Another year, another breakthrough . . .
Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 10:47 pm
As I reported about a year ago, I have had almost complete relief from RLS by following the Blood Type Diet as developed by Dr. Peter d'Adamo. I would sometimes have occasional flare ups of RLS, but they were minor and short lived. I attributed these episodes to certain foods which I thought I should avoid even though they were permitted in the diet for my blood type (Type A, non-secretor), but I was having trouble establishing a tight cause and effect relationship. After watching a show on PBS with Dr. Joel Fuhrman talking about a diet emphasizing "super foods", I decided to try increasing my intake of "greens, onions, mushrooms, beans and berries". Very soon my RLS came back as bad as ever. Because all the foods I was eating were allowed by the blood type diet and mostly classified as "highly beneficial" for type A's, I was confused and frustrated. I thought I was losing control over my body and well being, and my "cure" was no longer going to work for me. While doing further research on healthful foods, I discovered a list of foods classified as "goitrogenic". I had been including foods from this list in every meal and every snack since I started going for the "super foods". In addition to the broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale, and turnips of the cruciferous family, I was eating fresh cherries and strawberries daily, and peanuts were my favorite snack. Even the freshly ground flax seed meal I was putting on my morning oatmeal turned out to be goitrogenic. After I stopped eating these foods, my RLS was gone within two days.
Because goitrogenic foods affect thyroid function, I went to my doctor for testing. He reported that my thyroid hormone was low but within range for my age. My thyroid was not enlarged. I experimented with Brussel sprouts and found that eating them caused the RLS to return in about 36 hours. I ate them at several successive meals in order to induce a good bout of RLS and went back for another thyroid test. My hormone level was still low and within normal range. In a recent post on this discussion board, a poster reporting having good results with iodine supplements. I have gone back to using iodized salt.
For those considering trying the blood type diet, I want to say I don't follow it rigidly. However, I am very careful to avoid those foods which carry lectins that agglutinate type A blood and cause it to become inefficient. This has greatly improved my overall health and energy level. I also lost 24 pounds without cutting back on the amount of food and wine I consume.
By the way, I recently read another poster's good results with kale. I also had some success masking my symptoms several years ago by eating large amounts of raw broccoli, which is rich in sulforafane, for breakfast every day. I was working on the theory that RLS might be primarily a circulatory issue and sulforafane was being used to help diabetics with circulatory issues. I can't explain the apparent contradiction of people having good results with goitrogenic foods. I may experiment with some goitrogenic foods like broccoli in the future to see if I can tolerate certain ones, but for the moment I'm just enjoying being free of RLS.
Because goitrogenic foods affect thyroid function, I went to my doctor for testing. He reported that my thyroid hormone was low but within range for my age. My thyroid was not enlarged. I experimented with Brussel sprouts and found that eating them caused the RLS to return in about 36 hours. I ate them at several successive meals in order to induce a good bout of RLS and went back for another thyroid test. My hormone level was still low and within normal range. In a recent post on this discussion board, a poster reporting having good results with iodine supplements. I have gone back to using iodized salt.
For those considering trying the blood type diet, I want to say I don't follow it rigidly. However, I am very careful to avoid those foods which carry lectins that agglutinate type A blood and cause it to become inefficient. This has greatly improved my overall health and energy level. I also lost 24 pounds without cutting back on the amount of food and wine I consume.
By the way, I recently read another poster's good results with kale. I also had some success masking my symptoms several years ago by eating large amounts of raw broccoli, which is rich in sulforafane, for breakfast every day. I was working on the theory that RLS might be primarily a circulatory issue and sulforafane was being used to help diabetics with circulatory issues. I can't explain the apparent contradiction of people having good results with goitrogenic foods. I may experiment with some goitrogenic foods like broccoli in the future to see if I can tolerate certain ones, but for the moment I'm just enjoying being free of RLS.