You are not going to believe this. Nick finally convinced me to go see the Body Worlds Exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. You may want to check it out on the internet—just Google Body Worlds or Franklin Institute. This exhibit was banned in the US for many years.

The display has been to China, Japan, Europe, and now the US. It is put on by a German company that has perfected a way of displaying the human body in a clear plastic skin—giving the subject as real a look as anything you’ve ever seen.

So what is it? It’s a scientific look at the human body in all it’s glory. The difference being that these are real human bodies. Yup, they are real. People signed over their bodies so that we could learn all about it’s workings and functions. Once I got over the "ick" factor, it was okay. There are many, many bodies on display: male and female, adults and children. You get to see everything!

There are bodies that show muscles in action, such as the archer, the gymnast, and the basketball player; and bodies that show everyday functionality, such as the teacher and the standing woman.

You get to see, in detail, the nervous system and all its tiny string and root-like nerves that fan out throughout the spinal column and the brain. The same goes for the circulatory system. Truly fascinating to say the least.

Most everyone attending the exhibit seemed to be professionals. Those we talked to were massage therapists, chiropractors, nurses, and yes, even personal trainers. This was a true learning experience. You are not looking at a frog, a fetal pig, or the cat you dissected in high school, but real human beings like you and me. It makes a huge difference. It shows you how tough the human body is and how frail it can be, too.

So that’s how we spent our Sunday. It was well worth the trip.

But now, on to the real subject of my column for this issue.

It started off with a phone call from a very close friend of ours. Seems his feet were really hurting him and he wouldn’t be in to train with me the following morning. He said it felt like he was standing on hot coals, and couldn’t get any relief whatsoever. Soft shoes, no shoes, even just socks didn’t offer relief. Soaking his feet in Epsom salts didn’t do it either. A visit to the doctor finally gave him the answers. Seems he has a disorder called peripheral neuropathy. It is a term used to describe a disorder of the peripheral nervous system, which transmits information from the brain and spinal cord to every other part of the body. It includes the nerves in your face, arms, legs, feet, torso, and some in the skull. And here is a shocker—more than 100 types of peripheral neuropathy have been identified and each has it’s own symptoms, diagnosis, and prognosis. The effect on function depends on the type of nerves that are damaged. Some victims may experience temporary numbness, tingling, sensitivity to touch or muscle weakness. Others may suffer more extreme symptoms, including burning pain (our friend’s symptom), paralysis, or organ or gland dysfunction.

Peripheral neuropathy may be either inherited or acquired. Causes of acquired neuropathy include injury to a nerve, toxins, autoimmune responses, vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, and vascular and metabolic disorders. Inherited forms are caused by mistakes in the genetic code or genetic mutations.

Neuropathy often affects people with diabetes and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. My friend also suffers from diabetes—there’s the tie-in. There is no cure for peripheral neuropathy. For people with chronic health conditions managing the underlying problem—such as diabetes—may relieve the symptoms. In other cases, pain management is necessary.

Research related to peripheral neuropathy is under way. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes is funding research projects investigating genetic factors associated with hereditary neuropathies, diabetes-associated neuropathies and how the immune system contributes to peripheral nerve damage.