For the toes I bought marbles at the 99cent store and I pick them up one by one and put them in a plastic bowl. This seems to reduce the stiffness there. I was told by my physical therapist that neuropathy does not like ice. Yet, Dr. Terry Wahls, famous for her protocols on MS (where neuropathy may be prevalent) says a twenty-minute ice bath can be helpful. Like you, I don't quite understand the reason for flares--I do not think the doctors offer much help on that either. Perhaps that is where meditation and intuition can be useful.