Restless Legs Syndrome

Suffering from sleepless nights of uncontrollable leg twitching? Symptomatic relief may be available without drugs.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) has been part of my life ever since I can remember, periodically making me an insomniac and other times driving my husband insane with my constant leg twitching. Sometimes, it prevents me from being able to sit still and work at my desk. During the last two months of my pregnancy two years ago, I suffered from RLS to such a degree that I went without sleeping for days at a time. Many people consider RLS, which to sufferers feels something like ants relentlessly crawling up and down their legs, a bogus disorder. But to those who suffer from the symptoms, the problem is very real.

Up to 10% of American adults experience RLS to some degree with symptoms that can range from a mildly uncomfortable nervous sensation in the legs to painful burning sensations and leg twitching while sleeping or trying to sleep. My father (who also suffers from it) and I once thought there was no relief for this often-dismissed disorder. But while doctors are still largely clueless as to what causes the symptoms of RLS, pharmaceutical researchers have had some success in recent years testing drugs that can provide sufferers some respite from symptoms other than that gained from getting up and walking, which provides only temporary assistance.

Although the medical establishment has fallen into the habit of handing out prescriptions for every complaint and illness from anxiety to heartburn without looking for the underlying causes, not everyone wants to turn to pharmaceuticals as a first line of defense, particularly with RLS, which often comes and goes with no clearly defined cause. Are there other avenues for making the symptoms of this annoying disorder subside?

Causes Remain a Mystery

If you suffer from RLS, you’ve probably already faced some raised eyebrows when complaining about the problem. “The general public thinks it’s a hocus-pocus diagnosis,” says William L. Baker, PharmD, BCPS, senior research scientist at the University of Connecticut/Hartford Hospital Evidence-Based Practice Center. Over the years, he and other pharmaceutical scientists have been performing extensive research into the potential causes of RLS to determine how to treat the disorder. “The topic has intrigued me because of the lack of consensus on it,” he says.

The painful fact is no one really knows for certain what causes RLS, though nutritionists and holistic medicine practitioners have their theories. Some believe RLS is the result of nutritional deficiencies. Victoria Wood, MPH, RD, a certified nutrition specialist, says some of the most likely nutrients patients with RLS are lacking include magnesium, calcium, vitamin E, iron, or B-complex vitamins. But Wood is quick to note in her white paper “Restless Legs Syndrome: The Nutrition Connection” that RLS could also result from chronic illness, maldigestion, food allergies, or even chemical or environmental toxicity.

A recent study published in Neurology suggests those who are overweight or obese may be at greater risk of developing RLS, which is yet another reason to trim your waistline. The fact that people who are overweight are, in many cases, also failing to make good nutritional choices points even further to a possible vitamin or mineral deficiency link.

Treating a Disorder With Unknown Causes

Dan Hsu, DAOM, LAc, a doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine with New York AcuHealth, says he sees a fair number of RLS cases in his practice and always begins these patients’ assessments with a look at their eating habits, lifestyles, chronic illnesses, and blood work, trying to track abnormalities in the body’s workings. “An acupuncturist will do a complete intake on you,” Hsu says, “and see how you are holistically.”

Hsu, who has received extensive media coverage for his ability to provide symptomatic relief to patients suffering from problems ranging from migraines to severe PMS and has even performed acupuncture on Oprah Winfrey on live television, says, “RLS is an issue where people go to their MDs first and end up taking all kinds of drugs.” He says if that’s the first response you receive from your general practitioner, it may be time to look elsewhere.

Hsu generally treats RLS with a combination of enhanced nutrition, herbal remedies, and acupuncture and usually sees patients’ symptoms lessen significantly or even go away. More often than not, he has found RLS symptoms often seem to result from iron deficiencies, particularly in women. “If the food part can be fixed, a good result can come after a couple of treatments,” he says.

Wood agrees that nutrition can play a large role and advises clients to change their eating plans for a six-week period, including in their diets organically produced foods rich in iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6, and chromium, and see if there is a change.

Even Baker, who has studied the traditional nonergot dopamine agonist drugs that doctors generally prescribe to RLS sufferers, recommends trying possible nutritional and lifestyle solutions first. “Scientists still don’t know what causes RLS,” he says. “We know there is a higher incidence in women and that there may be a genetic basis just like with a lot of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease.

“Especially if you suffer from intermittent symptoms, it might be worthwhile to try some alternative therapies first,” Baker adds. “Just make sure your physician knows if you’re taking herbal supplements.”

— Deborah R. Huso

Change Your Habits and You May Find Relief

Often people suffering from restless legs syndrome (RLS), particularly those like me who experience relatively mild and intermittent cases, can find symptomatic relief just by adjusting their nutritional habits and lifestyle. If you’ve got a case of RLS and want to avoid drug therapy, try these tips first:

Get regular physical exercise.
Get on a regular sleep schedule; fatigue can often exacerbate RLS.
Abstain from caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
Ask your doctor to check for iron deficiency and come up with a nutritional solution, including eating more green leafy vegetables.
Consider an herbal remedy such as valerian root, which can improve sleep (but always talk to your doctor before starting a regular herbal regimen).
Try circulation-enhancing remedies such as yoga and massage.
Employ the services of a certified doctor of acupuncture. (Many major insurance plans now cover acupuncture.)

Resources

Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, www.rls.org
International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group, www.irlssg.org