What is Autonomic Neuropathy?

Autonomic Neuropathy:

Autonomic neuropathy occurs when the nerves in your autonomic nervous system are damaged.  The autonomic nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system.  The autonomic nervous system controls the involuntary processes in the body, like blood pressure and heart rate, digestion, respiration, and sexual functions.  When autonomic neuropathy occurs, the nerves in these systems cannot correctly send signals to the brain, which may lead to symptoms.  This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, and risk factors for autonomic neuropathy, and how Chinese Medicine can help to treat it. 

Symptoms of Autonomic Neuropathy:

The symptoms of autonomic neuropathy vary depending on which nerves are affected.  Some early symptoms of autonomic neuropathy may include dizziness or fainting when you stand up, digestion problems like nausea, bladder problems, or sexual problems.

Autonomic Neuropathy

If autonomic neuropathy has affected the nerves in your heart or blood vessels, you may experience symptoms like fainting, difficulty breathing when you exercise, rapid heart rate when resting, and in some cases heart attack.  

Autonomic neuropathy of the digestive system may cause symptoms like poor appetite, indigestion, vomiting up undigested food, constipation, or diarrhoea.  Similarly, if the nerves in your bladder are affected, you may experience loss of bladder control such as urinary incontinence, or inability to empty the bladder.

Autonomic neuropathy can also cause other symptoms, such as sexual problems in men and women, as well as unexplained shakiness or weight loss.  

Causes of Autonomic Neuropathy:

Autonomic neuropathy is caused by damage to the autonomic nerves.  There are different causes for damage to the autonomic nerves, such as diabetes, chemotherapy, and physical injury to the nerves. Autonomic nerve damage may also occur through chronic diseases like Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune disorders, or too much protein building up in the organs.

Autonomic Neuropathy Risk Factors:

Certain risk factors can increase your risk of developing autonomic neuropathy.  Being overweight, having high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and drinking alcohol can all increase your risk.  Similarly, older people, and people who have diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease or lupus may also be more at risk.

How Can Chinese Medicine Help?

At Centre of Balance Hamilton, our highly qualified practitioners use Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques to treat conditions like autonomic neuropathy.  While most Western Medicine treatment options (like medications) often aim to treat and even suppress your symptoms, Chinese Medicine treatments address the root cause of the condition.

Autonomic Neuropathy

In Chinese Medicine, the organs within the body are all connected to each other and work together to control specific functions.  The liver and gallbladder control detoxification, as well as maintaining nerve functions.  That means if your liver or gallbladder is weak, you may develop nerve problems like autonomic neuropathy.

A professional Chinese Medicine practitioner will investigate the underlying cause of your health condition, by analysing your symptoms.  By treating the underlying cause, such as organ weaknesses or imbalances, a practitioner may effectively heal your body.  This can be done through acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, which can energise specific organs, as well as improving blood circulation for health and wellbeing.

For information about neuropathy and Chinese Medicine, click here.

Conclusion:

Autonomic neuropathy is a condition where your autonomic nerves cannot function properly.  This may affect the essential systems of the body, like heart rate, respiration, and digestion.  Autonomic neuropathy may be caused by factors like diabetes and chemotherapy, which can damage the nerves.  Chinese Medicine can help to effectively treat neuropathy through acupuncture, which can energise the organs and help the body to heal itself.

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Allen, S. (2017, April 24). Autonomic Neuropathy. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/autonomic-neuropathy

Centre of Balance Hamilton: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (n.d.). Archive for category: Neuropathy. https://balancetcm.co.nz/category/a-z-diseases/neuropathy/

Phua, S. (n.d.). What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine? Centre of Balance Hamilton: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. https://balancetcm.co.nz/traditional-chinese-medicine-hamilton/

Waxenbaum, J. A., Reddy, V., & Varacallo, M. (2021). Anatomy, Autonomic Nervous System.  StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539845/

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.