Restless Legs Syndrome

After you’ve been running all day, the last thing you want your gams to do is the cha-cha—especially while you’re trying to sleep. But that’s what happens to people who suffer from restless legs syndrome, which causes an irresistible urge to thrash about, usually within 30 minutes after going to bed.

What makes legs restless? It’s usually an impulse to relieve the tickling, prickling or burning discomfort triggered by this syndrome. Doctors aren’t sure what causes these sensations, but some suspect that it’s due to an abnormality in brain chemistry that affects nerve signals to the limbs. Others believe that caffeine or nicotine may play a role or that it may be related to anxiety, fatigue, iron deficiency anemia or stress. It tends to run in families, and pregnant women are the most likely candidates. (The problem usually disappears after delivery.) The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with the approval of your doctor—may help ease restless legs syndrome, according to some health professionals.

Food Therapy

“There have been medical studies advising people with restless legs to increase their intakes of folate, which is found in dark green leafy vegetables,” says Allan Magaziner, D.O., a nutritional medicine specialist and head of the Magaziner Medical Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. (For other food sources of folate, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)

Homeopathy

If you have weakness, twitching and jerking in your legs and you are always moving them, try Tarentula hispanica 12C three times a day until improvement is noted, says Chris Meletis, N.D., a naturopathic physician and medicinary director at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. For legs that are restless at night, he says that Causticum 12C in a similar dose may be helpful. Zinc metallicum 12C three times a day is the remedy of choice if your legs are worse in the evening and your feet are continuously moving, according to Dr. Meletis.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Juice Therapy

Restless legs syndrome is sometimes caused by a folate deficiency, writes Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, in Juicing for Life. In such cases, a daily dose of asparagus, spinach or kale juice, all rich sources of the nutrient folate, may be enough to keep your legs still at night. Calbom recommends mixing four ounces of one of the folate-rich juices with an equal amount of carrot juice and drinking the blend daily.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Massage

If you can reach your calf muscles with your hands, you may be able to relieve restless legs with massage, says Elliot Greene, past president of the American Massage Therapy Association. Begin by placing the palm of your left hand on the largest part of your right calf. Your fingers should be pointing toward your heel. Then grab the muscle firmly in your hand and pull it away from your leg as far as is comfortable. Squeeze the muscle gently several times, then release the muscle. Repeat this for about five minutes, then switch to your left calf, using your right hand to do the massage.

If your thighs feel restless, Greene says to try stroking and grasping them gently with both hands. Start at the knees and pull your hands toward your hips. Use the effleurage (page 570) and petrissage (page 570) strokes. Do this for three to five minutes on each leg.

Yoga

Yoga exercises that improve circulation to your lower body are a great way to handle restless legs, according to Alice Christensen, founder and executive director of the American Yoga Association. She says that two useful poses are the knee squeeze (page 612) and the spine twist (page 614). Make them part of your daily yoga routine.