RLS WTF
I saw an ad on TV last night for a “disease” known as “Restless Leg Syndrome.” RLS.
Apparently during periods of inactivity you feel like moving your legs. That’s a disease? That requires a “Restless Leg Foundation?” Are you shitting me? There’s a foundation for this? Like, people are getting paid to man the phone support lines in case your foot falls asleep?
Oh … look who sponsors these fine organizations to help the sufferers from this life-shattering ailment. Why it’s the big pharmaceutical companies. Our friends.
Hey, look. If your foot falls asleep, how about this: take a walk. Don’t sit on your ass all night watching American Idol. Walk around the block, ride a bike, do something. Hell, go down to the nearest Mall and window shop … at least you’d be moving around. Taking pills for this is idiotic.
And if that still doesn’t do it, here’s something that the medical profesion will never in a million years recommend: see a chiropractor. I can speak from personal experience that almost every medical “problem” I had from weak digestion to chronic head-colds have disappeared since I started seeing a chiropractor.
Partly because when your spine works then your immune system works, so your body can defend and repair itself. And partly because the spinal adjustments fixed pinched nerves which were causing the symptoms in the first place. Symptoms which The Medical Profession wanted to either cut me open to investigate, or get me hooked on pills to “cure.”
Becoming a doctor is a noble profession, and they do their best. But don’t confuse a doctor with the pharmaceutical companies. They will turn anything into a “disease” if it will sell pills. It’s shameless how many of these there are now.
So next time you see one of these ads and and start to wonder if you’ve got this “disease” ask yourself why they don’t have these problems which “afflict millions” in places like China and Japan? Then go see an acupuncturist, or chiropractor, or herbalist. Even seeing a psychic is better than taking more pills.
Gee-zuz.
This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
I used to date a woman with RLS… Man, could she dance! But really, you have obviously no real clue how desparate MANY people are for a good nights sleep, or even a restful TV show. One second your are into some small, peaceful pleasure… possibly, fully awake, sitting or reclining, and then all of a sudden one of your legs kicks or twitches uncontrollably… usually several times… sometimes agrivating enough to provoke a short walk. Having said that, I agree that all medications should be prescribed by a personal doctor… and when it comes to suppliments… the rule, as always, is: BUYER BEWARE!
Mitch/peace
Oh I believe the syndrome exists. I had my share of symptoms of various kinds too. But I’ll wager that a lot of RLS could be resolved with chiropractic work. And seeing a chiropractor doesn’t have the same nasty side effects as these meds they want to prescribe.
And I fully understand the “good nights sleep” part. When my back went out about ten years ago, if I lay down on my back I could feel it throbbing. It was maddening. But it went away once the nerves got back to where they should be after seeing a chiropractor. And the strongest thing my chiro would let me take was Motrin … not muscle relaxers, not tranquilizers .. none of that … let the body heal itself, and it did.
I’m not a doctor, researcher, or associated with any drug company. I’m a lowly municipal engineer who has suffered with serious Restless Legs Syndrome for almost a decade. For me, the disease started about 15 years ago as a slightly annoying sensation in my legs that occurred at bedtime from time to time. As years went by, it got worse and worse. What used to occur only once or twice a month had become daily. What used to occur only at bedtime, would occur anytime of the day I tried to relax. What had been only in my legs, spread to include my arms. What used to be only a slightly annoying sensation became an overwhelming sensation that kept me pacing and flailing my arms continuously. It had become impossible to sleep for more than a few hours every couple of nights or sit for movie or a meal.
After seeing several doctors who had no idea what I had, I was finally diagnosed about five years ago. The diagnosis came not from a doctor or a deceptive drug company, but by my chiropractor who had an interest in sleep disorders. I remember how happy I was when I finally had a name for the demon that was haunting me. At first I tried the vitamin/mineral/herbal remedies my chiropractor recommended, but I didn’t get better and he told me to see a sleep specialist. When I went to the sleep specialist, we tried several different medications over the next year before finally arriving at one that worked. The drug was methadone, a cheap 60 year old generic narcotic that is much less expensive then the drug being advertised on TV today (the side effects are also well know for both short and long term use). I now get a good 7 hours or so of sleep at night, and I can sit down and relax with only a little bit of normal healthy fidgetiness (probably the kind of fidgetiness the drug companies want to “cure” healthy people of).
