aminotheory.com/rlsd/ hypotheses & non-drug therapies

Here you can share your experiences with substances that are ingested, inhaled, or otherwise consumed for the purpose of relieving RLS, other than prescription medications. For example, herbal remedies, nutritional supplements, diet, kratom, and marijuana (for now) should be discussed here. Tell others of successes, failures, side effects, and any known research on these substances. [Posts on these subjects created prior to 2009 are in the Physical Treatments forum.]

Important: Posts and information in this section are based on personal experiences and recommendations; they should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a healthcare provider.
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Robin-Whittle
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:24 pm

aminotheory.com/rlsd/ hypotheses & non-drug therapies

Post by Robin-Whittle »

Last month I added a summary of my etiological hypotheses to this page:

http://aminotheory.com/rlsd/

RLSD stands for "Restless Limbs Sensorimotor Disorder", which I suggest
as the best name to encompass RLS and PLMD.

Today I extended this to give a proper account of how percussive
massage near the lower spine reduces or eliminates symptoms in the
legs, but not the arms, while such massage near the upper spine reduces
or eliminates symptoms in the arms, but not the legs. My wife Tina and I
discovered this in 2004 and I have been this disorder further since then.
Two of our friends do this percussive massage to their own mid-lower
spinal areas, with consistent success in reducing or eliminating
symptoms, for quite a few hours or for the rest of the night.

At the start of September, I sent a 32 page document of my observations
and hypotheses to about 25 RLS researchers.

Today I added to the above page a section on non-drug approaches to
combating RLS. The sub-section names are:

01 - Self-diagnosis with videos
02 - Other night-time movements which are not RLSD
03 - Ensure your iron levels are good
04 - Do not drink coffee of any kind, including decaf
05 - Reduce or ideally eliminate your consumption of caffeine
06 - Unfortunately, dark chocolate and cocoa seems to cause RLSD too
07 - Salt
08 - General nutrition, including Magnesium and Calcium
09 - Avoiding drugs which worsen the condition
10 - Sleeping position - and avoiding cold back, shoulders and arms
11 - Unusually high levels of exercise
12 - Protein meals and snacks
13 - Tyrosine capsules or tablets
14 - Percussive massage

I encouraged readers to discuss their experiences on this forum, the RLS
Support Yahoo Group and on the WeMove.org RLS forum.

The new material includes some links to YouTube videos showing Periodic
Limb Movements, and three 15 second videos of Tina's foot making
typical PLMs.

- Robin Melbourne Australia
I have no formal qualifications in any field. Internet discussion groups and
information from people with no medical qualifications - people who
have never met you - are no substitute for proper medical care and advice.

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