relac.com

[Sylviet]

has anyone ever heard of this telehealth clinic? It’s run by Dr. Andrew Berkowski who seems to be doing a lot of research on RLS. He looks like he’s a renowned expert in this area. Unfortunately he doesn’t take insurance and has an interesting pricing structure but he sure sounds really qualified.

[Joolsg]

Yes. I attach links to Dr Berkowski's site all the time.

[Joolsg]

He's done the only study to date on Buprenorphine, but it's regarded as 'anecdotal' because it didn't follow expensive 'gold standard' trials.

[SueJohnson]

Yes - he is one of the top experts.

[ChrisColumbus]

Andy Berkowski is indeed a leading RLS expert. BTW, while ReLACS does not bill insurance, it seems that depending on the details of your insurance policy it *may* be possible to claim for reimbursement.

[Sylviet in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Thanks Chris. I also didn’t know about the Q&A by video link. Maybe we’ll all be lucky and he’ll do a podcast one day.

[amrob123]

What is his pricing structure please?

I received an email, ostensibly from him, saying that he now does Q+As by videolink and inviting me to make an appointment.

I had contacted him with a PLMD query some weeks ago.

[ChrisColumbus in reply to amrob123]

Here it is:

relacshealth.com/transparen...

[amrob123 in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Thanks Chris 👍

[Merny5]

I have seen Dr. Berkowski and I was very impressed with his wealth of knowledge!

[Bernaldi in reply to Merny5]

But was he simply prescribing drugs, or did he have knowledge of cause that could be treated?

[Merny5 in reply to Bernaldi]

Well, his treatment was medication. It’s difficult to determine cause in my case. I have had RLS as a child.

[Joolsg in reply to Bernaldi]

Sadly, no doctors yet know the 'cause'.There are hundreds of research papers on this area.

The most common 'cause' is low brain iron which they think is caused by a faulty dopamine system.

Other studies show that spinal cord damage is linked to RLS.

It's also common in pregnancy and hormones are suspected.

Kidney disease, MS and Parkinson's are also causes. The majority of kidney patients experience RLS, which resolves after transplant. 30% of MS and Parkinson's patients have RLS, possibly because of brain damage and/or spinal cord damage.

There is a small minority that has clear dietary triggers. Following a particular diet helps.

So many different causes.

But, unless and until every RLS patient joins a research charity and pays membership fees to help fund research, we will never find out.

Look at what has happened with MS in the last 30 years.

They knew the cause, but there were zero treatments. Now, after billions has been spent on further research and trials, there are at least 10 highly effective drugs that halt the disease's progression.

It is possible to find the 'causes' and the possible treatments that will 'reset' our bodies. But it will take time and lots of money.

[Bernaldi]

That is useful to know that hormones may be suspected. I went off m BHRT because of problems with the prescriber, and my MS symptoms escalated dramatically. So I will go get that re-instated asap.

I appreciate that you put quotes around "cause," because clearly what they label cause is always, always something they can prescribe a drug for.