article on over the counter muscle creams?

Please share your experiences, successes, and failures in using non-drug therapies for RLS/WED (methods of relief that don't involve swallowing or injecting anything), including compression, heat, light, stretches, acupuncture, etc. Also under this heading, medical interventions that don't involve the administration of a medicine to the body (eg. varicose-vein operations, deep-brain stimulation). [This forum contains Topics started prior to 2009 that deal with Non-prescription Medicines, Supplements, & Diet.]
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happy legs
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article on over the counter muscle creams?

Post by happy legs »

how many of us have used products like ben gay? i had no idea that
a person could die from what is know as menthyl salicylate, used in some of these over the counter creams. i just did a web search and found out where a 17 year old girl [who was an athlete] died from using to much
of it. i guess i would be guilty of using to much also, just to make the pain go away.

i have been using my sporta-flx massage gel for almost a year, great results and a great product. thank goodness its contents are orgainc.

happy legs!

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Happy legs - just something to consider. Organic means very little, if nothing.

Arsenic could be grown organically AND is natural, right?

And, if I understand it, the organic claim can be somewhat loosely used, anyway. A testing group found that a certain percentage of items labeled organic has pesticide and/or herbicide residue...
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

happy legs
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Post by happy legs »

ViewsAskew wrote:Happy legs - just something to consider. Organic means very little, if nothing.

Arsenic could be grown organically AND is natural, right?

And, if I understand it, the organic claim can be somewhat loosely used, anyway. A testing group found that a certain percentage of items labeled organic has pesticide and/or herbicide residue...


not to step on toes here of the moderator, and with all due respect, but how can you compare ARSENIC with a organic massage gel? havn't tried rubbing arsenic on my restless legs, even tho it is organic??
i can assure you i researched the sporta-flx thoroughly. it is 70 % organic, it does not contain parabens, it also does not contain mineral oil, alcohol, artificial colors. no animal testing, which was another bonus for me. i didn't have to wear gloves to apply it, and there is no odor, or greasy film left.
perhaps indeed there are some products out there that are labeled organic, and has had some type of pesticide residue. we as consumers are responsible for educating ourselves on products/labels/etc. it's our choice what we believe may or may not help us.
this product also does NOT make a claim to CURE anything, it aids in relief of fatigued and weary muscles. imagine, a product out there that is honest enough not to make a claim to CURE.
all i wanted to do was find a orgainc product to help me, not tell me that i was going to be cured, wrinkle free, 35 years younger, yada-yada-yada.
i wanted relief and i got it, still have it, and i feel pretty good.
thanks for enlightening me on ARSENIC, now sure if i will ever have a use for it tho. LOL
Happy legs.

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Happy legs, that wasn't my point - that you should rub arsenic on your legs, lol.

My point only was that saying something is Natural OR Organic does not really mean much in terms of how the marketing department labels something. I wasn't in any way attacking you, the product you like, or anything else.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Polar Bear
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Post by Polar Bear »

I got your point Ann, i.e. that organic doesn't necessarily mean perfect
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
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SquirmingSusan
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Post by SquirmingSusan »

After Googling it, and not being able to connect to the Sporta-Flx site, I finally found a site that listed ingredients:

"Contains: Organic Aloe Vera, MSM, Hyaluronic Acid, and Vitamins A and E, as well as other natural ingredients. Made with Nature’s Finest Ingredients, and contains NO "

Seems harmless enough, but I don't know that any of those ingredients have been shown to be helpful to RLS. But if it helps you, that's great!
Susan

happy legs
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Post by happy legs »

ViewsAskew wrote:Happy legs, that wasn't my point - that you should rub arsenic on your legs, lol.

