A story of RLS in Costa Rica...

Natural Miracles Discovered As Stomach Flu Hits Jaco

13 February 2013 872 views 10 Comments

The good news is that it seems this virulent stomach flu virus has run its course here in Jaco. It mostly affected those under stress and the young and old alike. Myself would fall under the category of “Under Stress” and it really hammered me to a point where I nearly died from severe dehydration. I was lucky enough to have a Cuban doctor here in Jaco who came to my house and immediately diagnosed my immediate condition and treated me with IV Saline Solution to rehydrate my body. My blood pressure was very low while my heart rate was racing like I was on a treadmill. The virus started with very vigorous vomiting then followed by severe diarrhea. Leaving the side effects of this virus unchecked for 3 days almost caused me to lose my life from lack of blood pressure. Once I began to recovery from the virus, the fallout resulted in a fluctuation of my electrolytes so much so, that once I was out of the woods, I began to have a condition called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). I do not know which was worse but anyone with RLS I do not envy and feel very bad for them. The disruption of sleep from RLS is nerve racking and exhausting.

The creepy feature of RLS is that it only seems to come alive when you want to go to sleep. I cannot characterize it but if you experience it, you will never forget the feeling. I think calling it Restless Leg Syndrome is a misnomer since it should be called “Want to Chop Your Legs Off Syndrome.” It is that frustrating and I could not sleep until I was totally physically exhausted.

So what does all of this have to do with miracles? I just spent the first two paragraph explaining a nightmare story which I would not want anyone to go through. Unfortunately as our species moves about in jet planes our immune systems ability to combat virus vectors is pushed to the limit. The result is fast moving viruses that are becoming more and more virulent. Alright, so what is the good news?

After my initial treatment to prevent dehydration, the Cuban doctor named Hector began to treat the symptoms which was primarily severe stomach cramping and continuous diarrhea. He started me on a typical regimen of peristaltic anti-spasmodic medicine to relieve the cramping in my intestines. However after 3 days the symptoms still persisted and the pain was terrible that taking the medicine every four hours was simply not enough. My son’s grandmother suggested that I use Guava leaves to alleviate the diarrhea. Since I was so desperate, I was willing to try anything. So Guava leaves were brought to my house fresh off of a tree on Calle Nacion here in Jaco and strip from the branch and then rinsed lightly to clean them and then added to water and set to boil until it became the color of dark tea or light coffee. I am not what you would call a holistic or natures remedy person but I must proclaim that this was a miracle. Within, 20 minutes my stomach pain went away and I no longer was having to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes. The Guava leaf tea reduced my diarrhea to once every hour and then the next day once every six hours and then finally I was beginning to get hungry. After, 6 days I got an appetite and I can truly say that this Guava leaf tea was directly responsible for the quick recovery I experienced after being treated conventionally with Western medicine. For those who want to know, I was told to drink the tea, one cup, every 12 hours but I drank it more like once every 6 hours since it really was the only thing that tasted good and did not cause cramping in my stomach. I literally lived on it for 3 days until the 6th day where I was able to begin eating chicken flavored rice. I will add a link at the bottom for those who are interested in learning more about Guava Leaf Tea or Guava Leaf Extract.

Right outside my front door

However, there is more to this story. So once I began to get better, I began to suffer from the electrolyte imbalance which according to the doctor was causing my Restless Leg Syndrome. The solution for this was not Gatorade since it has sugar. The solution Hector explained was outside my front door, Coconut Water or what we call here in Costa Rica Agua Pipa. It turns out that Coconut water is gods miracle water or natures Gatorade without the sugar and massive sodium. With the help of the next door kids, they picked and cut me 6 pipa’s each day which gave me about half-gallon of Coconut water. After 4 days of drinking the Agua Pipa my RLS symptoms began to disappear.

So the moral to this story is that I will no longer turn a blind eye to nature rememdies but will explore them with a new light from this experience. I am glad to know that here in Costa Rica nature provides us with a bounty of natural medicinal products which we can harvest sustainably to promote our health and treat the sick. I can assure you the next time when I experience diarrhea I will be sending someone to Calle Nacion to grab a branch of leaves from the Guava tree and brew me up some of natures great tea.

Now that you heard this story, there is more. Apparently, Ticos use the Guava leaves for more than just what I needed it for, and here is a brief excerpt and link that explains more about Guava leaf tea.

Guava — botanically known as Psidium guava — is an evergreen shrub native to Mexico and Central America. Guava leaves are a traditional cure for diarrhea among Indians throughout the Amazon, and are also chewed as a remedy for sore throats and bleeding gums; decoctions made from the leaves are applied to wounds. Drugs.com notes that guava leaves contain beneficial phenols, triterpenes and flavonoids, and are rich in quercetin, a natural antioxidant. Guava also has antimicrobial and antispasmodic effects that make it useful in treating diarrhea. Consult your doctor before using guava to treat any condition. Read More

More information about Guava below. No I am not selling Guava tea leaves, so please do not write us and ask. Nor are we building a MLM to distribute this natural remedy. But I guess if you are no longer in Costa Rica, you might need to find dried and/or prepared solutions at your local Whole Foods or wherever you get your natural products from. The information below is derived from a commerical site which sells all types of natural products and we in no way are promoting them but using their information to provide more background for our readers.

