1:11pm Wednesday 14th April 2010
By Barry Nelson
Do your legs twitch when you are trying to sleep? Health Editor Barry Nelson finds out about Restless Leg Syndrome, a treatable condition which is no joke for sufferers.
WHEN he thinks back, David Mattches reckons he was about 13 when he first realised he had a problem. Despite the passage of nearly 50 years, he can remember clearly where he was when it started.
“I was on an overnight coach, coming back from a school trip to Germany and I was trying to get to sleep,” recalls David, now 60, who lives in Guisborough, East Cleveland.
“I remember my legs were twitching to such an extent that I couldn’t sit still, much to the annoyance of everyone else on the coach.”
As a young man he had problems sleeping, problems which persisted through his adult life – but David always thought this was normal and something he would just have to suffer.
“I did go to the doctors several times over the years because of tiredness caused by my jumpy legs, but all that ever happened was that they prescribed me sleeping pills, which never seemed to have the slightest effect, apart from making me feel drowsy the next day.”
In the past 15 years or so the problem of David’s jerky legs became more and more of a problem.
“Being confined in any space was a constant fear, for example, on an aircraft. If I happened to be in the middle seat and I started to relax, the involuntary limb movements would kick in.”
And these were not restricted to his legs. “It also affected my arms, so much so that I couldn’t hold a book to read,” he says.
After accidentally striking his wife in the face because of his condition, David was reluctantly forced to sleep in a separate bed.
“Describing the sensation of Restless Leg Syndrome is not easy. The nearest I can come up with is by likening it to severe pins and needles,” says David.
But worst of all was trying to hold down a demanding lecturing job at Redcar and Cleveland College while utterly shattered by endless disturbed nights. “The exhaustion, day after day, is mind-numbing,” he says.
In 2003, David, who is married with two grown-up children and five grandchildren, suffered a more serious health problem when he was diagnosed with cancer. During treatment, he noticed that a painkiller also gave him some relief from RLS.
“Thankfully, I recovered from cancer but after a while I became concerned about continuing with the painkiller as I had heard that it can be addictive. I went back to my GP to ask about options.”
This time, he saw a new locum doctor who referred him to a consultant neurologist at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, the first time any GP had suggested a hospital referral and the results were nothing less than sensational.
“I saw Dr Paul Reading, who was the first person I had ever seen who seemed to really understand the severity of my problem,” says David.
Dr Reading is one of a handful of neurologists in the UK who has an interest in RLS, plus a well-equipped sleep laboratory at his disposal. This combination of factors means he gets referrals from all over England and further afield.
Dr Reading prescribed a drug which is also used to treat Parkinson’s Disease. It has transformed David’s life. “The drug’s effect on me was quite miraculous. I now sleep much better and even when I don’t sleep so well, at least I can lie still or read a book,” he says.
DR Reading uses his sleep lab to film patients while they are asleep, measuring the number of leg movements per hour. “Typically, jerks or twitches occur every 18 to 20 seconds,” says Dr Reading.
Specialists increasingly think RLS is caused by a spinal cord which is more irritable than usual. “Also, people who get RLS may have the genes that predispose them for this syndrome.”
Dr Reading says he sees about one or two new patients a week, although it is only those at the severe end of the spectrum who need treatment.
“The best treatment is to give them dopamine replacements, the same drugs you would use for Parkinson’s Disease but lower doses,” says Dr Reading.
Alternatively, patients are sometimes asked to wear a patch which slowly feeds dopamine into the bloodstream. Patients with less severe forms of RLS may also respond to drugs like codeine.
“You can improve the situation for patients overnight,” the specialist adds. “It can make lives a misery.”
Q My eight-year-old son suffers with eczema. It does respond to steroid cream, but I don’t like to use it all the time. Are there any natural alternatives?
A Eczema is a wide-ranging skin condition estimated to affect over six million people in the UK.
My daughter used to have eczema, but when she was four, she had a bout of gastroenteritis and hardly ate for almost a week. During that time her eczema cleared completely, so we knew it was being triggered by something in her diet.
We removed dairy products from her diet for a year or so before gradually re-introducing them. Thankfully, her eczema has never returned.
Protein-rich foods and dairy foods especially are harder to digest, which can cause problems for eczema sufferers as they tend to have weaker stomach acid.
People with eczema also seem to lack an enzyme that converts essential fatty acids (EFAs) into prostaglandins, which are antiinflammatory compounds that help to counteract an allergic response.
Avoid known food triggers such as cow’s milk and products made from milk or containing milk byproducts.
There are now plenty of alternatives using soya, rice milk or oat milk. Boost your son’s intake of EFAs using omega 3 and fish oil supplements designed especially for children.
Bitter herbs such as centaurium and yarrow will help strengthen stomach function, and a good probiotic supplement will encourage good bacteria to flourish.
Fresh Urtica (nettle) tincture can help to reduce itching when taken internally. Dilute one drop per year of age in a little water twice a day.
For topical relief of eczema, look for creams containing fresh echinacea and/or wild pansy extract.
Mike Barker, The Health Warehouse, Darlington
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