Trying to kick restless leg woes
YOU DOCS | Medicine not halting syndrome; ready for alternative
Q. I have restless leg syndrome, and the twitching drives me crazy at night. I am taking a medication for it, but it doesn't seem to be doing any good. What causes this syndrome? Is there anything else I can do to get a good night's sleep? -- Martha
A. If you spend your nights doing more kicking than a roomful of Rockettes, drugs aren't the only solution. No one knows exactly what causes restless leg syndrome, a burning, creeping, tugging sensation in the legs that creates an uncontrollable urge to move them to try to relieve the feeling. That might sound innocuous, but it starts up just as you're trying to relax and robs you, and maybe your partner, of sleep for most of the night.
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But here's the thing: Some people with this disorder have deficiencies of iron as well as folate and other B vitamins. Also, check that you're getting the right amounts of calcium and magnesium. If you've done all that, try sipping a little diet tonic water at dinner. It contains quinine, an ingredient that helps quiet cramping muscles and might relieve restless legs. If none of these works, try switching medications. Several types of medications work (including anticonvulsants). Personally, we try dopaminelike meds first.
Q. I'm confused about vitamin D. The calcium supplement I take includes some vitamin D, although it's actually vitamin D-3. Do I still need to take more D in addition to what's in my calcium supplement? -- Patricia
A. Like many docs and vitamin researchers, we believe your body needs much more D than the standard 400 IU a day. We recommend about 1,000 IU a day -- and we prefer vitamin D-3. It's the form your skin naturally makes when 15 or 20 minutes of sunlight turns on its D-making system. But counting on sunlight is iffy, especially in winter. The sun north of a line between Los Angeles and Atlanta just doesn't have the energy to transform your inactive D to active. And most calcium-plus-D supplements supply less than half of the D you need. Check the label, and if you take a multi-vitamin, check it too -- you'll still almost certainly need a vitamin D-3 supplement.
Why is D so important? It helps build bones, but its biggest and most important effects are to keep your arteries younger (fewer heart attacks, fewer strokes, fewer wrinkles, and more and better orgasms) and to keep your immune system functioning at its optimum by decreasing cancers, including breast, prostate and colon. That's why it's a big deal.
Q. I've heard that when hyaluronic acid is injected into the knee, it can relieve arthritis pain, and that it also can be used to reduce wrinkles. I've also heard that this acid is sold in health-food stores. Would taking capsules of it improve joint pain and stiffness? Or my skin? -- Joe
A. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in healthy joints, and yes, you can buy capsules of it. But if you take them, your body will just digest the acid into simple sugars. That's an expensive way to get sugar.
The injections might reduce the pain of arthritis, and people who can't tolerate painkillers often try these shots. But the studies haven't been going on long enough for the injections to be a front-line treatment. As for wrinkles, injecting hyaluronic acid into them definitely works -- it's a popular "filler" that's used to plump up and smooth out deep creases, like those between the nose and corners of the mouth. The body eventually metabolizes it to sugar (not as fast as your stomach and intestines do), so you'll have to have additional shots to fill your wrinkles or relieve joint pain in four months to two years.
But again, taking pills won't do a thing. Neither will popping open the capsules and rubbing their contents on your face: The acid molecules are too big to get through your skin. The acid is a pretty good moisturizer, but it won't get rid of wrinkles.
Submit your questions at www.RealAge.com. Dr. Oz gives more advice in his podcast at suntimes.com.