★★★★★
First, Night dancer says there is no "cure" for RLS.
Well, there has been one for me. I had RLS for seven years; every night crawling irritation around knees especially. Just about drove me crazy and kept me from much sleep.
My short term cure... Take a third to a half teaspoon of baking soda mixed in purified water. Disolve and then apply a teaspoon topically to most affected area. With me it is right on my knee caps. Apply twice to three times within ten minutes. The irritation leaves almost immediately.
The long term problem for me and others I've discussed this with is harder... NO SUGAR. Sugar is the key to triggering RLS. I note Citygirl uses magnesium and there might be a relationship between magnesium neutralizing the effect of sugar.
But I have seen a DIRECT relationship between sugar consumption, especially after 3 pm, and RLS. I would guess it is a insulin issue that RLS suffers are seeing... perhaps a bit borline diabetic.
So the cure is: long term, eliminate sugar and if you can't do that then try the baking soda applied topically to get rid of the symptom of excess sugar.
Oh, and here's an interesting aside. Sometimes I will "feel" the RLS when I've had no sugar and will go back to what I ate for supper only to discover that... Sure enough... Sugar (like in pasta sauce) was a big part of the ingredients. So the RLS can actually inform me of hidden sugar intake.
Just remember: Sugar is the enemy.
A Bar of Soap
If restlessness still persists, get all sugar out of your system. Especially no sugar after five pm. Sugar in anything if you are borderline could present as restless leg or other extremities pain.
Iron
★★★★★
★★★☆☆
WORKED TEMPORARILY
Borax
Borax
After the first 10 days, my response switched from bright and wide-awake to extremely sleepy. My guess is that I was having a healing crisis response, but one afternoon, I literally fell asleep standing up. Had a split-second to grab the armchair and fall down into it, instead of somewhere else. Scared the heck out of my cats, who were in the chair until I fell there, and also scared me, too. Fainting is different -- used to faint as a teen into my 20s. This was definitely falling asleep. Over the next week I asked a friend to be my 'contact buddy' and we spoke 2-3x daily, to make sure no other sudden surprises went unnoticed.
At some point we figured out that I should only take the borax at bedtime. Maybe it would be different if I sipped a pint or so that had a teaspoon in it... But for now, all's good. I do feel more energized during the daytime, as well. Interesting nutrient.
Debating whether to boost my intake, and not sure if I feel like experimenting with another daytime dose. My body feels like it wants more.
To Carmela from Cambridge, happy my idea helped!
To Leelannee from Sussex, NJ... I love your town! Those stone sidewalks, and all the old colonial buildings, plus so close to great parks and forests. I've had the same experience as you have if I miss even one dose (= bad night).
Borax
Borax
Borax
★★★★★
I also have opposite reactions to pharmacy drugs, OTC & Rx. Three things have helped me ENORMOUSLY, and all of them don't seem to be mentioned in this thread: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/insomnia6.html#MR_100360
First, taking a nightly capsule of organic borage oil, regular dose, an hour before bed got me deeply asleep, deeply dreaming, and very calm/confident-feeling the next day. It does take about 3 weeks for most people to have results, although I seem to recall it was more like 10 days for me. After a while I ran out and forgot to take it, only remembered while reading here.
Next, I got an inversion table. You can set it so that you start with a relatively low angle of inversion, by tying the strap underneath--say, 20-30 degrees for at least 10 minutes. That feels like plenty to me. If your heart is lower than your feet by 17 degrees, apparently the lymph glands release and clear. Other benefits I've noticed: practically no asthma, NO INSOMNIA, back pain decreased and overall well-being increased. Not to mention, better circulation.
However I am forgetful so the latest thing I take is borax. This is actually covered in depth at http://educate-yourself.org/cn/boraxconspiracy03jul12.shtml.
In my case, I was looking for help with my out-of-control restless legs syndrome, which, on the first day, diminished almost to nothing (now my Requip prescription of. 25 mg is more than sufficient, where before even 1mg spaced throughout the day barely controlled it. ).
Now I take the borax right before sleep, and I sleep deeply and w/o interruption for 8plus hrs. And I wake up feeling crisp! Also my asthma, which had me audibly wheezing prior to the borax, is slowly disappearing. It's also a fabulous detoxer, and is anti-microbial and perhaps also alkalining too.
At first I took the Borax in the morning, but after 3 weeks, it started to make me very sleepy so I switched to bedtime. It's very fast-acting--one minute I'm lying in bed wide awake, wondering when it's going to start knocking me out, and the next minute, I'm so deeply asleep I haven't even noticed I was getting sleepy, it's so immediate a response.
My friends who are also taking borax find that they have more energy. I MAY be feeling more energetic, but the stuff still knocks me out, so experiment on a laid-back, no-driving-etc-day to see how it affects you.
The other reason I was taking borax is that it balances the whole body's hormone, endocrine, and glandular system over time. I've been taking it now for at least 3 months. I've increased my dose to a tablespoon (from a teaspoon). Just last week it seemed to me that my post-menopausal dryness was no longer an issue. I intend to continue taking this forever.
Oh yes, another borax good result: my neighbor, 70 yrs old, fell off a horse and broke 2 ribs. Since he won't go to doctors, I gave him some borax. He says his ribs healed fast, and with much less pain than the other times they have broken.
