Comments on recent Q&A podcast
Rip,
In the spirit of trying to help I wanted to contribute some of my expertise to two of the questions you addressed on the podcast. (I'm a neurologist.)
1) The 60-year-old man who wrote he can't bench press due to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) needs to find a doctor to treat his condition. That is a condition that is almost without exception curable with otolith repositioning maneuvers. The Epley is the standard and needs to be performed by a competent practitioner (many PTs know it) and is often curative immediately after. The half-somersault maneuver is one you can do at home yourself and may be of similar efficacy. You have to know which side your BPPV is for these, however. So again, he needs someone to actually diagnose and treat this curable condition.
2) The man with "neuropathy" does need to be more specific about his condition. It is true that diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy in the developed world (about 30-40% of cases), but there are many other important causes such as toxic (e.g. alcohol, drugs), hereditary, auto-immune, thyroid disease, and vitamin deficiencies. Somewhere between 20 and 40% of peripheral neuropathies are classified as idiopathic, meaning they have no known or confirmed cause. Some of these non-diabetic peripheral neuropathy types have quite effective treatments or even cures, which is where I spend much of my professional time. I've caught more than a few cases of very treatable CIDP where previous physicians told them nothing could be done. Whenever someone tells me they are numb only over the soles of their feet, however, I immediately suspect something else is going on. I've sent numerous people back to their primary doctor or podiatrist for plantar fasciitis causing burning or even tingling on the soles, usually after EMG rules out peripheral neuropathy.
Your programs and publications are excellent. As a physician, I strive to never say stupid stuff.
