RLS Research

[DicCarlson]

I found this link to "Research Output" from Johns Hopkins Neurology - very current. You can sort by date - many papers I haven't see at all 2016, 2015 and others. Type in Restless Leg Syndrome in the search bar. jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/pu...

[Madlegs1]

Thanks for the link.

[lauraflora]

Hey, Dic, Have you had any success with the B complex, Vitamin C and don't forget the Pantothenic acid (B 5)?

[DicCarlson in reply to lauraflora]

I have taken a B Complex and extra C daily for many years. I usually take these in the morning. Most recently I have had good luck with anti-inflammatory supplements - specifically Resveratrol, Grape Seed & Red Wine Extracts, Turmeric and Ashwagandha. I have also started the Adrenal Cocktail - essentially sea salt and cream of tartar (potassium) mixed with juice. Results - I sleep fine for 2-3 hours and wake up - but now I return to sleep - not the 2-3 hour no sleep - clock watching intervals I used to have.

[lauraflora in reply to DicCarlson]

I take some of those also. But, specifically, I have had the same problem with sleep as what you describe. However, I seem to now have gotten it under control. I am now tallying up on my calendar the nights that I get good, deep sleep and dreaming sleep, as compared to fitful, shallow, disturbed sleep with a 2-3 hour wakeful interval of no sleep. My good nights are now many more than the bad ones (which are much less bad than they used to be.)

So, the book that I got so much good info from, and a much greater understanding of what goes on internally is From Fatigued to Fantastic by Jacob Teitelbaum MD. He explains how the normal sleep patterns and function get thrown off, by various issues (sleep apnea, trauma, pregnancy, RLS, hormones imbalance, illness, etc. etc.) and what happens in the body (the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands suffer particularly) which leads to a vicious circle of disturbed sleep/circadian rhythm, etc.

He also explains many different ways to heal all of this, from the inside out - how to increase energy - on the cellular level, not just external energy - so your body can heal and get back to a more normal pattern of sleep. It is actually about Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue - which part the Chronic Fatigue is what I am particularly referring to.

What I have found to be very helpful from the book (besides the greater understanding!) are ribose, CoQ10 for energy production, and B complex, Vit C and (not from the book but from other alternative doctors) phosphatidyl serine. Yes, I take magnesium, iron, etc. for the RLS and a few other things for general health. But the above mentioned has been the combination that returned good sleep to me. And I am enjoying it!

[ukmsmi4 in reply to lauraflora]

Hi lauraflora

From Fatigued to Fantastic is not a book I have read myself so I can't directly comment on it. But the reason I haven't read it is because it appears on the Hummingbird Foundations list of 'The Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and 'CFS' books best avoided (or burned) '. hfme.org/bookreviews.htm . The Hummingbird Foundation is a very well respected (in the ME community) support organisation for ME patients, founded by Jodie Basset, an ME patient who sadly died last year aged just 40, due to her condition and it's complications.

I'm glad you're finding it useful and it may well be good for RLS or chronic fatigue the symptom, but I just wanted to point out that Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue (the symptom) are not the same as ME or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). There are many conditions that create chronic fatigue, including heart disease, cancer treatments and depression but this is vastly different from the fatigue suffered in ME and CFS as (to put it in simple terms) these conditions involve an energy production system that is broken not just tired or in need of replenishment.

Sorry I'm not disagreeing that you find it beneficial but as a reference book for ME or CFS I would not recommend it if Hummingbird don't. I say that as someone who has ME, Fibromyalgia, RLS and Functional Neurological Disorder. There are quite a few similarities between all these conditions but there are also some quite significant differences that need to be approached in different ways.

Anyway, that said, long may your improved sleep etc continue.

Gentle hugs, Margaret.xxx

[lauraflora in reply to ukmsmi4]

I respect your take on the book, but all I can say is that it has been very helpful to me. I had Fibromyalgia and Immune Deficiency Syndrome about 32 years ago - yes, it was diagnosed by a doctor and Yes, I did have (alternative) treatments for it. And yes, it did go away. It seems that Chronic fatigue, maybe the symptomatic form, is linked to all of the above.

So, what made this all flare up for me 6 years ago was a devastating family tragedy (I am being honest here) that still has me reeling at times. Sleep became very, very difficult and things went downhill from there. I have tried many things and, I have to say, the suggestions made in Teitelbaum's book have been the most consistently helpful. Last night, for example, I slept deeply, with also REM sleep, from 10 pm to 630 am. It was wonderful!

I think Teitelbaums' book deserves a good look. He does say that not everything helps everyone, and you must experiment to find what helps you. I do not actually care if my condition was strictly diagnosed as CFS or something else. (He mentions that also.) What I care about is that this helps and I will keep using it.

But thanks for your input also.

[DicCarlson in reply to lauraflora]

Thanks - I should keep a sleep journal of good and bad nights and associate it with my diet and supplements.

[lauraflora in reply to DicCarlson]

Yes, I am keeping a journal. It is very helpful so as to see how things play out concerning all factors.

[kcc9993 in reply to lauraflora]

CoQ10 has a variety of benefits, but you may not be able to experience the benefits if you are not absorbing your CoQ10 supplement.

CoQ0 has poor absorption, therefore, you should choose one that is both water and fat-soluble which is better absorbed by the body than regular CoQ10.

(Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?te....

[lauraflora in reply to kcc9993]

Yes, thank you. I am aware of that and have been taking one that is absorbed both ways.

[kcc9993 in reply to lauraflora]

That's great to hear! Have a good day.