Restless Leg Remedy

Good Morning! I found this message post on Dr. Weil's website. I'm going to try it to see if it works. I haven't slept the last two nights because of my restless legs! "I used to have a real problem with restless legs but through a process of trial and error have almost completely gotten rid of it. For years I would fall asleep and then wake up 15-20 minutes later with tingling lower legs (and sometimes lower arms as well). I eventually discovered that if I took around 250 mcg of vitamin B12 at that point I would fall back to sleep almost right away and then sleep through the night. As time went by I found the B12 alone was not enough. Over time I came to find that adding three other substances largely solved the problem: 1) vitamin D 2) calcium 3) ground flax seeds or flax seed oil For some reason wild salmon or other fish do not seem to confer the same benefit as the flax seeds, so perhaps there's something more involved than a need for omega-3 fatty acids. With flax seed oil I can either ingest it or rub some on my feet and hands." I hope this might help anyone out there who has the same sort of issues. Paula

Thanks, Paula, I had a bout with this same issue just last week. I have been taking 2 fish oil capsules each day and I take liquid calcium and B12. But I cut out my D's. I have flax seed in the fridge. Guess I'd better start putting it in some of my food. I wonder, though, what causes the "jitters" in the first place. I have been following the same regimen and only had this happen last week 2x. hmmmm. Marilyn

Marilyn, I don't know what causes it either. I've asked my doctor and his response is, "These things just happen sometimes"! ha He's usually so thorough so, I guess it means there's still a lot of speculation in the medical community about it. I don't know. I haven't been able to find out a lot of information online about it that's conclusive in terms of what causes it or the best remedy for it. It doesn't happen to me all the time either. In fact, I can go weeks, or a couple of months or so, with no jitters or "jolts", as they happen for me. It's usually my left leg but not always. Sometimes it's both legs at the same time and they will "jolt" from my hips downward. It's like a lightening bolt through my legs is the only way I can describe it. I don't find it painful but it's so very irritating. This week, I lost 2 nights sleep, in a row, because of the jolts. It's exhausting and so very frustrating. I know that Requip is being used as a medicinal option but, I typically like to try the natural remedies before I resort to taking another medication. Let's hope that this works for all of us! Happy, restful sleeping!, Paula

A local doc in our area tells our RLS patients to add a bar of soap (any brand) to the bottom of their bed, under the sheet. We have three certified sleep study centers that she works at and she says that is what she does and treats hers without meds. I plan on trying it with my 6 year old that is very restless even though she has yet to be dx with RLS. We'll see, but a coworker is using it for her RLS for over three months now and it works for her. SHe did a recent restudy, took the soap with her and she had 17 less movements per hour than her previous study.

Hi Christy, Thanks for the soap suggestion. I put a bar in my bed with me last night and I'm going to keep it there to see if there's a difference. Wouldn't it be great if that's all it took?!! Have a good one! Paula