neuropathy (dysesthesia including stabbing and burning pain) as well as neuropathic deficits (paresthesia), the meta-analysis showed "more conflicting data whether it improves sensory symptoms or just neuropathic deficits alone". There is some limited evidence that ALA is also helpful in some other non-diabetic neuropathies. Benfotiamine is an oral prodrug of Vitamin B1 that has several placebo-controlled double-blind trials proving efficacy in treating neuropathy and various other diabetic comorbidities. History The history of pain management can be traced back to ancient times. Galen also suggested nerve tissue as the transferring route of pain to the brain through the invisible psychic pneuma. The idea of origination of pain from the nerve itself, without any exciting pathology in other organs is presented by medieval medical scholars such as Rhazes, Haly Abbas and Avicenna. They named this type of pain specifically as "vaja al asab" [nerve originated pain], described its numbness, tingling and needling quality, discussed its etiology and the differentiating characteristics. The description of neuralgia was made by John Fothergill (1712-1780). In a medical article entitled "Clinical Lecture on Lead Neuropathy" published in 1924 the word "Neuropathy" was used for the first time by Gordon. Proposed mechanistic basis for neuropathic pain The underlying pathophysiology of neuropathic pain remains a contested topic. The etiology and mechanism of pain are related to the cause of the pain. Certain forms of neuropathic pain are associated with lesions to the central nervous system such as thalamic pain associated with certain lesions (for instance strokes) to the thalamus whereas other forms of pain have a peripheral inciting injury such as traumatic neuropathies. The inciting cause of neuropathy has important consequences for its mechanistic basis as different tissues and cells are involved. The mechanistic basis of neuropathic pain remains controversial as do the relative contributions of each pathway. Notably our understanding of these processes is largely driven by rodent models in part because studying these tissues in living adults is difficult. Peripheral With peripheral nervous system lesions, a number of processes may occur. Intact neurons may become unusually sensitive and develop spontaneous pathological activity and abnormal excitability. During neuropathic pain, ectopic activity arises in the peripheral nociceptors and this appears to be due in part to changes in the ion channel expression at the level of the periphery. There may be an increase in the expression or activity of voltage gated sodium and calcium channels which will support action