Restless Legs Syndrome is not a new, made up disease created by the drug companies to make more many. It first appears in medical literature in the 17th England by Thomas Willis and was formally diagnosed around 1940 in Sweden by Karl Ekbom (the disorder is known as Ekbom Syndrome in Europe). It occurs around the world, even in Japan and China. It was the second sleep disorder officially recognized in America (I think narcolepsy or sleep apnea was first). Opiates were the first medications used for treatment, but aren’t used to often now in favor of politically correct newer and more expensive (profitable) drugs.
There are several theories about the cause of restless legs syndrome. The main one is that iron isn’t penetrating the blood/brain barrier which screws up the dopamine system. Recent studies using MRI’s or autopsies have shown low iron levels in the brain. Also, people with low iron levels and have restless legs syndrome have shown improvement with iron therapy. My iron levels are normal but I still take iron supplements just in case.
In its mild form, restless legs syndrome is not too common (maybe 1%) and doesn’t need treatment. In its serious form, the disorder is fare more rare and makes people miserable. The commercial on TV about restless legs syndrome is misleading and gives the impression that a little fidgetiness is not normal and needs treatment. I’m really mad about it. I spent years wishing more people (especially doctors) knew know about how serious it. But now, it has become the poster boy of drug companies trying to make a buck selling pills to healthy (or near healthy) people.
Nutritional supplements make a lot more sense than medications. And I’d still be very surprised if most RLS “sufferers” weren’t cured with either that, a trip to a chiropactor, or getting out of their Lay-Z-Boys.
What bothers me is the whole drift in advertising for med’s these days. “It’s not your fault – it’s a DISEASE!” or “Research suggests that this may reduce that.” But since Big Pharma is seeing record profits – more than Big Oil, even – I guess it’s working for them.
Russell,
While RLS is a real condition. You’re correct in thinking there are multiple ways that it can be treated without drugs or surgery. We have had many patients in our office get treated with chiropractic and or physical therapy who have been able to alleviate their symptoms.
I have been suffering with RLS for a while and have been reading up on many ways to treat it, from pharmaceutical to home remedies. As horrible as RLS is, I never want to resort to taking pills. This is the first place I have read about using chiropractics as a solution. It a very interesting idea that I should try out, especially having friends that are finishing up their degrees at chiro schools.
In a way, it’s common sense. If you’re fine until you sit or lie down – what has changed? Well, there’s pressure on some nerve someplace that wasn’t getting affected when you were in motion perhaps? Or maybe some muscles which are in bad shape start to fire oddly when they go back to rest again?
But, really, nothing has changed in as far as one’s actual leg muscles are concerned other than they aren’t supporting weight. And since the human body is more or less designed to spend a third of its lifetime in this state (8 hours of sleep a night), then there’s no organic reason for a change in response when at rest.
OK – so maybe in some cases there’s neurological issues. But if you’ve ever had your foot “fall asleep” from sitting wrong, just how different are those symptoms from RLS?
Anyone who compares RLS to a foot falling asleep has no idea what they are talking about. People who don’t have RLS underestimate how much it interferes with daily life. I almost wreck my car sometimes because I get RLS while I’m driving. It is the most uncomfortable, unrelievable feeling there is. Sometimes I just hammer my legs as hard as I can in an effort to get some relief. I don’t get a restful sleep EVER, so every morning of my life I wake up exhausted. I can’t watch tv, or go to movies unless I want to stand in the back of the room. I lay down to go to sleep and I have to keep kicking my legs or I think I’ll go mad. No…It’s not a foot going to sleep. I hope you never experience it.
I don’t wish physical pain on anyone (I myself have suffered far too long with back pain). But what I have learned is that the human body has an amazing ability to heal itself when given the chance – and the information it needs. Modern medicine is all too quick to label something as a “disease” or “syndrome” in order to (a) relieve you of guilt and (b) get you to buy something.
Sounds cynical, I know. But I know what I’ve been through and if I believed what “doctors” told me I’d have my belly cut open from exploratory surgery when all I really needed was chiropractic adjustment.
What an odd place to find posts about RLS.
Runs in our family… Sister who is the epitome of health and diet, and me, the not so diet conscious.
For her, pressure helps durring flairups (Ace bandage.)
For me… I have to stay clear of long term Benadryl usage… or at least be prepaired for the side effect. (Google THAT combo.)
The few times I smoked a joint did it… so I don’t do that anymore. Long periods without sleep will do it too.
