Have you ever wondered how various syndromes are discovered? This is often how it comes about. A drug company discovers that one of the drugs, used on specific patients, begins to have an effect on unrelated symptoms aside from what the drug was initially dispensed to treat.
Case in point—The term Restless Leg Syndrome was created just over ten years ago. GlaxoSmithKline was marketing a dopamine agonist drug called Ropinirole for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. When people using this drug found relief from a need to move their legs to relieve unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations, the term restless leg syndrome, or RLS was born.
Now we have a perceived disease for which drugs can be dispensed to make even more revenue by the pharmaceutical giants. A quick name change to the product, new patent, and gouge the public for a drug that covers up some basic symptoms of poor circulation. Never mind that the cause has gone untreated.
Notice that this is called a syndrome and not a disease. Syndromes are conditions that aren’t actual diseases, just the result of some other underlying condition. The real disease is masked, and symptomatic treatment prevails. If all you are accomplishing is covering up a symptom, you’ve missed the boat.
So, how does the public become aware of these so called diseases? Drug companies spend obscene amounts of money, and work hard to create awareness of symptoms, calling attention to them in an effort to associate their drug with getting rid of the symptoms. Again, what about the disease running in the background?
Does this sound familiar? “For the relief of occasional symptoms of heartburn, take XYZ.” Isn’t anyone concerned why it’s there in the first place?
So, now that RLS has become a household name, how do we begin to associate it with something other than Requip, (the pharmaceutical drug)? Iron deficiency is a well documented cause of RLS, and correction of the deficiency often proves to correct the condition. We frequently see this condition in pregnancy. Blood building with iron as well as folic acid can greatly improve blood quality, and circulation, resulting in symptom relief, but more importantly, in correction of the underlying condition.
There appears to be a folic acid responsive form of RLS that tends to run in families and is associated with other neuropsychiatric symptoms, including reduced vibration sensation in the legs, stocking type hypoesthesia (loss of feeling), and chronic constipation. This accumulation of symptoms can be successfully treated with large doses of folic acid. When evaluating blood quality in pregnancy, it’s always important to keep folic acid levels high. When other family members share the same problem, it’s not a bad idea to investigate the use of high levels of folic acid as well as some magnesium to see how well the patient responds.
Correction of symptoms doesn’t always occur immediately. Since many symptoms usually come on after a prolonged deficiency, restoration of nutrition can take a while. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. It burned down rather quickly though. Many times the deficiency was there long before symptoms occurred.
Since folic acid is obtained mostly through green foliage (thus the name), diets lacking an adequate level of fresh green leafy foods has the potential of setting a person up for problems of anemia, circulatory issues, and RLS.
One of my favorite fixes for many conditions and (syndromes) is magnesium. This critical mineral is often overlooked and is indicated in an amazingly large number of biochemical responses in the body. Remember, syndromes are not diseases, just symptoms.
Case in point—The term Restless Leg Syndrome was created just over ten years ago. GlaxoSmithKline was marketing a dopamine agonist drug called Ropinirole for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. When people using this drug found relief from a need to move their legs to relieve unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations, the term restless leg syndrome, or RLS was born.
Now we have a perceived disease for which drugs can be dispensed to make even more revenue by the pharmaceutical giants. A quick name change to the product, new patent, and gouge the public for a drug that covers up some basic symptoms of poor circulation. Never mind that the cause has gone untreated.
Notice that this is called a syndrome and not a disease. Syndromes are conditions that aren’t actual diseases, just the result of some other underlying condition. The real disease is masked, and symptomatic treatment prevails. If all you are accomplishing is covering up a symptom, you’ve missed the boat.
So, how does the public become aware of these so called diseases? Drug companies spend obscene amounts of money, and work hard to create awareness of symptoms, calling attention to them in an effort to associate their drug with getting rid of the symptoms. Again, what about the disease running in the background?
Does this sound familiar? “For the relief of occasional symptoms of heartburn, take XYZ.” Isn’t anyone concerned why it’s there in the first place?
So, now that RLS has become a household name, how do we begin to associate it with something other than Requip, (the pharmaceutical drug)? Iron deficiency is a well documented cause of RLS, and correction of the deficiency often proves to correct the condition. We frequently see this condition in pregnancy. Blood building with iron as well as folic acid can greatly improve blood quality, and circulation, resulting in symptom relief, but more importantly, in correction of the underlying condition.
There appears to be a folic acid responsive form of RLS that tends to run in families and is associated with other neuropsychiatric symptoms, including reduced vibration sensation in the legs, stocking type hypoesthesia (loss of feeling), and chronic constipation. This accumulation of symptoms can be successfully treated with large doses of folic acid. When evaluating blood quality in pregnancy, it’s always important to keep folic acid levels high. When other family members share the same problem, it’s not a bad idea to investigate the use of high levels of folic acid as well as some magnesium to see how well the patient responds.
Correction of symptoms doesn’t always occur immediately. Since many symptoms usually come on after a prolonged deficiency, restoration of nutrition can take a while. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. It burned down rather quickly though. Many times the deficiency was there long before symptoms occurred.
Since folic acid is obtained mostly through green foliage (thus the name), diets lacking an adequate level of fresh green leafy foods has the potential of setting a person up for problems of anemia, circulatory issues, and RLS.
One of my favorite fixes for many conditions and (syndromes) is magnesium. This critical mineral is often overlooked and is indicated in an amazingly large number of biochemical responses in the body. Remember, syndromes are not diseases, just symptoms.
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