Burning feet

The 3 Vitamin Deficiencies to Check For (Before Prescribing Medication)

Burning feet. It’s a specific, maddening type of pain. It often flares up right when you’re trying to sleep: a hot, prickling, electric sensation that makes you want to kick the covers off. In traditional medicine, the standard response to burning feet (neuropathy) is a prescription pad. You might be offered Gabapentin or Lyrica to mask the nerve signals.

While medication has its place, we prefer to ask “Why?” before we ask “What can we prescribe?”

Your nerves don’t just malfunction for no reason. They are highly sensitive to your metabolic health. Before settling for masking the symptoms, Batavia Foot Care Center recommends screening for these three common (and correctable) vitamin deficiencies.

1. Vitamin B12 (The Nerve Protector)

Everything in the body is connected, and Vitamin B12 makes that quite clear.

It’s essential for maintaining the myelin sheath, the protective coating around your nerves. Think of it like insulation around an electrical wire:

If your B12 is low, that insulation degrades, leaving the raw wire exposed. The result? That classic burning, zinging pain.

  • Who is at risk? Vegetarians/vegans (B12 is found in meat), people taking acid reflux medication (which blocks B12 absorption), and those with gut health issues.
  • The Fix: A simple blood test can confirm this. If you are low, high-quality supplementation can often reverse the symptoms.

2. Magnesium (The Master Mineral)

Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in your body, including nerve transmission. It is also a natural relaxant.

When you are deficient in magnesium (which nearly 50% of Americans are), your nerves can become hyper-excitable. They fire off pain signals when they should be resting.

  • The Clue: If your burning feet are accompanied by nighttime leg cramps or restless legs, magnesium deficiency is a prime suspect.

3. Alpha-Lipoic Acid (The Antioxidant)

While not a vitamin, Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant that your body produces. It is crucial for protecting nerves from oxidative stress and inflammation.

A Functional Approach With NeuRx

“Idiopathic Neuropathy” is a medical term that means “we don’t know why your nerves hurt.” That answer isn’t good enough. You need professional guidance.

We’ve got answers, and you’ve got options.

In fact, there’s a vitamin that contains ALL 3 of the ingredients we’ve mentioned in this blog: NeuRx!

And we make it available right here in our office.

By looking at your bloodwork, your diet, and your gut health, we’ll find the metabolic root cause of your burning feet. And if NeuRx makes sense for you, we’ll be happy to provide it!

You can always count on Batavia Foot Care Center to care for your feet using a full range of therapies and treatment options. Dr. Dawn K. Dryden serves patients of all ages in Batavia, New York. Contact our office to schedule an appointment!