My point only was that saying something is Natural OR Organic does not really mean much in terms of how the marketing department labels something. I wasn't in any way attacking you, the product you like, or anything else.


don't worry i wasn't offened, we just have difference of opinions. i would agree with you in that i DO believe some companies tend to, should i say, mislead consumers by claiming total organic or natural. it is my understanding that in order to be called orgainc, the product must meet certain standards and or criteria. the administration that oversees this states you must meet 70%, which the sporta-flx does. it thus can be called organic.
for me it's a win-win situation. will it work for everyone? don't know the answer. i know it has been benificial to me in more ways than one.

thanks for your input and clarification.
Happy legs.

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Again, Happy legs, this isn't about this one item. It's just a general comment about items that we say, Oh, they are natural or organic. In itself, that doesn't mean anything. So, we have to qualify it with, Oh, it's natural and organic AND so I checked out the ingredients and nothing is known to ....blah blah blah.

Take mint. It's natural. It can be organic. It's in Aveda's line of organic shampoos.

But, in studies, mint is known to aggravate skin in certain people. I can't use it. But, it's natural, organic, and the marketing told me it was great.

I'm just offering that we need to be skeptical and prove that things are what they are.

Per your standard for organic, I think it's a bit more complicated, but I'll take your assumption that there is a standard.

My point is that an organization tested items that were labeled organic and found high to low levels of pesticides and herbicides in a percentage of them.

So, you or I bought it...but what did we get? Just because there is a standard doesn't mean it's enforced or everyone follows it.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

SquirmingSusan
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Post by SquirmingSusan »

LOL, Ann. My dh works for Aveda and brings home truckloads of product (he buys it at legitimately at the company store, before anyone tracks him down and gets him in trouble, OK?). The last time I used one of the shampoos, can't remember which one, I had a major reaction on my scalp. I had to get cortisone to rub on my head. That's why it was the last time I used it. :oops: I always tell him, "yeah, poison ivy is all natural."

Happy legs, there are so many people who come into this forum and talk about products that are God's gift to RLS sufferers. We get cynical and jaded hearing about it all, especially since we do get a lot of people trying to overtly and covertly sell things. Google "Marie Goodwin" and you'll know what we mean. She's shameless and capitalizes on people's suffering by selling a pricey ebook that tells people a secret diet to cure RLS. It's no secret now, she just tells people to not eat salt. And there are more and more "cures" out there all the time.

But honestly, if it works for you, that's terrific. We would never grudge you that!
Susan

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Not only would we not grudge you for it, but we're not talking about it. At least I'm not. I'm not saying it's not effective, that it's bad, or anything else. I'm just saying that just because it's organic doesn't mean it won't hurt me, cause other problems, or do what it says it will do. It just means, at most, that it doesn't have herbicides or pesticides and that they used organic farming practices.

For the record, I organic garden (and have since my hippie grandfather taught me how) and am a huge advocate of organic for many many reasons.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

happy legs
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Post by happy legs »

i am wondering what you all do for your restless legs? what has helped you? please don't tell me the old soap under the mattress trick.LOL
you see, there i go, maybe it has helped some people but i thought it was just baloney. and thats not organic baloney.LOLA

a while back i went into an all natural-organic food store, i could find nothing on the shelves that said it would help with RLS.
so i asked the store owner what she recommended for RLS. she went over to a shelf and picked up a bottle of magnesium and tossed it at me.
guess she was in a bad mood while doing inventory.
but i was surprised at the number of items she stocks that were not even close to being organic or natural. example TIGER BALM.
when i smelled it, it almost took off my non organic/natural mascarra.
:shock:
Happy legs.

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Post by ViewsAskew »

I'm not the person to ask what helps - at least not in the non-pharm section.

Because, truthfully, nothing non-pharm has resolved my RLS. Some things have provided some help and before it was 24/7, good practices were my best friend: no caffeine, no alcohol, get to sleep on time, get regular exercise. That along with no tight clothing (pantyhose, tight pants, etc.), no OTC drugs (that includes no valerian and no melatonin for me as they cause other problems), and making sure my skin was hydrated (lotion twice a day, no really hot showers, no harsh soaps), were enough.

Now? If I didn't have pharma, I'd have committed suicide...
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

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