HEALTH NEWS

Nerve Nutrients for Comfort, Balance, and Neuroprotection

By Dr. Linda J. Dobberstein, DC, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition

May 27, 2025

The ability to feel sensations in your fingertips, feet, and elsewhere in your body is due to an amazing network of nerves. Nerves help you feel the slightest breeze or touch, hot or cold temperatures on your skin, the vibration of your phone, or a pebble in your shoe. Walking, balance, gait, or the ability to open a door, write your name, or use your tech devices depends on nerves throughout your arms and legs and their connections to the brain. Even feeling comfortable in your own skin is affected by nerve health.

The peripheral nervous system is made of nerves with various shapes and sizes such as small fiber nerves and long axons. These different nerves relay sensory and motor/movement information to and from their local area, brain and spinal cord, and much more. Some types of nerves have a layer of insulation or myelin that surrounds it. This allows for faster neurotransmission and protection. Maintaining and protecting their structural integrity and numerous functions is vital to your health and activities.

Oxidative Stress Affects Nerves

Nerves are delicate and challenged daily. They are exposed to oxidative stress from numerous sources that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other types of free radicals. Nerves need antioxidants and nutrients to maintain healthy cell membranes and rebuild the insulation layer, i.e. remyelination.

Acute or chronic oxidative stress with unmet repair leads to lipid peroxidation or damage to fats in nerve cells and the surrounding myelin sheath. It can also disrupt the capillary blood flow to the nerves affecting their ability to receive nourishment. Initially, this makes the nerves more sensitive and irritable. Over time, as oxidative stress continues and antioxidant levels are depleted, nerve function declines with loss of comfort and function.

Factors that cause oxidative stress to nerves include:

• Blood sugar dysregulation

• Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs)

• Alcohol use

• Repetitive minor trauma

• Cold exposure

• Burns

• Radiation

• Pinched or entrapment of nerves

• Celiac disease/gluten intolerance

• Thyroid disorders (hyper or hypo)

• Heavy metal toxicity: arsenic, gold, lead, mercury, and thallium

• Infections like Lyme, HIV, syphilis

• High uric acid

• Vaccine side effects

• Autoimmune disorders

• Gastric bypass or other gastric surgeries that impair absorption

Medications

• Antimicrobial: Chloroquine, Dapsone, Didanosine, Ethambutol, Interferon-alpha, Isoniazid, Metronidazole (Flagyl), Nitrofurantoin, Stavudine, Triazoles

• Antiseizure: lithium, phenytoin (Dilantin)

• Cardiovascular: Amiodarone, Hydralazine, Procainamide, Statins

• Chemotherapy: Bortezomib (Velcade), Cisplatin, Epothilones, Oxaliplatin, Paclitaxel, Thalidomide, Vincristine

• Other: Amitriptyline, Cimetidine, Colchicine, Disulfiram (Antabuse), Levodopa, Misoprostol (Cytotec), Nitrous Oxide, Pyridoxine HCl, Suramin, Tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors

• Check with your pharmacist or health care practitioner for more information

Solvents

• Acrylamide, carbon disulfide, carbon monoxide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, ethylene oxide, glue, hexacarbones, organophosphorus esters

Nutritional Deficiencies

Insufficient vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, E, folate, and copper are recognized causes of significant nerve stress. Other insufficient nutrients such as those listed below also affect the resiliency of nerves and their function. Deficiencies may be caused by low dietary intake, reduced absorption in the gut, or drug-nutrient depletions.

Important Antioxidants for Nerves

Your nerves require lifelong protection with antioxidants to quench free radical stress, attenuate lipid peroxidation, and support healthy myelin structures. Some of the most important antioxidants for nerves include R-alpha lipoic acid, acetyl-l-carnitine, taurine, melatonin, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Lipoic acid is of great support for nerves. It is naturally found in red meat, beets, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and spinach in small amounts. Supplementation with bioactive na-R-Alpha Lipoic-Acid of 100-600 mg per day is often helpful for nerve antioxidant protection. Lipoic acid has been shown to protect against lipid peroxidation, support nerve conduction, and improve blood flow to nerves. R-Alpha Lipoic Acid is 100 percent bioactive compared to Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Nutrients for Myelin Sheath and Nerve Cell Membranes

The physical make-up of nerves, cell membranes, myelin sheath, and electrical activities require a variety of nutrients. Omega-3 DHA (fish oil), arachidonic acid (eggs and red meat), cholesterol, phospholipids like phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine, and proteins make up the majority of myelin sheath and nerve cell membranes structure. Without these various fats, electrical activity and the structures are greatly compromised.

PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) is a critical bioactive lipid for nerve support and repair. A recent study in mice demonstrated that PEA increased myelin sheath thickness, the size and number of nerve fibers, as well as reduced infiltration of immune cells and waste products.

Nutrients such as calcium AEP, B vitamins, copper, vitamin E, vitamin D, iron, and N-acetyl-glucosamine(NAG) are used for protection and natural remyelination of the myelin sheath.

Furthermore, adequate hydration and electrolytes are required for myelin function and cell membrane activity. Loss of hydration and electrolytes places a functional strain on electrical activity and increases oxidative stress to the myelin sheath.

Dietary Recommendations for Nerve Health

A healthy whole foods diet with cold water fatty fish, eggs and other animal proteins, whole grains, a variety of fruits and vegetables, raw or dry roasted seeds, beans and legumes provide a dietary nutritional foundation. Choose organic, locally grown, pastured-raised or produced as often as possible. Individuals on a plant-based diet or other restrictive diets will likely need to supplement B12, choline, taurine, fish oils, and other nutrients. Please see the articles below for more information.

Foundational Nutritional Supplements

• Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin – bioactive B vitamins and other vitamins and trace minerals

• Daily DHA – omega-3 fish oil, molecularly distilled, mercury-free, high in DHA

• Vitamin D – required for every cell in the body and thousands of gene signals

Advanced Nerve Support

• PEA Ultra

• R-Alpha Lipoic Acid or Brain Protector

• B12+Folate

• Calcium AEP

• Acetyl-L-Carnitne

• Super Brain Booster

Additional Helpful Nutrients

• Sleep Helper, TriCal, and Daily Detoxify - Taurine

• GI & Muscle Helper - NAG

• Blood Booster - Iron bisglycinate

These nutritional supplements may be taken for general support or with higher doses for long-term needs.

The ability to feel human touch, hot and cold sensations, grasp things, feel comfortable, move gracefully and quickly, and all things about the human body relate to nerve function. Until something changes, you may not realize how important nerve communications, structures, and functions are. Being proactive about nerve health is priceless for all ages and is necessary for vitality.

Additional Resources:

R-Alpha Lipoic Acid Enhances Brain and Metabolic Wellness

Protect Your Cell Membranes and Health with Calcium AEP

Acetyl-L-Carnitine Aids Metabolism, Detoxification, and Brain Health

Plant-Based Diets Lack Taurine

Navigating a Plant-Based Diet: What You Need to Know for Optimal Health

Melatonin, Mitochondria, Circadian Rhythms - Are You in Sync?

Vitamin A – An Essential Nutrient for Immune, Respiratory, and Gut Health

Vitamin C for Stress, Collagen, Immunity

Vitamin B1/Thiamin – Are You Getting Enough?

Vitamin B12 Essential for Energy, Mood, and Overall Health

Vitamin D and Magnesium: Essential Partnership for Health