Since DoK believes that RLS is a made up “disease” due to the current awareness, then I believe that DoK is a moron as I have just become aware of these posts. I have had my foot fall asleep, that is a circulatory issue, not a neurological issue. You appear to be attacking something of which you have NO experience. Hard to speak from experience when you have none. I do think the pharma’s are capitalizing on the popularity of the drug. My prescription used to be 20 dollars for a 90 day script through Medco, now it is 50 dollars. The popularity and awareness comes at a time when information is readily available through the internet and sufferers are able to put a name to the symptoms that they suffer from. In the late 90’s I started taking Requip and had instant success in relieving the symptoms. I felt like I had a new lease on life. I had tried sleep studies, herbs, vitamin therapies, Chiro, nothing worked.
I have now had RLS for 30 years now and was almost suicidal at one point. Imagine getting out of bed 7-10 times at night and doing squats beside the bed for 3-5 minutes each. This would take a few hours and finally after 3-4 hours I would fall asleep. Sleep deprivation made the condition worse. Exercise during the day has no effect on the symptoms at all, as far as I am concerned. I have ridden my bike till my legs felt like they were going to fall off and I still had symptoms. Same with skiing, I have skied aggressively during the day and will experience the symptoms at night. I have had symptoms off and on but gradually the sensation and frequency increased as I get older. I liken the symptoms to a muscular capacitor where potential energy(as opposed to kinetic energy.) builds up in my legs. Mostly my quadriceps, but also sometimes in my biceps brachii.
I do not think there is an issue with Pharma capitalizing on RLS sufferers. I have only ever seen one or two commercials on TV as I rarely watch TV, but for those who suffer, it is a godsend.
DoK, get off your soapbox and attack the things that you have experience with, that would be more fruitful for all of us.
Jennifer, et al,
Please find a Neurologist in your area who is experienced in RLS. They can help you with a treatment that will allow you some relief. I know, I wanted to end my life instead of getting in bed some nights. The drugs that are out there do alleviate the symptoms and if they stop working, discuss it with your Neurologist, they can prescribe another drug or dosage. I hate taking a pill each day, but it beats taking a whole bottle of sleeping pills at once.
Sorry you disagree, but I’ve seen too many “syndromes” and “diseases” and what-not end up being perfectly curable with things like diet, exercise, and meditation. Bottom line – at least in my experience – is that if you believe you need a pill, then you’ll need the pill.
well, it is obvious that you are not aware that RLS is all over the world. I moderate a supprt group that has members from Japan, Australia,. Canada, England, India, and I could go on.You do not know what you are talking about, and there are millions of people who knew they had this insidious problem waaaay before the ads were on TV.
And, by the way, you could only WISH that your foot would fall asleep while you are having an attack.Look padt the RLS Foundation and it’s drug contacts. There are many places like the Mayo Clinic, The New England Journal of Medicine, WEBMD, and so on who are getting NO kickbacks fromdrug companies.RLS has been around since the 1600′s, and was named by a doctor in the 1940′s. No drug ads were on TV then!LOL
Do some research. It is a neurological condition that robs you of your sleep, your energy, and is very destructive. and, we do not get RLS by keeping our”lazy asses” on the couch, because that would be impossible. We can’t sit still to see a movie, go to a play,etc! I know of NO RLSer’s who could be called lazy. I suppose that the 1246 members of just one of my RLS support groups which I moderate are all making it up. That group was started in 1998, again, waaaay before drug ads were on TV.Think of another group of people to pick on. Your ignorance is showing.Or, better yet, do not criticize what you do not understand!
Or, here is an idea! Don’t pick on ANYONE. My groups will be very interested in your comments even though they are 3 yrs old!
And, you do not HAVE to be sitting down to get your RLS started.
Some RLS is familial.Some is actually made worse by some drugs like benedryl.
The thing that you cannot seem to grasp is that everyone reacts differently to different treatments. Yes, including chiropractor about acupunctures.
I broke my back when i wads 14, and I do know about back pain and chronic pain. I tried 3v diifferent chiros, and noe of it worked formy
back, and especially not my RLS. now, if you want to talk about acupuncture, then we have a discussion! By the way, I do not take those meds advertised on TV. they do not work for everyone. Your mielage may vary!
Whatever works is our saying in the support groups. Pregnant women develop it during pregnancy (some of them do not all), and then it goes away for some.
