Helping Your Body Heal: The Vizuri Way

Part 01 / Nerve Health

Burning, Tingling, or Numb Feet? What Your Nerves May Be Telling You

Maybe your toes feel as though they have fallen asleep, even when you have been moving around. Perhaps your feet burn when you settle into bed, or you find yourself watching the ground more carefully because you do not feel quite as steady as you used to.

These changes can be easy to explain away. A long day. Uncomfortable shoes. Getting older.

At Vizuri Health Center, we encourage you to pay attention when something feels different. Persistent numbness, tingling, burning, or changes in balance deserve a closer look. Understanding what is happening is the first step toward making informed decisions about your care.

What is peripheral neuropathy?

Your peripheral nerves connect your brain and spinal cord with the rest of your body. Some help you feel touch, temperature, and pressure. Others help your muscles move. When peripheral nerves become damaged or stop working properly, the resulting condition is called peripheral neuropathy.¹

That term describes a problem with nerve function; it does not, by itself, tell us why the problem developed. This distinction matters. Two people can both describe burning feet and need very different care.

We believe a helpful conversation begins with more than naming the symptom. We also need to consider its pattern, its effect on your daily life, and the possible conditions behind it.

Neuropathy does not always feel like pain

Burning and electrical sensations often get people's attention. Reduced sensation can be quieter. You may feel as though you are walking on padding, notice that your socks seem bunched up when they are not, or struggle to tell exactly where your feet are positioned.

Symptoms can include tingling, numbness, unusual sensitivity to light touch, weakness, and difficulty with balance. The combination depends on which nerves are affected.¹ Something that feels strange rather than painful can still be worth evaluating.

Think about how these changes influence your choices. Are you avoiding uneven trails? Holding the railing more tightly? Cutting a shopping trip short? Those details help communicate the real impact of your symptoms, even when a pain score does not capture it.

Why finding the cause matters

Diabetes is a common cause of peripheral nerve damage, but neuropathy also occurs in people who do not have diabetes. Possible contributors include certain vitamin deficiencies, medication effects, heavy alcohol use, autoimmune conditions, kidney disease, and injuries or pressure affecting nerves. Sometimes, a cause remains unknown despite investigation.²

This is why we do not recommend choosing a treatment based on a symptom checklist alone. A person with a nutritional deficiency needs that deficiency addressed. Someone with a medication-related problem needs a discussion with the prescribing clinician. Other findings may call for specialist evaluation.

At Vizuri, our interest in whole-person health means taking the broader story seriously. We want to understand what may be contributing and where our care can fit within the support you need.

Could the problem be coming from somewhere else?

Tingling does not automatically mean a widespread neuropathy. A compressed nerve near the spine can also cause radiating pain, numbness, or weakness. For example, cervical radiculopathy involves a nerve root in the neck and may produce symptoms into an arm or hand.³

The location and distribution of symptoms provide clues, but they do not establish a diagnosis on their own. Whether symptoms affect one side or both, follow a particular path, or change with position can help guide the examination.

Bring a simple description to your visit: where symptoms begin, when they occur, how long they last, and what makes them better or worse. You do not need perfect medical language. Your observations are useful.

What an evaluation can help clarify

An assessment typically includes a health history and examination. Depending on the findings, additional testing or referral may be appropriate. Blood tests, nerve conduction studies, and other investigations answer different questions; no single test explains every case.^{1, 2}

We also encourage you to bring a medication and supplement list, along with any previous test results. Tell us about changes in walking, sleep, work, and the activities you enjoy. Together, these pieces help build a clearer picture.

A meaningful next step should leave you understanding what is known, what still needs clarification, and what options make sense for you.

When to act sooner

Sudden one-sided numbness or weakness, especially with facial drooping or trouble speaking, calls for dialing 911 immediately.⁵ Rapidly worsening weakness also needs urgent medical attention. If you have reduced feeling in your feet, a new wound or signs of infection should be assessed promptly.^{2, 4}

For ongoing symptoms, you do not need to wait until they become severe to start the conversation.

Start with understanding

At Vizuri Health Center in Williston, we offer a neuropathy program and believe education is an essential part of care. We want you to feel comfortable asking questions and clear about your next steps.

If burning, tingling, or numbness is changing how you live, contact our team to schedule an evaluation. We can help you explore whether our neuropathy services are appropriate or whether another type of evaluation should come first.

In the next article, we will look at the question many people ask next: Can damaged nerves heal, and what should a thoughtful treatment plan include?

Sources & further reading

National Library of Medicine. Peripheral Nerve Disorders. Read source
MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Peripheral Neuropathy. Read source
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve). Read source
NIDDK. Diabetes & Foot Problems. Read source
CDC. Signs and Symptoms of Stroke. Read source

Heavy Metals in the Body: What You Need to Know

Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that can be found throughout the environment. Given their prevalence in the foods that we eat and even the air we breathe, we are exposed to high levels of heavy metals every day.

Certain metals– including zinc, copper, and iron—are beneficial for your health in small doses. However, overexposure to other heavy metals poses serious health risks. Cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury are some of the most toxic. Heavy metal poisoning has become a growing health concern as human activity has increased their presence in our environment.

Risks and Symptoms of Heavy Metals In The Body

A doctor can test your level of exposure to harmful heavy metals in your blood, urine, and hair. If toxicity is high, you may be experiencing symptoms such as:

Headaches
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Chills
General feeling of weakness

In more severe and chronic cases of heavy metal poisoning, symptoms may include:

Burning and tingling sensations
Brain fog
Insomnia
Paralysis
Chronic infections

The toxicity of heavy metals can have serious effects on the brain, liver, and lungs. Long term exposure is even associated with cancer.

Who is most at risk?

