I have never had a doctor of any sort recommend anything that wasn't surgery, a pharmaceutical, or an FDA-accepted device, unless it was intended to prevent or repair a vitamin or mineral deficiency, or had solid clinical trials behind it. I don't know if they just don't think to go there, don't believe in them, are trained to avoid recommending products that lack government oversight and therefore may or may not actually be what's on the label, don't have time to winnow through all the possibilities, or just don't feel sufficiently well-educated in this aspect of the options to be confident in giving good advice. Neurologists are no exception.

I have found, however, that if you do your research and ask about specific vitamins, supplements, herbals, etc, they are commonly willing to provide whatever insight they might have. Ditto pharmacists. So unless you are going to an alternative medicine practitioner, the conversation really needs to start with the patient. In fact, I've had a neurologist actually ask me about my experience when I've told them I've decided to try an alternative solution, which argues that they may be open to it -- just don't feel competent to make recommendations.

It's really critical to do our best to get products that actually are what they say they are, try them one at a time sufficiently far apart to determine whether each one is making a difference, and find someone who can tell us whether they may interact with one another or any existing drugs we are on. For those of us who are dealing with a cocktail of stuff, interactions can be a real issue, particularly when trying to peel apart side effects and resolve them.

I will offer that I happen to know that oral magnesium can be a real GI side effect magnet for some people (diarrhea, especially), so ramping up from a low dose would not be a bad idea. It's one reason I switched from oral to topical for my migraines. That may or may not be a good idea, depending on how close to the skin the nerves are that you are dealing with. (That last sentence towed me into sheer speculation territory.) Also, I have read something which may or may not be true, which is that topical magnesium penetrates the skin barrier via hair follicles. For that reason, if you use it, you might want to avoid the bottom of the foot.