However the thing that made me write you is not the chiropractor thig, ro any other ignorant thing you have said, except for us to “get out of our lazy boys” I have not been able to sit in mine for more than 1o minjutes in 10 yrs! That is insulting. I had a cleaning business, I managed a busy restaurant until the lackn iof sleep made me have to give all that up. So, now I am an awareness advocate. Be aware.
I would not wish RLS on anyone. Not only does it disturb your sleep it also disturbs the sleep of your spouse/partner. My husband and I were married 28 years ago and at that time I did not know about RLS. I jerked in my sleep and did not know I was doing it, nearly scared my husband to death. I couldn’t figure out why I slept at night and still was so tired. I have RLS and Periodic Leg Movement. My mom calls it my dancing legs. You should be so lucky not to have to feel like bugs are crawling up and down the insides of your skin. It is a miserable feeling not to be able to lie down and night and sleep because your legs won’t be still. I will do what I need to do to be able to sleep at night, and if that stops working I will find some other method. But lack of sleep affects every part of your body and makes any other diagnosis you may have worse.
I live in the UK, have had RLS since my late teens, i am 62 now.
Have never ever seen an advert for RLS drugs, we dont have them
here. My father had RLS, a brother has it as well. Although my
father wouldnt have known the name to what he had.
I think you need to do some research into something you obviously know nothing about. There is no “cure” for RLS.
There are some methods that might help eleviate the symptoms,
for some sufferers, but the rls will always be there, it never
goes away.
How do you know that RLS doesn’t exist? How many people have you studied over a period of a year or better yet five years before you drew your conclusions? I want you to tell me about your your conclusions and your writings and then you might convince me that the RLS I’ve had since I was eight years old is a figment of my imagination. You call yourself a doctor? I walk on the treadmill for an hour most days, walk my dogs, pace the floor when I am under an attack (I don’t see how my legs or feet could have gone to sleep), I work on weekends (sometimes for five hours straight) which is quite a distraction from the ravages of RLS. Odd that as soon as I stop all activity that the RLS returns. You don’t know the first thing about what you are talking about. I am so grateful to my Neurologist that she found a medication that helps relieve RLS – about 70% of the time. The other 30% I spend awake through the night. What school(s) did you go to? Doesn’t sound like the part about compassion rubbed off. And to jump to conclusions without any base is absurd!
I got RLS after I crushed a vertebrae in an accident, wish it felt like your foot or leg fell asleep!!!
For me it was neurological (i damaged my spinal cord just enough for it to play silly buggers!) and the amount of laying about I had to do (crushed vertebrae and all) for the next several months exacerbated it.
I tried exercise, meditation, chiropractors, physio, feldenkrais, pilates, supplements and drugs! It morphed into PLM (periodic limb movement) which is thought to be caused by the same dopamine problems, but where as RLS is pure sensation (and the most aggravating and frustrating, nervy type one i’ve ever experienced that makes you want to scream and jump up and down) PLM is pure movement with no sensation.
I was having my limbs flick up and down all by themselves, quicker then you would think possible to move (certainly faster then I could move by choice), the more I tried to relax (like going to sleep or doing meditation) the worse it got. It happened every 4 seconds and I had sleep studies that showed my brain wasn’t even getting to stage one sleep – at all!
And this was hugely preferable as tired as I was and as sore as my limbs were from the constant movement to the horrible feeling of RLS which I hope to hell i never get again. I did try drugs – including parkinsons drugs but found that they only worked a small amount and then for a short period of time. All with really quite horribly side effects (but was still worth it).
I got lucky. I take an opiate for ongoing back pain and a side effect was it got almost completely rid of PLM and RLS. I hardly ever get either now.
But please don’t think that just cause the drug companies are ‘touting’ a disease you haven’t heard of it makes that disease any less real or debilitating. Can vouch that this one really does suck!
And you know if the ads mean people get relief from it then does it really matter if the drug companies rake it in at the same time? Though that said i hate how so many drugs are beyond the cost of many.
Well … where to begin. I guess I’d start by saying that blitzing my site with comments isn’t exactly productive. But I guess you folks all network and found a new “enemy.” Yay.
What’s interesting is that the ads for the RLS “disease” were very short-lived. Meaning that there wasn’t traction in terms of profit from people suddenly realizing/thinking they had RLS. Ads for high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, and so forth are still rampant.
