Merton came in to my office complaining that he couldn’t sleep. He was tired all day, falling asleep every time he sat down. After some discussion, we found the reason for his sleeplessness: his legs wouldn’t relax, he consistently felt he needed to get up and walk, or move around, all of which is known as Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Sometimes, this would wake him up in the middle of the night and he just had to get up and move. The problem had gotten worse since he had quit smoking. When he smoked, he found if he could just take one long drag and hold it in, then the feeling would go away.
We tried many remedies, including sleeping pills and natural sedatives, but nothing worked. I was ready to throw in the towel and tell him to take up smoking again, until I thought that his problem might be related to something in the tobacco – nicotine! Nicotine in tobacco can increase dopamine in the brain and “treat” some people with RLS.
Restless leg syndrome is not a disease; it’s merely a symptom. There are multiple reasons for having this problem so there isn’t one cure for people with RLS. Since most RLS seems to be an imbalance of dopamine in the brain, it has been treated as Parkinson’s disease with dopamine-like drugs such as L-dopa or Requip. The problem with these is that they cause inflammation in the part of the brain that produces dopamine and, over time, can make the problem worse. Before you consult a medical specialist I would recommend trying the following, one at a time:...
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Restless legs syndrome (RLS) can affect anyone at any age. In fact, around one in ten people are liable to suffer from this unpleasant restless leg disorder at some point in their lives.
Having an iron deficiency is known to increase RLS symptoms. Make sure that red meats and liver are included in your diet as these are great sources of iron. However, do not get all your iron sources from red meats. Resolving iron deficiency it is important to vary the source. Try ... 
Knowing that some who read this will still have their Christmas decorations up, it seems appropriate to take an inspirational approach and tie-in this month’s featured topic – restless leg syndrome – with the bigger story of this season of the year. What is manifesting in an increasing number of people’s legs – tingling, odd sensations, antsy, itching urges and discomfort – is a metaphor for a global anxiety and lack of peace. Churches and Cathedrals all over the globe just revisited the relevance of God sending one called “The Prince of Peace” to that Bethlehem manger on what became known as that Silent Night. Even to this day, to the degree we disregard Jesus, we forfeit the peace that could be ours. Jesus said,
In the New Testament, the only reference to legs is in John 19:31-33 in connection with the soldiers wanting to break the legs of Jesus on the cross. It was customary in crucifixion to break the legs of the one on the cross as additional punishment and shame, and to speed up death. Jesus’ legs were not broken which, unknowingly to the soldiers, fulfilled a centuries-old prophecy that none of his bones would be broken.
As you already know, another “syndrome” called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) or Wittmaack–Ekbom syndrome, is plaguing Americans of all ages. If you ask some of the victims of this mystery condition, they might call it restless body syndrome.
Imagine trying to drive a motor vehicle while dealing with unpredictable nervous seizures of muscle and limbs – not to mention the “phantom-limb” pains, severe sleep deprivation and adverse drug effects they often suffer.
If you tend to scatter your sheets and blankets, if your legs want to dance at exactly the time you want to settle down, and especially if your legs go “jumping” at night and wake you up, then you probably have Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS).
RLS Natural Soap Remedy Details
Can vitamin supplements really undo a poor diet? Many of us like to think so. Even the most intelligent, health conscious people believe that their one-a-day “miracle” vitamin will make up for a lack of fruits and vegetables. But, is it problematic to exceed the recommended upper intake level (UL) for any one nutrient?
Folate is another example of a nutrient that when taken in excess can impact how our body processes other vitamins. “In adults, supplemental folic acid should not exceed the UL to prevent folic acid from triggering symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. It is important to recognize that the UL refers to the amount of synthetic folate (i.e. folic acid) being consumed per day from fortified foods and/or supplements.” says The National Institutes of Health. Most interestingly, there is NO health risk, and NO UL, for natural sources of folate found in food.
If you have restless leg syndrome (RLS), you are not alone. Up to 8% of the US population may have this neurological condition. RLS severely affects the lives of millions of individuals.
Taylor Lautner, the heartthrob for many teenage girls made famous by the “Twilight” series, has confessed to constantly bouncing his knees. An unconscious force keeps him from forcing his restless legs to stop moving all of the time. The severity would even rock a car while driving! That, my friends, is called Restless Leg Syndrome!
Did you ever play Whac-A-Mole?
A number of studies have linked Restless Leg Syndrome to deficiencies of dopamine and iron. Injections of large doses of iron also sometimes relieve symptoms, even in people who don’t have an iron deficiency. The amount of iron in RLS brains is extremely low, and there are few receptors for transferrin, a protein that binds to iron and transports it into cells. Levels of several other proteins linked to iron storage and transport were also low in RLS patients.