How inflammation damages your nerves, and where it starts

Short answer: inflammation puts the whole body under stress, and nerves and their blood vessels take a share of it. Dr. Mohamed Karim, D.C., explains that ongoing inflammation damages the tiny blood vessels that feed a nerve and wears down its protective coating, the myelin sheath. That is when numbness, tingling, burning, balance problems and pain start to show.

What inflammation does to a nerve

Think of it as constant stress on the nerve. Under that stress the nerve stops getting what it needs to work properly, and its activity drops. The micro blood vessels that supply it start to die off. Then the myelin sheath, the insulating layer around the nerve that helps signals travel fast, begins to break down.

Each step makes the next one easier. Less blood, weaker signal, thinner insulation.

Where the inflammation comes from

Dr. Karim puts metabolic health at the center, and for him metabolic health starts in the gut. When the gut lining and its bacteria are out of balance, the result is what many people call leaky gut: increased intestinal permeability that, in his view, drives inflammation through the body, damages circulation and makes it harder for nerves to recover.

He says about 95% of the people who walk into his clinic show signs of it. Leaky gut is still debated as a stand-alone diagnosis in mainstream medicine, and research on intestinal permeability is ongoing, so treat that figure as his clinic experience rather than an established statistic.

Can losing weight help neuropathy?

For many people, yes, improving metabolic health noticeably improves symptoms. But Dr. Karim is wary of fad diets. He hears the same story weekly: I tried keto, or Mediterranean, or something else, lost weight, then gained it back or stalled. His explanation is that none of those plans dealt with the gut.

That is why his clinic calls it metabolic health rather than weight loss. The gut protocol he uses aims to clear out problem bacteria, restore healthy ones and let the gut lining settle. He is clear it takes months, not weeks.

The probiotic mistake

When patients tell him they have “done gut health,” the answer is usually probiotics and supplements. In his view those are the last step, not the first. Adding good bacteria to a gut that has not been cleaned up is, as he puts it, mostly wasted money.

Quick fixes are what he sees failing most: short-term diets, supplements taken on their own, chasing whatever symptom is loudest this week.

Watch the episode

Curious whether gut health is part of your picture? Read about gut health care in North Liberty and neuropathy treatment, or book a free consultation. Related: why neuropathy keeps getting worse.

This article summarizes a podcast episode and is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting a new diet or supplement plan. See our medical disclaimer.