RLS and Obesity – Is there a connection?

June 14th, 2009 Posted in PD Medication Issues
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dsc02592-shadowedA fairly new study has shown that people who have big bellies (not from pregnancy) have an increased risk for Restless Leg Syndrome, otherwise known as RLS.

RLS is a neurological condition/disorder that causes people to have an irresistible desire to move their legs and not because they want to go jogging. RLS is diagnosed by four criteria. They are: strong urge to move your legs, the symptoms worsen when at rest, improve when you become active/move your legs/walk, and symptoms are worse at night. It is understandable and goes without saying that someone with RLS could have difficulty sleeping.

RLS is known to be one of the many blessings (note sarcasm) of Parkinson’s disease for some patients. Along with the medications that cause drowsiness, there’s RLS for some, creating an inability to sleep. The two don’t mix well.

Is there anything that can be done about RLS? In a new study recently published by HealthDay News, it showed that obesity played a key role in the increase of risk for having RLS, according to lead researcher Dr. Xiang Gao. He went on to say that a person with a larger waist have a sixty percent increased risk of having RLS.

Along with other data gathered from research, Gao noted that being overweight could contribute to the development of RLS. In the study, over 85,000 people took part. Among those involved, almost one-and-a-half times greater was the risk of having RLS if obesity was a factor.

Obese people have lower dopamine receptor levels in the brain. For those with Parkinson’s disease, this could have a two-fold effect in relation to RLS. One, it’s annoying and two, if you’re overweight, you’ve increased the likelihood of dealing with RLS at some point along the PD trail.

Now, before you go get the ice cream from the freezer to fend off frustration, if it’s suggested that, according to this study, obese individuals have a higher risk for RLS, then it must be said losing those extra pounds would play a part in preventing the ever-annoying RLS. Just another good reason to eat healthy and be as fit as you possible can.

It is not for certain that being obese plays such a large role in having RLS, but if there’s a possibility of warding off something as irritating as Restless Leg Syndrome, it’s worth trying to lose those extra pounds around the middle.

Since RLS has a direct correlation with decreased dopamine, it is easy to see why people with PD are or can be more susceptible to RLS. So, the next time you sit down to relax and your legs start going crazy on you, get up and walk around. Just make sure it’s not a walk to the fridge.

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Restless Leg Syndrome Revisited

September 24th, 2008 Posted in PD Medication Issues
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If you’ve got Parkinson’s Disease, chances are you’ve experienced Restless Leg Syndrome and if you’ve experienced Restless Leg Syndrome, chances are, like me, you’ve spent a good part of the wee hours of the night walking the floor and feeling as if your nerves are going to jump right out of your limbs.

Did you know that Restless Leg Syndrome, or RLS, affects at least 12 percent of the population? According to the RLS Foundation, a patient must meet the four criteria below for proper RLS diagnosis:

You have a strong urge to move your legs, which you may not be able to resist. The need to move is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Some words used to describe these sensations include: creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, or gnawing.

Your RLS symptoms start or become worse when you are resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be.

Your RLS symptoms get better when you move your legs. The relief can be complete or only partial but generally starts very soon after starting an activity. Relief persists as long as the motor activity continues.

Your RLS symptoms are worse in the evening especially when you are lying down. Activities that bother you at night do not bother you during the day. http://www.rls.org/Page.aspx?pid=477

While the drugs Requip, Sinemet, Neurontin and Mirapex are the major contenders for treating RLS, I just read that non-drug treatments are becoming widely known among RLS sufferers. Among those are the following suggestions:

  • Since RLS has been known to be found in patients with an iron deficiency, treating the lack of iron can help.
  • Some have found that cutting back and/or eliminating all caffeine is a big help. This includes chocolate, colas with caffeine, coffees, and teas. SORRY!!!
  • Combining medications can make RLS worse. Check with your doctor if you are being treated for high blood pressure, nausea, a cold, allergies, depression or heart conditions.
  • Taking a hot bath before bed can help to control symptoms.
  • Eliminate alcohol intake.
  • Walking, stretching, yoga, massage, acupressure
  • Keeping your mind ‘distracted’ while sitting, by doing needlework, watching a movie, conversing, etc.

RLS can be extremely bothersome, so make sure that anything you may be doing is not contributing to the symptoms you may be experiencing. If you are taking antihistamines, anti-dizzy or ant-nausea medications, antidepressants or certain psychiatric medications, contact your doctor to see if these may be playing a role in your RLS.

RLS is said to be hereditary. If a member in your family begins to experience symptoms similiar to PD, make sure they see a health care professional as soon as possible.

Sherri

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Restless Leg Syndrome

February 21st, 2008 Posted in Parkinson's Stories
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When my Parkinson’s started to present itself in undeniable ways, one of the symptoms was RLS, otherwise known as Restless Leg Syndrome. RLS is a condition that can manifest itself in others who don’t necessarily have Parkinson’s and yet, both groups can find it quite annoying.

RLS makes your legs feel tingly and jumpy – restless, like its name. You feel like your nerves are going to jump right out of your lower limbs and you find yourself walking in circles to get it to stop.

RLS reminds me of Psalm 37, where David talks about being patient and trusting the Lord. When we grow restless and aren’t trusting, we tend to take matters into our own hands and fix things. David learned a better way – to trust God and in doing so, found rest – the opposite of being restless. He had learned to dwell where he was and enjoy God there. He was able to delight in the Lord because his focus was vertical and not horizontal.

It took patience – being still and waiting on God, virtues quite different from restlessness. The remedy for this in the spiritual realm is trusting. Trusting in a God who promises to give us the desires of our heart when we find delight in Him. And when God makes a promise, He will do it. Our prescription? Trust. Being still and waiting. The restlessness ceases and peace comes. And, isn’t that better?

Are you restless about something and haven’t trusted God to come through? Give it over to Him now and claim Psalm 37 and then wait patiently for Him to do it.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:3-7a NIV

Journeying with you,

Sherri

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