Brain gut connection

[RLSgirl]

I just started watching this series on brain health. While they are not directly talking about RLS, I think there is a lot of good information that we can glean from this docu-series about the neurological connection between our brain and gut and how this might be a contributing factor for RLS symptoms. More and more these days science is starting to see how much the gut effects our brain and neurological functions. As people suffering from a neurological condition with known ties to altered brain function, I feel this is definitely relevant information. And from personal experience, I definitely notice that there is a connection between my gut and my rls symptoms.

brokenbrain.com/02-gut-brain

[Parminter]

I have seen this series, RLSgirl.

You are right, we have much to learn, and there is no doubt now that the gut-brain connection is crucial.

[Eryl]

I've not seen that, where could I find it?

A good book on the subject is 'Gut' by Guilia Enders. It's informative and quite entertaining.

[RLSgirl in reply to Eryl]

here is a link to the second video. the first was more of an intorduction. but you can find them all on this website. brokenbrain.com/02-gut-brain

[Eryl in reply to RLSgirl]

This is lecture by a psychiatrist who treats mental problems by treating the diet. youtu.be/TXlVfwJ6RQU(Not working as expected?)

[Eryl in reply to RLSgirl]

Both episodes of Broken Brain are on YouTube. Here's the first youtu.be/3yzXp2folnA(Not working as expected?)

[Eryl in reply to RLSgirl]

I noticed that Terry Wahls appears on the series. She's got a good video on youtube youtu.be/lJT4gRUlpkc(Not working as expected?)

[OFgc in reply to Eryl]

terrywahls.com/webinar/?inf...

I just got an email from her mailing list. She is having a free webinar on FEBRUARY 19.

[Hidden]

It does look like there's a connection, but the research is all very new. I'm thinking there was someone on here not long ago who got relief when they started a diet to treat SIBO- small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Here's a study some of you might be interested in, but studies generally are too technical for me to understand- gidoctor.net/RLS-and-SIBO-A... It shows a possible connection between SIBO and RLS. Here's another- chriskresser.com/4-little-k... Might well be worth looking into. Looking forward to listening to the video in your link.

[Eryl in reply to Hidden]

Both those theories cite other problems as causes of rls whereas I am more inclined to believe the theory that those problems and rls have the same cause, i.e constantly elevated blood sugar levels due to high carb and low nutrition diets.

[Eryl in reply to Hidden]

youtu.be/KLjgBLwH3Wc(Not working as expected?) Whilst the diet suggested in this video might sound extreme, note that it was developed for the repair of severely damaged mitochondria. I have not found it necessary to go to these lengths to cure my rls, but as well as avoiding sugar and cutting back on bread I've been taking vit b12, vit d3, magnesium, calcium, omega 3 and iodine supplements, which tie in with her suggestions so they probably helped. I continue with the b12, d3, omega3 and magnesium, but am trying to add things to my diet to ward off macular degeneration.

[RLSgirl in reply to Eryl]

Eryl , how long have you been practicing these dietary changes? And how long till you saw symptom relief?

I can’t say that the things I’ve done so far to change my diet have cured my rls. They haven’t. but I do feel that the severity of my symptoms have been reduced so that when I have an rls attack I can handle it a little better. but at this point, I still have rls almost constantly from about 4pm till 7am. I have occasional daytime symptoms and I have to medicate to get any sleep!

I know that the healing process takes time. It took me nearly 35 years of bad eating habits and toxic build-up to get to the place where my RLS was intolerable, it may take years to reverse the damage!

in the meantime, I will keep trying. I am really hopeful that changing my diet and working on healing my gut will give me symptom relief someday!

fyi, I have also been taking b12, d3, omega3, and magnesium. I’ve also heard of people taking potassium. But I haven’t done that yet.

[Hidden in reply to Eryl]

Yes, I tend to agree with you. After reading Grain Brain, Wheat Belly and other books on the subject, it just looks so likely that a diet loaded with grains and sugar must be at the root of so very many syndromes, disorders, whatever. They are making connections to most chronic diseases as well- heart disease, cancer, Alzheimers. And with the huge numbers of people with RLS, it just looks so very likely there is a connection. Wouldn't it be something if all these epidemics could be wiped out with nothing more than diet changes? I was so impressed with Terry Wahl's story. But getting other people to see this and do it is like pulling teeth.

[Eryl in reply to Hidden]

Terry Wahls says that she "wants to start an epidemic of health"!

[Eryl]

I've been taking most of the supplements for a number of years. I've also remembered that I eat a beetroot daily. That was originally because I'd seen on a tv programme that it was helpful for muscle building as it is high in nitrates. The big changes I noticed was after avoiding sorbate food preservative and then within a couple of weeks of giving up sugar, which I did around 12 months ago, but there were changes in my health like improved breathing, which I didn't notice for 6-9 months. No matter what nutrition you're adding to repair the myelin sheath on your nerves, you won't get anywhere unless you stop damaging the nerves with constantly high levels of blood sugar.