The guava is a plant in the myrtle family. It is primarily known for its edible fruit that is used for many culinary purposes. The leaves of the guava plant are tough, dark colored and range in size from 5 to 15 cm. The guava leaves can be dried and boiled to create guava leaf tea. According to Dietary Fiber Foods.com, guava leaf tea has long been used in folk medicine to treat a variety of ailments.

Diabetes

Guava leaf tea may be effective in lowering blood glucose levels. According to a study published in 2010 in “Nutrition and Metabolism” and conducted by the Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research in Tokyo, Japan, consumption of guava leaf tea inhibits alpha-glucosidase enzymes. The inhibition of these enzymes results in reduction of blood glucose levels; the suppression of elevated blood glucose levels is critical in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Diarrhea

Guava leaf tea is also a popular treatment for diarrhea. Diarrhea is caused by toxins produced by germs that colonize on the lining of the intestinal tract. According to the Nigerian Tribune, the consumption of guava leaf tea will prevent the germs from producing toxins that cause diarrhea. In addition, guava leaf tea will also inhibit the activity of the toxins that may have already been produced.

Mouth Ailments

Guava leaf tea is useful in treating ailments associated with the mouth. According to “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth” by Jonny Bowden, the tea made from the guava leaf can treat ulcers in the mouth. In addition, as a gargling agent, guava leaf tea can alleviate discomfort associated with sore throats, laryngitis and mouth swelling.

Infections

Guava leaf tea has shown effectiveness when used as a topical treatment of skin and soft tissue infections. A study conducted at Federal University of Technology in Yola, Nigeria revealed the components of the guava leaf extract promoted anti-bacterial properties, which prevented infections in surgical wounds and other skin and soft tissue infections. Originally posted here

Also, apparently I am suffering from the slow pace of beach front living. It turns out that Coconut water has been the latest fad among health conscious consumers. I was looking for a photo to post here of a Coco Tree and all that came up was Coconut water this and Coconut water that e.g.

[hairyfairy]

I can really relate to your comment about wanting to chop your legs off, I think that RLS must be a punishment for sins commited in a previous life, if so, I must have been really bad!

[Hidden in reply to hairyfairy]

I found this article so interesting because it seems this guy never had RLS until he got this terrible stomach flu and then it went away as quickly as it came? Makes you wonder if some of us don't have some type of infection in our bodies that is causing the RLS.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

There are conditions that mimic RLS, so maybe he didnt actually have RLS...??

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Doesn't even matter at this point. My researching RLS, I mean seriously researching it, is like trying to teach a goldfish geometry. My brain implodes at every twist and turn. It's beyond my ability to comprehend. It's fascinating and scary all at the same time. Even the iron I take at night is probably making matters worse in the long run. My body (our bodies) are doing the "iron withholding" thing for a reason - to kill off a bacterial or viral or fungal infection. I've even read that cancer cells love iron. So our bodies probably do the iron withholding thing when we get cancer. Even auto immune diseases can trick the body into thinking there is an invasion and it will hold back on the iron. It gives us RLS because our brains need iron to produce dopamine, but the more important thing at the moment, at least to our immune systems, is to starve the bacteria, virus, cancer, etc. I've read dozens of articles now that say iron infusions may not be such a good idea. Our bodies with their own innate ability to heal should probably reign supreme, but I'm weak and want immediate relief and want all of you to have relief as well. The Costa Rican guy I'm sure had restless leg due to the viral infection. His body did the iron withholding thing to starve the virus and in the process he got RLS. Once the virus count came down the iron gatekeepers became less vigilant and he got relief. He probably does not have a predisposition to RLS and so most of the infections he has had during the course of his life did not give rise to RLS. But this stomach virus that hit Costa Rica was of such huge magnitude that even the average person who normally would never get RLS, got it. Had he taken iron, as I do, his viral infection may have continued for much longer. Does any of this make sense? Plus I've been trying to make sense of why serotonin (via antidepressants or melatonin) aggravates our RLS and I have two theories - either it competes with dopamine (and we're ultra sensitive to any decrease in dopamine) or its because our gut bacteria produce serotonin (alot I think) and when we cause an increase in serotonin though pill taking it may translate to our immune system as an increase in gut bacteria (aka an infection) and then the "iron withholding" thing is triggered and we go without sleep. I believe the iron gatekeeper is called hepicidin and I believe there is a laboratory test to see if a person is in the normal range. I will see if my internist will test me levels.