Dosing excerpts from midway through the link at beginning of this post:
Firstly, dissolve a lightly rounded teaspoonful (5-6 grams) of borax in 1 litre of good quality water* free of chlorine and fluoride. This is your concentrated solution. Keep the bottle out of reach of small children. (* I''m using distilled water)
Standard dose = 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of concentrate. This has 25 to 30 mg of borax and provides about 3 mg of boron. Take 1 dose per day mixed with drink or food. If that feels right then take a second dose with another meal. If there is no specific health problem or as a maintenance dose you may continue indefinitely with 1 or 2 doses daily. "
(elsewhere in my reading people taking the borax-in-water cure seem to take it for 5 days, stop for 2, then start again for 5 days, off for 2 days, and so on. )
"If you do have a problem, such as arthritis, osteoporosis and related conditions, menopause, stiffness due to advancing years, and also to improve low sex hormone production, increase intake to 3 or more spaced-out standard doses for several months or longer until you feel that your problem has sufficiently improved. Then drop back to 1 or 2 doses per day."
BTW... Trazodone HCL does work for my insomnia. At first I had to double-dose but now I can take 1/4 pill and that will also knock me out.... But why bother when borax is much safer and helps with so many cures.
...............
Last I would like to thank Joy and Everyone about mentioning the water cure. I think adding the right salt will help w my frequent urination, thirst, and allergies. Had forgotten that histamine is a dehydration response. Beginning to wonder if I was developing diabetes. Would diabetes show up in a hair sample?
Many Blessings!
I love the flowers of the poppy and also enjoy poppyseed lemon treats. I haven't gotten into it much since it is usually a treat that is overly sugary with fats, like a doughnut. For me doughnuts are poison.
I commend you for the post and the bravery to hang it out there.... Blessings JOY
Poppy Seeds
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
While poppy seed tea can be a godsend for some people, it must be emphasised that there is a great potential for addiction, that it is nearly impossible to know how potent your seeds are, batch to batch from the same store. Because of this, quitting is complicated as taper need to be precise. I became addicted to these seeds for their narcotic properties almost 8 years ago. I am in the process of finding a way to shake my addiction with as little discomfort as possible. I am not saying "don't use poppy seeds", I am just urging caution. Mild as they may seem, they can lead to serious narcotic addictions. People may ridicule the idea of a poppy seed addiction, but for myself and plenty of other people, it is no laughing matter!
If you are going to use poppy seeds for RLS, please be aware that even taking some every 2-3 days can lead to physical dependence. It stays in your system for a very long time. You will then - if you miss that crucial daily dose or cease taking poppy tea - find your restless legs are dramatically worse, as the post-acute withdrawal symptoms from opium can drag on for months at a time. And opiate withdrawal RLS is not your average restless leg syndrome - it can be agonising. I would recommend using this remedy no more than once a week, if you choose to try it. Keep your doses as low as possible, as opium can be a very euphoric, misleading drug that can easily lull one into a false sense of security, and start dosing daily as I did.
I apologise for the negative post, but I really feel people need to know some of the consequences of this treatment, as it lead me from the spice isle through a wide range of "hard drugs", injecting street heroin and wasting a lot of time, money and effort in trying to stay "well", rather than sick from opium withdrawals. I am now seeking to turn my life around - I've always eaten well and lived a healthy lifestyle, but drug addiction does not discriminate! Please be careful with these seeds; I wasn't - even though I knew the risks - and now face a tough battle to rid myself of them.
1. Apply on her knees solution of half teaspoon of baking soda in half glass of water..."dab"on her knees and legs on surface of the skin, two applications in three minutes of each other - to both legs. I have found that little trick when my legs (mainly my legs around my knees) begin to be irritated at night works wonders to calm the irritation.
2. Also Calcium AEP (MUST be AEP)...two tablets to counter irritable legs, especially helpful if patient is prone to insulin resistance and finally...
3. No sugar or foods with sugar like fruit juices, cereals with sugar etc. after 3:00 pm. Again, restless leg is often associated with folks who are insulin resistant or borderline.
Coconut Oil
Poppy Seeds
★★★★★
★★★★★
A Bar of Soap
★☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
Baking Soda
★★★★★
Next: NO sugar after 3pm. There is a direct corrolation between this syndrom and sugar consumption. No cokes, sweets of any kind after mid afternoon. No 10pm ice cream cheating!
Finally, you'll find Calcium AEP will help the condition. Google Calcium AEP Nutrition Review and you will find a great article on the wonders of AEP.
Dr Hans Niepier did amazing work on AEP 40 years ago. And AEP is very inexpensive. Don't say, Oh I get calcium in pills I already take. No we're talking about a different nutrient. AEP is a special product.
Calcium AEP is a must for MS patients. In the book "Vita Nutrients" on the section on MS treatment Calcium AEP is the key to Dr Adkins treatment protocol. When the MS patient has a flair up with acking legs, the AEP taken (3 to 5) can bring blessed relief.
Between these three, restless leg can be a thing of the past. At least it has been for me.
Exercises
A Bar of Soap
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
★★★★★
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
Hubby rubs my legs down with muscle ointment, Vicks or Castor Oil on the soles of the feet, and a couple times a day Hylands Homepathic tabs under the tongue. 1 banana a day. I drink my last liquid one hr before bed. Soak my feet or take a bath in Epsom salts when I remember to. The RLS is almost non-existent, just a few small twitching daily now-and upon waking not noticing any twitching. I have a prescription for sleeping but absolutely refuse to use it unless all else fails. I do believe most people can get this under control if they are diligent, consistent and mean business. I am now sleeping 7-8 hrs a night now. Haven't done that for 3 yrs. For the people that nothing has worked to alleviate this, its time for a "Ferritin" test to rule that out if you haven't had one.
★★★★★
I use to put frozen pulp fruits and honey in a blender and eat or drink 5 hours before bed. It works for me.
Liquid reflux and sodium are like poison for RLS suffers.