There is a trend in advertising medications that everything is a “disease” or a “syndrome” and if nothing else it’s not YOUR fault. But if you don’t do something about it … like take an expensive pill … right now … you’re going to die! Or worse.
As for the validity of RLS and the med’s prescribed for it? Hey, maybe it’s for real. But I’ll wager dollars to doughnuts that a lot of cases aren’t – or at least don’t need expensive prescriptions. I know from personal experience what the human body can do for itself through meditation and alternative therapies (chiropractic, herbal remedies, etc.) – not to mention good ole diet and exercise.
But, you see, that’s work. That’s learning something new. Why bother when you can just get a pill which “makes it all better?” Don’t worry about the side-effects – there’s a pill for them too.
For those of you who are suffering from this condition, I wish you no ill will. I’ve had chronic back problems for years and I’m so glad I found the things that medical doctors wouldn’t tell me about. It saved me at least one exploratory surgery.
And just for grins, try ordering a set of meditation instruction CD’s or audio downloads (Aesclepion has some good ones) – it’s only like $20 or so for one lecture – and see if while you’re in meditation you have a flare up. If you don’t … if you can sit for an entire 45 minutes listening and meditating with no sign of RLS … well, what does that tell you?
Just for grins-Dok, a few comments by a few people who do not agree with you is not a blitz. I can show you a blitz. Chiropractors never helped me. I said that before.
I do meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, good sleep hygiene, etc.
The reason one of these readers never heard of Chiro helping RLS is because in MOST cases it does NOT help. some, yes, but there are as many causes and treatments for RLS as there are patients.
I cannot meditate during a full blown attack of RLS. Your condescending attitude is showing again! What works for one person does not necessarily mean it will work for the next. “Just take a pill”??
We fight it and fight it, and have been fighting all of our lives, so no
one who does NOT have RLS is going to tell us what we are feeling and what you assume we do or do not do! We HATE side effects of meds.
But, guess what? Everything has side effects, even herbal concoctions, and we are well versed in those too. Taking herbs is no differnet than taking a pill your doctor gave you.
I saw one very telling statement above. One guy says” My iron is normal, but I take iron anyway.” Have you checked with your doctor on this, or read the simplest article about supplementing with iron on the internet? Having TOO much iron is as bad as not having enough. Check it out.
I speak the truth. You should never take meds, herbals, supplements of any kind without checking out the side effects.
And, if you had bothered to check, DoK, RLS was around way before the TV ads! It was first mentioned in the 1600′s. A docotor named it in the 40′s-
Dr. Ekbom. I am QUITE SURE there were no TV ads on in the 40′s for Requip or whatever. Do your homework. Then maybe we can have an intelligent conversation. Anyone who describes RLS as “your foot feeling it went to sleep” does not understand the meaning of the word
“RESTLESS” Find a dictionary, too. Restless means MOVING; not cutting off the circulation to your limbs.
If I can sit and listen to a medictation cD for 45 mins, what DOES it tell me? It tells me that my meds, none of which have been advertised on TV are working, and that I can relax with my meditation. That is what it tells me.Some pople have RLS only a couple of times a week. Others have it 24/7, and never sleep. It is hard enough to deal with, without having to listen to people like you who do not have a clue. It runs in families, too. I have it, my two sisters and two nieces, plus
cousins. Most of them started out when they were children, so I am quite sure they did not get the idea off the TV either. people think they are being funny when they say this, but you are only showing your ignorance. If you don;t know about something, look it up; do not ridicule something that you have no idea about. Why don’t you talk to the Mayo Clinic, read the New England Journal of Medicine; look at reputable web sites for this. God forbid anyone you know ever gets this!
The empathy is overwhelming!
I do not believe that you are a doctor, what medical school did you graduate from? Your lack of empathy is incredible. I have had RLS most of my life, started when I was pregnant. Doctors did not understand it until about 10 years ago but now we have help. I take Mirapex and it works most of the time. How dare you question us and call us lazy. This is real and you are an idiot, should not be giving your opinion on something you do not understand. I sure wish a serious case of RLS on you, maybe then you will understand.
Hey Donna, Dok, and all…..
Yes, we were alerted to this article when it came out. I just had to giggle myself and was thankful that Dok did not suffer with this. Blessed that one day maybe no one will suffer with this.
