Brain & Nervous System
Nutritional Neuropathies
Nerve damage in the hands and feet caused by deficiencies of essential nutrients, especially the B vitamins.
Also known as: Nutritional peripheral neuropathy, Deficiency neuropathy
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Deficiency of essential nutrients, especially B-complex vitamins; Alcoholism; Anorexia nervosa or other causes of severe malnutrition.
First thing to try: See a doctor to identify the cause and confirm which nutrients are deficient.
See a doctor if: Any new numbness, tingling, or weakness in the hands or feet
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Deficiency of essential nutrients, especially B-complex vitamins
- Alcoholism
- Anorexia nervosa or other causes of severe malnutrition
- Intestinal malabsorption conditions
Change what you can
- See a doctor to identify the cause and confirm which nutrients are deficient.
- Replace processed and junk food with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.
- Discuss B-complex vitaminA natural substance your body needs in small amounts to stay healthy, like vitamin C or D. More → supplementation with a doctor, since doses should match the specific deficiency.
- Stop alcohol use entirely, since it both causes and worsens nutritional neuropathy.
- Address any underlying malabsorption or eating disorder with appropriate professional care.
- Protect numb feet and hands from injury, since reduced sensation raises the risk of unnoticed wounds.
- Be patient — nerve healing after correcting a deficiency can take weeks to months.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- Any new numbness, tingling, or weakness in the hands or feet
- Difficulty walking or frequent stumbling
- Suspected alcohol use disorder, eating disorder, or malabsorption
- Symptoms that worsen despite dietary improvement
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your nutritional neuropathies — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Nutritional neuropathy develops when the peripheral nerves are starved of nutrients they need to function, most often B-complex vitamins. It shows up gradually as tingling, numbness, or pain that typically starts in the fingers and toes. A doctor should confirm the cause, since neuropathy has many possible origins, but restoring good nutrition is central to recovery once deficiency is identified.
The peripheral nerves are especially vulnerable to nutritional deficiency because they are long and metabolically demanding. Deficiencies of B-complex vitamins — particularly B1, B6, and B12 — are the classic nutritional cause of neuropathy, and can arise from alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, intestinal malabsorption, or a diet low in whole foodsFoods close to how they grow in nature, with little or no processing. More →.
The hallmark pattern is a symmetrical 'stocking and glove' loss of sensation or pins-and-needles feeling starting at the fingers and toes, sometimes with pain or a clumsy, unsteady walk. Because nerve damage from prolonged deficiency can become permanent, prompt medical evaluation and correction of the underlying deficiency give the best chance of improvement.
Common signs
- Pins-and-needles or numbness starting at the fingers and toes
- Pain in the feet and hands
- Clumsy or unsteady walking
⭐ Community-ranked natural supports
Vote ▲ on everything that helped you, and ▼ on anything you tried that didn't — the ranking updates live. Tap 💬 to share what worked, so others can find it faster.
Whole oats contribute B vitamins and steady energy as part of a nourishing daily diet.950
Dark leafy greens provide folate and other B vitamins important for nerve health.930
A high-fiber whole-food diet supports the gut health needed for proper nutrient absorption.930
Legumes such as lentils are a good plant source of B vitamins and protein for nerve repair.910
Whole grains like brown rice supply thiamine (B1), often low in nutritional neuropathy.870
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- leafy-greens
- brown-rice
- lentils
- walnut
- oats-wholegrain
Go easy on
- alcohol
A varied whole-food diet supplies the B vitamins most often lacking in nutritional neuropathy.
⚖️ Good to know
- Numbness can hide injuries — check hands and feet regularly for cuts, blisters, or sores.
- B-vitamin supplementation should be guided by a doctor; needs vary by which deficiency is present.
- Ongoing alcohol use will continue to damage nerves even with good nutrition otherwise.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Conventional care identifies the specific deficiency through blood testing and treats it with targeted supplementation.
Commonly offered
- Blood tests to identify specific vitamin deficiencies (B1, B6, B12, folate)–
- Targeted vitamin supplementation, sometimes by injection for severe B12 deficiency–
- Treating underlying causes such as alcohol use disorder or malabsorption–
- Referral to a neurologist for nerve conduction studies if the diagnosis is unclear–
Worth knowing
- Very high-dose B6 supplementation can itself cause nerve damage and should be medically supervised
- Neuropathy has many non-nutritional causes (diabetes, autoimmune disease) that need separate evaluation
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📜 A note from history
Diseases of nerve deficiency such as beriberi (thiamine deficiency) were historically resolved once whole grains and varied diets replaced polished, nutrient-stripped foods.
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