Work like you don’t need the money, love like you have never been hurt and dance like no one is watching…Satchel Paige
Yes, you guessed it…I have restless legs attached to my itchy feet!
What do I do to love, respect and appreciate my restless legs? I listen to them and give them what they require for their purpose to serve their function for a lifetime…movement, hydration and nutrition.
As with feet, the vast majority of legs are created equal. The human leg is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body. Legs are used for standing, walking, dancing, jumping, running, kicking, and similar activities, and constitute a significant portion of a person’s mass.
A human leg contains 4 bones (the femur, the patella, the tibia, and the fibula) and bends at the hip, the knee, and the ankle. In addition to the bones or skeleton, the leg also is physically composed of a group of muscles and a neurovascular system made up of nerves, arteries, veins, and lymphatics.
Practically all normal well-nourished children have restless legs. How often have you been around young children when a parent would ask, “Do you need to go to the bathroom… why are you doing the pee-pee dance” only to have the children answer “no, my legs are just moving.”
When children listen to their bodies and move, they are often labeled as having ADHD (Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder) and medication recommended. The definition of ADHD is based on behavior and it does not imply a neurological disease rather ADHD is classified as a disruptive behavior disorder.
ADHD is diagnosed two to four times more frequently in boys than in girls, though studies suggest this discrepancy may be partially due to subjective bias of referring teachers.
Geographically, children in North America appear to have a higher rate of ADHD than children in Africa and the Middle East. The rates of diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are also much higher on the East Coast of the USA than on the West Coast.
A study published in The Lancet in 2007 found a link between a child’s ingestion of many commonly used artificial food colors, the preservative sodium benzoate and hyperactivity. In response to these findings, the British government took prompt action. According to the Food Standards Agency, the food regulatory agency in the UK, food manufacturers were encouraged to voluntarily phase out the use of most artificial food colors by the end of 2009. Following the FSA’s actions, the European Commission ruled that any food products containing the following artificial food colors: sunset yellow FCF (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) and ponceau 4R (E124)) must display warning labels on their packaging. In the US, little has been done to curb food manufacturer’s use of specific food colors, despite the new evidence presented by these studies. The existing US Food Drug and Cosmetic Act requires that artificial food colors be approved for use, that they must be given FD&C numbers by the FDA, and the use of these colors must be indicated on the package.
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type symptoms in children may include:
- Fidget and squirm in their seats
- Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
- Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
- Be constantly in motion
Can it be that these children are listening to their bodies rather than to instructions to sit down, shut up, and follow directions.
Our legs are not created for extended periods of sitting. One of the major results of sitting and leg inactivity is poor circulation.
If you have poor leg circulation, symptoms usually develop gradually:
- In the early stages, you may experience cramping or fatigue in the legs, buttocks or feet during activity. The pain, whether it’s leg pain, lower leg pain or foot pain, usually diminishes with rest, but will reoccur.
- You may complain of a tired, aching feet, or swollen feet/legs.
- You may also have cramping that occurs in your legs and
feet when you are sleeping or immobile for extended periods
of time. - In addition, you can incur such symptoms as ‘cold feet,’ or feet that ‘fall asleep.’
Our western culture also tells us that legs are a sex and beauty symbol thus creating a multimillion dollar hot legs business. Adolescent and adult women often remove the hair from their legs. Toned, tanned, shaved legs are sometimes perceived as a sign of youthfulness and are often considered attractive and sexy. Men generally do not shave their legs in any culture. However, leg-shaving is a generally accepted practice in modeling. It is also fairly common in sports where the hair removal makes the athlete appreciably faster by reducing drag; the most common case of this is competitive running and swimming. It is also practiced in many other sports in which skin injuries are common: the absence of grown hair makes nicks, scratches and bruises heal faster because of the reduced microbial population on shaved skin.
Does this multimillion dollar leg business really place monetary value on a body part? What amount of money would you take to sell your legs?
What does the multimillion dollar medical and drug industry tell us about Restless Legs Syndrome? Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition that is characterized by the irresistible urge to move the legs. Currently, there are no lab tests available to confirm or deny the existence of restless legs syndrome symptoms in a patient. How, then, is it diagnosed?
These five features must be present for a medical diagnosis of restless legs syndrome:
- There is an urge to move the legs, usually accompanied by or caused by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs
- The urge to move the legs and any accompanying unpleasant sensations begin or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying or sitting
- The urge to move or the legs and any accompanying unpleasant sensations are partially or totally relieved by movement, such as walking or stretching, at least as long as the activity continues
- The urge to move the legs and any accompanying or unpleasant sensations are worse in the evening or night than during the day or only occur in the evening or night
- The urge to move the legs and any accompanying unpleasant sensations are not solely accounted for by another condition, such as leg cramps, positional discomfort, leg swelling, or arthritis.
What does the Mayo Clinic say about pharmacological treatments of Restless Leg Syndrome? Treatment of primary RLS should not be considered until possible precipitating medical conditions are ruled out, especially venous (circulation) disorders . RLS Drug therapy is not curative and has side effects such as nausea, dizziness, hallucinations, orthostatic hypotension, and daytime sleep attacks. In addition, it can be expensive (about $100–150 per month for life), and needs to be considered with caution.
What therapies are most effective in relieving the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome?
- Movement and stretching the legs through walking, dancing, jumping, running, kicking, and similar activities offer immediate relief for restless legs.
- Restless Leg Syndrome can be cause by a Magnesium deficiency and Vitamin B deficiency. The Magnesium deficiency tenses leg muscles and causes the urge to move them. The burning creeping crawling sensation is due to a Vitamin B deficiency neuropathy (nerve disease). Estrogen Dominance (too much estrogen) causes the Magnesium Deficiency and Vitamin B deficiency. Chemical estrogens (xenoestrogens) absorbed mainly through the skin cause Estrogen Dominance and cause a Magnesium Deficiency and Vitamin B deficiency.
- Creating and maintaining a bedtime routine. A warm bath or massage before bed relaxes muscles and therefore may be helpful. Get into a regular routine that will help your mind and body settle down and prepare for bed. Getting to bed at about the same time each night and allowing for a full night’s sleep may help avoid the fatigue that could be a contributing factor to restless legs syndrome.
So what do our legs really need to function and carry out their purpose for a life-time? Love, respect, and appreciation in the form of movement, hydration, and nutrition.
Before diagnosing what is wrong with our legs, perhaps we should consider what is right and natural by listening to our legs.
Love, Light & Lots of Laughter…Joa
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