I was not raised to seek medical attention for most minor problems, I was taught to live a holistic lifestyle. Knowing how to listen to my body and provide it with the herbal, mineral, or vitamins it needed to repair. We have practiced reflexology, used chriapractors, massage therapy, plus acupuncture well before it was even on the medical map of treatments. Really how many moms taught their children biofeedback in the 70′s? Mine did.
So, I think I understand what your trying to convey with your piece here.
Dok, I have RLS in a double gentic whammy, yes it is true. I’m on medications, but only after 8-9 yrs of suffering with horrible pain (mine has a painful genetic form) and that many yrs of lost sleep. I was lossing my health and my life, just in a slow torturous way
Well, at the time I sought help I was raising two young boys that had active lives. I had to be able to keep up and I wanted my health back. The sleep deprivation alone was enough to shorten anyone’s life by yrs.. I knew it and was preparing for the shortened live I might have had or still may have.
Donna is right, not all of us are going to react to any one treatment the same way. Sorta like, cancer treatments are or should be tailored to a person for the best possible outcome, a healthy life.
Restless Legs Syndrome is something genetics brought into my life, I have had it probably since birth, but known and told my growing pains would leave me at some older age.
As told by my own mother, who would rather cut a limb off than to see a doctor or take any medicine, I treated myself by the age of 3 or 4 yrs old. Never waking my parents up to help fill a hot water bottle in the mid 60′s. I managed even at an early age on my own, because I knew what to do.
Only when I could not take the sleep deprivation and the chronic and growing pain did I start my own medical research, reading online medical papers in the early days, when most people didn’t even own a PC or know about the internet.
I was able to self diagnosis after 2 1/2 yrs of reading about leg and sleep disorders. A Thank God moment for me, for sure.
Only to find that it would take another 2 yrs. to find a doctor that knew anything about it.
Since you say your a doctor, I know you would only agree to anything with solid proof. I would direct you to the WeMove.org
site (Emory Univ.) and the work of Dr. David Rye. He was did one study (hmmm, 1 yr or 2 yrs ago) that isolated one gene that proved out the genetic portion of the RLS question. There was another study done the same time that found his gene and one other possible culprit, as well. Hard Facts, my good man.
I would like to be off of any medications, taking nothing but goodness into my life and body. However, in my case so far I need medications to just attempt to be human and survive like everyone else. As it is, I just take enough to maintain myself, so that I can be productive. I am never without pain, with the exception of 4-5 am to maybe 10-11 am in the morning, when my body is nice with dopamine.
I continue to try alternatives, take my supplements, iron only if I am willing to have a doc check my blood work 3 or 4 times a yr., and seek things that help. (Iron is to be monitored by a doc at all times, please everyone be careful with iron. Including, not sitting my my butt and walking 3 miles a day. You blanket statements about RLSers(“c” Jill Gunzel) is just wrong and uneducated. Sorry, but I wish you were wore about practicing medicine than thinking you know it.
I’m glad you do not have it, honest I am. It can be torture and very unforgiving. We RLSers are beginning to voice our opinions about DOCS that do not believe, because we have to.
God bless me, if I do not help to educate the masses and in particular the medical community about RLS, before my grandchildren are born. May they not suffer as so many of us have so far.
Be blessed and please be educated.
YOU have no idea what the heck you are talking about!!!!! There are some people who want to CUT THIER LEGS OFF just to get some sleep!! I was left with RLS when an SSRI antidepressant screwed up my dopamine control center. Now if I expect to sleep and not kick my dog to death in the bed I have to take klonipin to stop the kicking. Until you have this horried, life-changing syndrome, go back under your bridge and don’t say things about something you know NOTHING about!!
Ah, back again, I see.
Well, I’m kind of busy this week so, rather than be “insensitive” and ignore you, I’ll just make it brief.
1) Nowhere on this site do I claim to be a doctor. There’s a page which explains what “dok” is about. And if you were up on American political journalism of the 60′s and 70′s you’d catch the drift. You’re kind of grasping at things to attack with when you go this route – especially when the clues are there to be seen.
2) I went through agonizing back problems which caused side effects bad enough that “real” doctors wanted to do exploratory surgery to look for what was messing up my digestive tract, when they were done pumping me with antibiotics and making me really sick, of course. People to this day tell me I should have surgery instead of seeing a chiropractor because back adjustments “don’t work.” Right. These same people take pills every day for any number of “ailments.” Meanwhile, I simply don’t get sick anymore – not even a cold. If I didn’t live it first hand, I wouldn’t say it.