Although heavy metal exposure poses a risk to everyone, it is a special concern for pregnant and breastfeeding women. This is due to the fact that toxins can be passed to the child through the placenta and breast milk.

How To Reduce Your Exposure to Heavy Metals

While they can hardly be escaped in everyday life, there are certain sources of heavy metals you can deliberately avoid and cut back on to prevent overexposure.

1- Be mindful of your seafood consumption

Certain types of fish tend to contain high levels of the heavy metal mercury, which can be harmful in large amounts. The FDA has guidelines for avoiding mercury when eating fish– those with the highest levels are typically larger fish including:

Swordfish
Shark
Tilefish
King mackerel
Orange roughly
Tuna
Marlin

Fish (and seafood) with the least amount of mercury include wild caught salmon, trout, herring, haddock, sole, shrimp and shellfish such as oysters, scallops and mussels.

2 – Quit smoking

Cigarettes and e-cigarettes both contain high levels of cadmium, a heavy metal linked with increased cancer risk, among many other harmful ingredients. Avoid smoking to avoid this toxic element, among others.

3 – Opt for organic

You’ve heard it before – organic is best. But some foods even more so to avoid heavy metals. Rice tends to contain high levels of the heavy metal arsenic. This is due to its absorbent property—rice absorbs arsenic from pesticide-ridden soil, irrigation water, and even the water that you cook it in.

Buying organic rice can prevent overexposure to the heavy metal. Be sure to always rinse your rice well (until the water runs clear) before cooking it.

Bone broth is a popular health food for lowering inflammation and promoting gastrointestinal health. However, when animals are exposed to heavy metals, they can store it within their bone materials.

Choose organic bone broth from grass fed cows and pasture raised chickens.

4 – Clean cosmetics and body care

There are numerous heavy metals—including lead, cadmium, and aluminum—which are often present in makeup and skin products. Many deodorants and antiperspirants also contain aluminum salts, which clog the pores and can enter the body through injured skin (after shaving). Exposure to aluminum can contribute to serious diseases such as breast cancer.

Find an aluminum-free deodorant to reduce this risk and seek out organic cosmetics.

5 – Invest in clean water and safe cookware

Due to environmental contamination, heavy metals tend to build up in groundwater and then enter the human body in large amounts. Water pipes also are frequently made with lead or copper, two metals which can be harmful to health. Investing in a water filtration system can help reduce absorption of these heavy metals into your body.

Heat can increase the chance of toxins leaching into food, making cookware an important place to start when trying to limit heavy metal and toxin exposure. Research shows the safest cookware is that made of ceramic, glass, cast iron, or stainless steel, especially higher qualities without contaminated glazing.

6 – Sweat it out

Far infrared saunas have become an increasingly mainstream addition to any heavy metal detox protocol. Research shows that sweat produced by an infrared sauna is only 80 to 85% water, with the remainder made up of harmful substances like cholesterol, sulfuric acid, ammonia, and heavy metals. Infrared saunas produce a heat that penetrates more deeply into tissue than a traditional sauna, helping to mobilize and excrete the mercury and other toxins stored in fat.

Further Treatment

If you find upon medical testing that your exposure to heavy metals has reached harmful levels, there are medical treatments available. It can take time to safely detox heavy metals from the body, but it is possible.

Medications can be delivered intravenously to remove toxins. These medications bind to the metal, a process called chelation. Note that chelation therapy should only be used in serious cases of heavy metal toxin build up, and under the close supervision of a medical professional.

There are, however, alternative and more gradual ways to detox heavy metals from the body. One way is consuming certain foods which electrically attract metal and will help move it out. These foods include:

Cilantro
Garlic
Lemon water
Green tea
Spirulina
Chlorella
Dietary fiber

Another option is taking supplements. For instance, selenium helps detox mercury, and Alpha-lipoic acid can renew antioxidants and detox metals.

Furthermore, vitamin B, B-6, and C deficiencies can lead to poor tolerance of heavy metals and easier toxicity, so it may be worth supplementing with these vitamins if you find that you are deficient. As always, take care to consult with a healthcare professional before adding any supplements or detoxification substances to your diet.

Exposure to high levels of heavy metals can cause serious health concerns. And while human activity has increased their prevalence in our environment, there are certain steps you can take to avoid overexposure to these harmful substances.

Heavy metal exposure can feel frightening, but there are plenty of steps to minimize its impact. A healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and plenty of sleep can help. If you have any questions about heavy metal exposure, reach out to us.

Sources

Tchounwou, P.B., Yedjou, C.G., Patlolla, A.K., Sutton, D.J. (2012). Heavy Metal Toxicity and the Environment. In: Luch, A. (eds) Molecular, Clinical and Environmental Toxicology. Experientia Supplementum, vol 101. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8340-4_6

Zhai Q, Narbad A, Chen W. Dietary strategies for the treatment of cadmium and lead toxicity. Nutrients. 2015 Jan 14;7(1):552-71. doi: 10.3390/nu7010552. PMID: 25594439; PMCID: PMC4303853.

Monro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets. Med Hypotheses. 2013 Apr;80(4):389-90. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.12.026. Epub 2013 Jan 31. PMID: 23375414.

TatahMentan M, Nyachoti S, Scott L, Phan N, Okwori FO, Felemban N, Godebo TR. Toxic and Essential Elements in Rice and Other Grains from the United States and Other Countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 3;17(21):8128. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17218128. PMID: 33153201; PMCID: PMC7663342.

Sears ME. Chelation: harnessing and enhancing heavy metal detoxification–a review. ScientificWorldJournal. 2013 Apr 18;2013:219840. doi: 10.1155/2013/219840. PMID: 23690738; PMCID: PMC3654245.

Heavy Metals In the Body