By Dr. Ronald Vaught | Neuropathy | Beyond Health and Wellness, Oak Forest, IL
Every week someone sits across from me, arms crossed, and says, "Doc, I've had the electric pads. I've had the creams. I've had the gabapentin. Nothing works."
I get it. If I had spent years and thousands of dollars chasing relief, I'd be skeptical too. Here's the problem, though. A lot of people are lumping the Stimpod in with older therapies that never did much for them, and that's like saying you've already tried a smartphone because you once owned a pager.
Let me explain the difference, and why I'm more hopeful about neuropathy than I've been in my entire career.
Most neuropathy care turns the volume down. It doesn't fix the radio.
Think about what most people are offered:
Pills like gabapentin, pregabalin or duloxetine dull how your brain perceives the pain. Many people feel foggy, gain weight, or still hurt.
Creams and patches numb the skin for a few hours.
TENS units (those little pads from the drugstore) work mostly while they're on. Turn them off and the buzzing in your feet comes right back.
None of that is worthless, and some of it helps people get through the day. But it's all aimed at the symptom. The irritated, over-firing nerve underneath stays the same.
What the Stimpod does differently
The Stimpod NMS460 is a non-invasive device that the FDA first cleared in 2017 for chronic, hard-to-treat pain. In May 2026, the FDA cleared it for something new: temporary relief of mild to moderate nerve pain from diabetic neuropathy in the legs and feet.
That newer clearance was backed by a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Patients treated with the real device had a statistically significant reduction in nerve pain compared with placebo, with follow-up out to six months and no device-related side effects reported.
Here's how it works:
It finds the nerve first. We use a nerve-mapping probe to locate the exact nerve that's misbehaving, instead of slapping a pad somewhere near the pain and hoping.
It uses a different signal. The Stimpod delivers a patented pulsed waveform through the skin, designed to create effects similar to the pulsed radio frequency treatments pain specialists do with needles. No needles, no drugs. Most people feel a light tingle.
The goal is to calm the nerve, not just distract it. That's the opposite of a pill that simply turns down the volume in your brain.
Results still vary from person to person, which is exactly why we let you try it first, free, before you spend a dime.
Why I believe in it: I felt it.
I'll be straight with you: I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen the results and felt them myself.
Me. I have neuropathy too, and I've had real improvement.
Diabetic neuropathy. The burning, numb, pins-and-needles feet that so many people are told are "just part of diabetes." We've had patients improve.
Failed back surgery. A patient who still had nerve pain after back surgery, the kind of case where most people are told "there's nothing else we can do," has improved.
Chronic sciatica. A patient with long-standing sciatica, the shooting pain down the leg that wouldn't quit, has had relief.
Trigeminal neuralgia. That brutal, electric facial pain. We've seen it help there too.
These are real people, not a brochure. Everyone is different, and no one can promise you a result. But if you've been told to "just live with it," I want you to know there's another door to knock on.
Come feel it for yourself
Seeing is believing, and feeling is even better.
Free workshop: "Coffee, Neuropathy & New Hope"
Thursday, November 12 at 10 AM, at our Oak Forest office. Free coffee, a free balance test, and a live Stimpod demo. Bring your spouse.
Can't make Thursday? We'll set you up with a free one-on-one demo.
📞 Call (708) 907-0700 · Learn more about our neuropathy program
We see patients from Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Orland Park, Midlothian, Crestwood and across the south suburbs.
Stay healthy, My Friends!
Dr. V
Sources: FDA 510(k) K252712, Stimpod NMS460 (May 2026); FDA 510(k) clearance announcement, Xavant Technology (2017).
Beyond Health and Wellness · 15000 S Cicero Ave, Suite 100, Oak Forest, IL 60452
This article is for general education and isn't a substitute for a personal medical evaluation. Talk with your provider before stopping or changing any treatment.