3) Just why do you think Big Pharma invested millions in TV ads for an ailment which affects a very small number of people? Put another way, how many people after watching those ads suddenly discovered that they had the “disease” of RLS? When in fact, they just are suffering from sitting around all day watching TV? Remember, the hook to calling it a “disease” is that it absolves you of blame. So, how many people are now taking expensive med’s they don’t need for an ailment they don’t have … all because they saw it on TV? Do you think it’s more than the number of actual RLS sufferers who suddenly found out there was a cure to their problem? Come on – be honest.
4) Why don’t you try *reading* my original article. While I express doubts about RLS, the real target is clearly Big Pharma – which funds the “foundation” and sells you all the pills. No, you’d rather read what you want to read and cast the whole thing as an attack on whatever you want to call yourselves – the RLS Task Force. The fact is that in our current culture the pharmaceuticals are trying to get as many people as possible to take as many pills as possible – that’s how they make money. I find the whole thing shameless. I also find shameless that doctors – with degrees and everything – won’t for the life of them recommend alternative therapies which are less invasive and have milder side-effects. Now, if you want to call that a “lack of empathy”, fine – I’d rather see someone get healthy without artificial garbage or surgery, and I’d rather see people learn that their bodies can health themselves if they give them a chance.
I am busy, too, but never too busy to get the TRUTH put there. where are your origianl articles, and I would be happy to read them. But, are you listening or coprhending this? No, you are no a doctor, thank God.
That is some sort of misunderstanding. I never siad you were a doctor. You keep an open mind and be HONEST. How many people have to tell you that it runs in families, at the very least? They have discovered a gene, and big Pharma did not tell about that either. Again, look it up.
I am being honest, and I ask that you step back and really listening to what you are saying, and what we are trying to say. there are millions of people with this condition, and modern medicine did NOT go out and invent it. I cannot believe you are still throwing that “get out of your reliner” line at me.WE CAN”T SIT AROUND ALL DAY. I have to type standing up half the time, not because I choose to. You assume that all we do is pop pills. Wrong again! We use all kinds of non pharmaceutical
home remedies. Lots do not take pills. I preach about med side effects every day, so don;t atlk to me about Big Pharma. I have my fights with them, too, don;t you worry. I do not advocate “popping pills”.
http://www.rlsrebel.com would give you a good example of what lots of us are like. By the way, I like the name- RLS Task Force. thanks! We are going to use that one! LOL
Where is your ORIGINAL article, please?
By the way, don’t feel alone. we are not attacking, and we all do not know each other. i do know some of them, and have for over a decade becuase of this “made up syndrome”.
I hated the RLS ads, even though some peope did get help from them. never siad I liked them big Pharma or anything ekse like that.
But, you are in ‘good company” as Rep henry Waxman does not believe, or at least he DID not believe that RLS was real either. His thinking still needs some readjusting, but he was a victim of of the “blame RLS on the drug ads” campaign. At least, he admitted that maybe he ought to read about it and get the facts. so, we do write to a lot more peopel than you. You are just an amusement for a rainy day. i cannot get “upset” with you, because you have not yet learned to accept ideas that you don’t understand. So, if you are only attacking Big Pharma, why mention RLS at all? Why hang onto the recliner remark? Why is it every blogger that thinks he is amusing picks out the RLS ads to poke at? Why not ED? A 4 hour erection would be a riot, don’t you think?
Signed,
)
The RLS Task Force
You are just not listening to what we are telling you.
My last post told you, i am from the UK. We dont have adverts
over here for rls drugs, come to that for any drugs.
So what does that tell you. I have rls in the severe form,
its means 24/7.
I have tried, herbal remedies, i have just tried acupuncture,
which gave a small amount of relief, but not enough to let me
sleep all throught the night.
For a few, these things MIGHT work.
For the rest of us, we need meds.
Because you had success with your back, and good for you.
Doesnt mean you know what will work for all of us.
We have toooo many people like you, who just jest about rls,
and have not a clue what they are talking about.
Thats why we are always having to put people like you right.
Did you do any research on this subject, it just might make you realise, just how we have to deal with this, its never
ending, every day, every night, its always there.
I assume your ” original” article is the one above? I ahve read it numerous times. you “attack” RLS in the first paragraph by writing, and I quote “are you shitting me?” No, that is not argumentative at all.
