Neuropathy Awareness Week

Todays' call from neuropathy.org (see link below) the site of the American Neuropathy Association comes from their website and promotes the upcoming Neuropathy Awareness Week, which happens  each year in May. It's a large organisation with world-wide members and deserves our support - after all we're all aiming for the same outcomes and goals, wherever our neuropathy comes from.

Let’s Fight for A Future Without Neuropathy During Our “2012 Neuropathy Awareness Week” Campaign

More than 20,000,000--or 1 in 15--Americans are afflicted by neuropathy, and many of them do not even know they have it. Even though it is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and one of the most common chronic neurological diseases, neuropathy is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed, and inadequately treated. However, early diagnosis and treatment is critical to preventing and slowing the progression of neuropathy.

Since 1995, The Neuropathy Association has been working to change the public’s perception of neuropathy and help patients, health care providers, and the public at large understood the true scope of this debilitating disease. And since 2005, The Neuropathy Association has annually designated the third week of May as Neuropathy Awareness Week on the federal government’s calendar of National Health Observances.

We recognize that neuropathy is a 24/7/365 battle for more than 20,000,000 people in the U.S.…until we find better treatments and cures for neuropathy, every week is Neuropathy Awareness Week, every day is Neuropathy Awareness Day. And, so our mission is 24/7/365; but during Neuropathy Awareness Week, we push ourselves and our community—patients, caregivers, and professionals—to help us take neuropathy awareness to the next level. Awareness and understanding of this disease—and its impact—are the drivers for allocating more funding for neuropathy research, developing more programs for the neuropathy community, and, ultimately, finding more therapies and cures.

During Neuropathy Awareness Week, let’s fight neuropathy together by:

- recognizing the early symptoms and signs of neuropathy;

- getting an early and accurate diagnosis and treatments by working with expert health
care professionals to prevent and/or minimize progression of neuropathy and its complications; and

- helping the public learn about neuropathy and its risk factors.

Visit www.neuropathy.org in the coming weeks for information on Neuropathy Awareness Week events, media opportunities, and other ways to get involved!

http://www.neuropathy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Neuropathy_Week