3 weeks no RLS-after alcohol and carbs it's back

[2everett]

Hi

I've had 3 weeks without RLS. I've followed a probiotic diet.Organic oats, no bread or potatoes, eaten lentils and home made saur kraut. Baked apples With cinnamon and probiotic goats yoghurt. Used magnesium spray, taken liquid iron before bed, and B12. No symptoms.

Then, this weekend I had a blow out. Alcohol, chips, toast. Last night the RLS came back and I spent the night thrashing around.

This morning I was wondering why had it come back, I had thought I was cured.

Hopefully by going back to my new lifestyle it will go away again.

I don't relish the thought if bring 'good' forever though!

Best wishes everyone.

[Madlegs1]

Isn't it great that you have a successful formula for relief!

The trick would be to start changing the successful diet one step at a time to isolate what is absolutely essential for relief.

Or alternatively do the other way round to see what aggravates the rls.

Rls is never "cured" -just relieved temporarily.

You are a very fortunate individual to be getting off so lightly.

Your next life will assuredly be as a cat.

Tashi!

[lauraflora in reply to Madlegs1]

And since cats sleep about 18 hours a day, wouldn't that be wonderful?!!! It would be a karmic compensation for not sleeping in this life.

[Hidden]

Happy to hear you seem to have found the magic formula for YOU. As Madlegs has said, RLS is never cured, always there in the background, as you have found out. You stop whatever treatment you have found to work and "hello...RLS" Alcohol is probably one of the biggest no no's for RLSers. Altho some seem to get away with having a tipple.

[involuntarydancer]

I hope it is not ungenerous to say that your post made me smile (actually I laughed out loud). Your careful, healthy diet - which actually sounds very tasty - was so comprehensively reversed. You didn't so much fall off the wagon of healthy eating as dowse the wagon in petrol and set alight to it.

Happily the damage is reversible and hopefully you will revert to no symptoms again.

Thanks for your post. There seems to be more and more evidence to suggest that a 'clean' diet is at least helpful for RLS and in some cases is a viable alternative to drug treatment.

[Graham3196 in reply to involuntarydancer]

I would like to go one step further and suggest that a diet should be considered the front line attack and tried before drugs.

Because:

I think most drugs have some side effects and some of those drugs for RLS are addictive.

The diet is cheap

The diet might save a worthwhile fraction of RLS victims from ever needing the drugs

If you go on the diet for 10 years and then need the drugs

1. you have won an extra 10 years before any side effects are a problem.

2. Better drugs might be available.

Cheers

Graham

[funnyfennel]

Interesting. I went to a small party (usually don't venture out in the evening) and drank white wine, ate white bread and chocolates and forgot pill at 7pm. Took it at 8.30 but was tortured by RLS for most of the night. Do think food effects our condition, but for me, too much stimulation in the evening also exacerbates it....so many things can help, but not always...good luck.

[Altair]

I find that the demon likes routine. Varying your your tactics a bit might help, even down to the times at which you do something. Anything to keep the demon on the hop (so to speak!).

[3420]

I gave up alcohol and I see a tremendous difference. Also, I have decreased my coffee intake, take 2000 MG magnesium daily plus iron & potassium.

I don't wish RLS on my worse enemy.

[NoMoRLS]

Wow. Keep us posted. Happy you had that rls free time...wow and all from a diet change

[Eryl]

You were 'cured' but the blow out contained all the things that cause rls, and in the early stages your resilience wouldn't have built up. You must make low carb eating a habit. It will take many months for the myelin on your nerves to recover enough that you can relax the diet slightly occasionally. At least you've proved that the diet works for you, and you've what causes your rls.

There are nutrient that are essential for the building of myelin. I can't remember all of them (I'll post them up when I find the list), but one was omega 3 fatty acid, so it would help to eat fish like Mackerell or salmon at least weekly and take a fish oil supplement.

[KellyDBrille in reply to Eryl]

Low carb diets don't necessarily cure RLS, although cutting back on processed carbs/sweets/alcohol may do so. High protein diets can result in high ammonia levels, which can cause RLS as well. What works for one person can make another a lot worse.