LOL
Wow. You seem to have gotten your information about RLS ONLY from those ads by the pharmaceutical companies, and your knowledge can be summed up by the amount of information that can fit into one of those ads. Please do some research on the topics about which you spout off.
There is just so much misinformation here. Where do we start?
First of all, RLS has been around much longer than the pharmaceutical companies (as others have mentioned), and it occurs in people all around the world (as others have mentioned). What I haven’t seen mentioned here is that it affects about 5-10% of the population. That is NOT a small percentage of people!
Second, there has been research on alternative medicine and RLS and for the most part, there is nothing that can be verified scientifically to work for a significant number of people. That said, there ARE non-prescription treatments that do help a lot of people, such as supplemental iron to raise ferritin levels. Also, sometimes supplemental magnesium or certain B vitamins can help. But rest assured that most of us with severe RLS have tried EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to treat our RLS.
Third, you suggest that we should just get off our butts and exercise more. Many of us DO exercise, but for many of us too much exercise aggravates the condition. Exercise certainly is not a cure, or even an effective way of relieving symptoms, except for the movement that is necessary to stop an acute attack.
You recommend listening to a meditation CD? For most of us with RLS that idea is simply ludicrous. Relaxation exercises will set my RLS off just about every time! I personally choose not to medicate myself to the point that I can do those relaxation exercises.
Maybe you have had good experiences with chiropracters, but I have not. I went to one for years, and his low tech x-ray machine didn’t show that I had a huge herniated disc that threatened to paralyze my lower body. When I finally went to a clinic, they did a CT scan and saw what I was working with. They recommended immediate surgery, and I asked if there were alternatives. I tried a physical therapy program where I put myself in traction every day, but it didn’t work. I finally had surgery and was 100% better within a few months. I injured my back again many years later, and my leg was paralyzed. I suppose that I just needed to see a chiro and do some meditation CDs for that? Sorry. Never again with the chiros.
I don’t know why I’m wasting my time writing all this. You seem to be determined to remain ignorant. But hopefully some other people who read this can be educated.
I would rather not live in pain. I have done everyting you have and more. I broke my back when I was 14, so I have been to every doctor, therapist, chiro, etc out there for 35 yrs. I know back pain up close and personal. no one is saying that your way is wrong. Far from it.
Everyone responds differnetly to dfferent treatments; that is the truth. What I object to is your attitude, and closed mindedness.
as we have tirelessly said, somne of us have tried everything, and there
is no way I could put up with the pain I still have without meds.
At the smae time my dictor and I figured out that my pain meds were keeping the RLS at a minimum level most days. So, I do not take any traditional RLS meds. People with your point of view come off as acting superior and inferior at the same time- inferior in any knowledge of what RLS is. You can’t even admit the absurdity of your statement about
the “feeling if your foot falling asleep”. I assure you that people are not racing off their couches to get these RLS medication in the numbers that you picture in your mind. However, as the last poster before me mentioned, 5 to 10% of the population have this, but some are afraid to speak up, because they will be ridiculed by people like you. Really nice.
Interestong note. a gentleman wrote to me whi is a TRIATHELETE. He does not own a recliner, and would like me to pass onto you that msg. He also takes no drugs, do that he can train. But, if excercise got rid of RLS, he wuld bre the perfect example, if the exercise WORKED for him, and it does not. Like one poster said, it is better to take one pill, than a whole bottle os sleeping pills! I was at that point a looong time ago, before I knew what RLS is, and that there are things that can help it to a point. So, drug ads aside, brain washing aside by Big Pharma, not one person who has written into you agrees with the LAZY part. We CAN think for ourselves, and do not need people like you, who “have had some symptoms”, REALLY!, to tell us we do not get it. We understand the role BIG PHARMA plays in the ad industry, but it does not take away the fact that the meds advertised do work for a lot of people, so thank God! If you really had RLS symptoms at some point in your life, you would never have used the analogy of one’s foot falling asleep! You can hardly use RESTELESS and ASLEEP in the same sentence.
Really!
Apparently some of you flunked reading comprehension and are unable to read a body of text in total and judge it as such, preferring to pick one or two lines and base an opinion on that.
Also apparently this disease has rendered some of you incapable of polite discussion. As such, I have disabled comments for this article and disabled the offending responses.
I will finally add that since everything starts energetically, some of your RLS may in fact be more than physical – especially given some of the behavior recently displayed here. Karma is a bitch and there are no coincidences.
Selah.