DR ELLIE CANNON: Steps to relaxing your restless legs
Q: I suffer terribly from restless legs and have for many years. It is getting progressively worse and sometimes is almost unbearable. I take sedatives every night to help me sleep. Can the condition be cured?
A: Restless legs syndrome is a difficult condition to treat as the underlying cause is not fully understood. Sufferers usually have an irresistible desire to move, twitch or jerk their legs, particularly at night, and describe an unpleasant crawling or creeping sensation in the feet, calves and thighs.
When someone has had a condition for a long time, it can seem that all avenues have been explored for treatment, but it can be worth re-exploring and trying things again.
It is not usually a curable condition, although there are certainly case studies where it has resolved or at least temporarily abated. Some cases are associated with iron deficiency, in which case iron supplements will help: it is important to look at a blood test for ferritin – a protein that binds to iron helping us store it – not just levels of iron itself.
Sufferers usually have an irresistible desire to move, twitch or jerk their legs, particularly at night (stock photo)
Reducing caffeine, alcohol and smoking are all thought to help. Other non-drug treatments that can alleviate daytime symptoms include walking and stretching exercises or heat therapy with heat pads.
Drug options for people with difficult daily symptoms include Parkinson’s disease drugs such as ropinirole, as well as nerve-pain analgesics like gabapentin or pregabalin.
These are all NHS-approved medications for restless legs syndrome. It also approves the use of a drug known as rotigotine for restless legs where there are very bad daytime symptoms, as it can be used in patch form and lasts a long time.
If treatment is not successful, then seeing a specialist is appropriate. This would usually be a consultant in sleep medicine or a neurologist.
Q: My son, who is in his mid-20s, has had hearing problems for a number of years and now has tinnitus. It is getting worse and is causing him severe distress. He has tried a number of ways to ease the symptoms, such as exercise, relaxation music, lying in a darkened room with no sound at all and reducing caffeine and alcohol – none of which has helped. We are now getting desperate. Is there anything we have not tried that might help?
A: Tinnitus is a severely distressing problem. Rather than simply being ‘just’ a buzzing or ringing in the ears, the constant perception of noises when there is none can be troubling and infuriating, and can hugely affect quality of life.
Exercise and relaxation – in particular, mindfulness meditation – are very important to deal with the psychological burden of the condition. For some, treatment for depression and insomnia can also be crucial.
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR ELLIE?
Email [email protected] write to Health,
The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.
Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot
respond to individual cases, or give personal replies.
If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP.
The next step is to look at sound enrichment. This is not a cure but reduces the impact of the constant noise in quiet situations so is particularly useful for sleep, work and concentration.
The idea is simply to find a noise that is enough to counteract the tinnitus noise and sufferers do this by trialling different sounds. Sensible options to try would be white noise from, say, an oscillating fan, a mistuned radio or background TV noise; there are podcasts and online playlists you can use as sound-generators.
If the sound being used is kept at a low volume, the tinnitus can still be heard but its intrusiveness reduces.
This works by a process of habituation: one gets used to the tinnitus in the long term and this reduces its impact. Higher sound volumes can be used to completely mask the tinnitus, but the risk is that the tinnitus will then be perceived to be very loud when no background sound is on.
After sound enrichment, referral for tinnitus retraining therapy is the next step. This is a two-part process of sound therapy and counselling. Additionally, a support group can be a hugely valuable adjunct to any treatment as understanding and acknowledgment from fellow sufferers is comforting and therapeutic.
The British Tinnitus Association can be contacted on 0800 018 0527 or tinnitus.org.uk.
Asthma? Wear a scarf
Three people die from asthma every day in Britain, according to a new report – a shocking figure for a very commonplace illness – and Asthma UK hopes to improve matters with its latest campaign urging sufferers to wear scarfs in winter. It sounds superficial, but cold air can trigger an attack. Wearing a scarf loosely over the nose and mouth and breathing through it warms the air. It’s a simple measure that could be a lifesaver.
We don’t need this message from Khloe
For a group of women accused of being famous for no reason, the Kardashians are certainly a busy bunch. This time it’s Khloe who has bagged herself her very own TV show, but with a rather worrying title: Revenge Body.
Inspired by her own post-divorce weight-loss journey, Khloe sets out to help others transform their bodies. So far so good; physical exercise is a fantastic way to alleviate all forms of mental-health stress, anxiety and depression.
But in sending out the message that it should be done as a ‘revenge’, rather than for personal growth and health, this show could do more harm than good.
Khloe Kardashian has bagged herself her very own TV show, but with a rather worrying title: Revenge Body
Many people who struggle to come to terms with a break-up or a messy relationship are unable to get past feelings of resentment and bitterness, making recovery and moving on even more difficult.
The premise of Khloe’s show also reveals a lot about today’s selfie-obsessed world, where people look to gain satisfaction from others’ opinion of their appearance, rather than finding body confidence from within.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt last week suggested the current crisis in AEs is the public’s fault. He estimated (or guesstimated?) that one attendance in three was unnecessary. There are certainly occasions when patients should be attending more apt services such as pharmacies and walk-in clinics. But Hunt knows as well as NHS staff like me that we are facing a crisis caused by underfunding, a lack of staff and resources and a growing elderly and chronically ill population. Yes, it is frustrating when a patient attends AE with a broken nail, but that is not the major issue.
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR ELLIE?
Email [email protected] write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies. If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP.