin). (Don't get me started on their claims that cholesterol is harmful and must be lowered with drugs.) In most cases, neither is true. In fact, simple (for patients with any discipline*) dietary changes will not only cure but often reverse T2DM far better, more cheaply, and more safely than drugs. (Insulin is a major cause of T2DM.)

* From the looks of you over the past few years, it's pretty clear you have the discipline. You've looked better every time I see you.

3. IIRC, you have been successful with Atkins. I (from extensive literature evidence citing high success rates with many thousands of patients and from personal experience) strongly encourage you to take that one small step further to the ketogenic level, then add intermittent fasting (IF). Ketosis makes IF a piece of cake, and both ketosis and/or IF reap MANY benefits for anyone with insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome ... i.e., probably 200,000,000 Americans.

I have told my oncologists that I will stop treatment by common PN-producers if and when I get any significant PN (so far I have none). This led them to take one common offender, thalidomide, off my meds list.

I also test my fingers and toes every day to detect PN early. It could compound my history of balance problems right into a wheelchair if I let it get to midfoot, so I'll stop likely drugs much sooner or avoid them altogether. With T2DM, "the offender" is the diabetes itself ... the high serum glucose and the nerve damage it does (beginning back in the prediabetes stage) ... more than the drugs. Thus the best way to halt and hopefully reverse the diabetes and maybe its effects is by whatever means cures the insulin resistance rather than hiding it. That appears to be ketosis + IF.

Some excellent reference books on the ketogenic diet and/or intermittent fasting have been written by Jason Fung, Jimmy Moore, Bowden, MacDonald, and others.

[gorgesurfshop]

Thanks for your input Mike. In April I spent a week at The Whitaker Wellness Clinic in Newport Beach, CA and since then I've dropped 18 pounds and my A1C has dropped 11 points. I've never had to do daily testing and insulin has never been discussed. I've been seeing a reflexologist and do daily infrared treatments at home so I continue the fight. Oh and thanks for the kind words about my weight loss.

[acalhounguy]

Agree no cure or good treatment for PN. Only good treatment for type II is permanent weight-loss (to a healthy weight). Key is no carbs or at least extremely limited. Sounds like you are on the right track already.

[boardsurfr]

My exposure to PN and diabetes has fortunately only been indirect through a family member. But since there are genetic components, I sometimes worry a bit. I noticed that using a whirlpool is great for my (mild) Raynaud's symptoms. There's been at least one study that showed beneficial effects of whirlpool treatment for PN. May not hurt to try yourself .

As for the windsurfing in stronger winds - how about water starting in both straps? It's usually not the easiest way to get going, but it's not overly hard, either, and gets easier with practice. Does not help after dry jibes .. but if this is really a big problem, maybe go back to fall jibes? With the sail already flying and everything lined up correctly, getting into the straps may be easier lying in the water.

Keep your feet warm! Cold stress can cause or worsen neuropathy. Even warm water in the summer is still 20-30 degrees colder than your core temperature. That will reduce circulation unless you're wearing warm booties, not something your nerves need.

As iso suggested, watch your meds, and consider dropping/replacing any that cause PN. You probably already have your vitamin levels checked, especially B12 and D. I'd try to keep them at the high end of the therapeutic range. Together with the other changes that you've already started, you may well stop or even reverse some of the PN - but at the very least, you'll slow the progression.

[beaglebuddy]

You are gonna have to learn where they are by practice instead of fumbling around and feeling with your feet. The pros don't slide the feet and feel, they just stick em right in.

[carl]