Masturbation May Help to Relieve Restless Legs Syndrome

[Deepsepia]

Apparently, being master of your domain isn't all that it's hyped up to be.

Researchers say that for sufferers of the neurological disorder restless legs syndrome, a little self-pleasure could be just what the doctor ordered.

In a recent letter published by the medical journal Sleep Medicine, Luis Marin and colleagues at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, report the case of a patient who, with masturbation and sexual intercourse, eased the symptoms of his RLS.

"The patient reported that he would get complete relief from RLS symptoms, granting him normal sleep following sexual intercourse or masturbation," the letter read.

RLS is characterized by the constant urge to move the limbs. It afflicts, to varying degrees, between 7 and 10 percent of Americans and Europeans.

California-based sleep specialist and RLS expert Dr. Mark Buchfuhrer says he's encountered at least one to two dozen similar cases -- and estimates that possibly "10 times as many" of his own patients, not surprisingly, decline to discuss their masturbation-induced relief.

But he also cautions against over-reacting to a single case study.

"Since we don't know what causes restless legs, it's very hard to speculate what makes it better," Buchfuhrer told AOL News.



One possible explanation, according to the letter, is that the chemical release of dopamine in the brain triggered by masturbation and sexual intercourse could ease the symptoms, an idea that Buchfuhrer has briefly discussed in his own writings.

"The theory that the release of dopamine with orgasm helps is a very good one and may even be the correct one," Buchfuhrer said. "I'd say that's a very reasonable and plausible theory, but it's no more than a theory."

In fact, the only two drugs currently approved for treating RLS are Mirapex and Requip, both of which are dopamine-based.

Buchfuhrer says he has also encountered cases when masturbation and sexual activity have caused negative effects for RLS patients. So while the dopamine theory is a good one, the five-knuckle shuffle is probably unlikely to catch on as the latest RLS wonder treatment.

As the doctor put it, "It's not something I routinely ask about."

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/07/masturbation-may-help-to-relieve-restless-legs-syndrome/

[Foxdana]

the five-knuckle shuffle



So this was a legitimate journal then?! :-k

[FBD]

Cases like this are where traditional chinese medicine has explanations that western medicine can only go "hm, so that works like this, huh...well I guess if it works, go with it"

[Deepsepia]

Well, "restless leg syndrome" is garbage. It does exist, but wasn't recognized as anything other than a minor nuisance until a drug company decided to promote a drug, and to convince people that their minor symptom are a "disease" which should be treated-- a process called by some"disease mongering"



“Disease mongering” is the effort by pharmaceutical companies (or others with similar financial interests) to enlarge the market for a treatment by convincing people that they are sick and need medical intervention [ 2]. Typically, the disease is vague, with nonspecific symptoms spanning a broad spectrum of severity—from everyday experiences many people would not even call “symptoms,” to profound suffering. The market for treatment gets enlarged in two ways: by narrowing the definition of health so normal experiences get labeled as pathologic, and by expanding the definition of disease to include earlier, milder, and presymptomatic forms (e.g., regarding a risk factor such as high cholesterol as a disease in itself).

To get a sense of how the media works in the context of a major disease promotion effort, we examined news coverage of “restless legs” (see sidebar). In 2003, GlaxoSmithKline launched a campaign to promote awareness about restless legs syndrome, beginning with press releases about presentations at the American Academy of Neurology meeting describing the early trial results of using ropinirole (a drug previously approved for Parkinson disease) for the treatment of restless legs [ 6, 7]. Two months later, GlaxoSmithKline issued a new press release entitled “New survey reveals common yet under recognized disorder—restless legs syndrome—is keeping Americans awake at night” about an internally funded and, at the time, unpublished study [ 8]. In 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ropinirole for the treatment of restless legs syndrome (the first drug approved specifically for this indication). Since then, the restless legs campaign has developed into a multimillion dollar international effort to “push restless legs syndrome into the consciousness of doctors and consumers alike” [ 9].

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1434499/?tool=pubmed


I say, "Doc, hold the pills and send that man to the NSFW threads"

[MrsM]

I sometimes have RLS or something like it... and I agree rubbing one out usually helps. I'll take the hand before the pills any day :tup:

[FBD]

POSSIBLE CHINESE MEDICINE (http://www.itmonline.org/arts/restlessleg.htm) APPROACHES TO RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME

Traditional Chinese medicine approaches disorders that are not among the ancient disease categories, such as Restless Legs Syndrome, primarily through analysis of symptom patterns. The excessive movements of the legs are interpreted as being a manifestation of "internal wind," a condition that is related to liver blood deficiency. The fact that the disorder occurs more notably at night and disturbs sleep suggests that the weiqi (external..."aura" chi) that circulates at the surface during the day fails to fully return to the interior at night, a problem that is usually attributed to a fluid deficiency of the internal organs, such as yin and blood deficiency of the liver. Disturbance of sleep, a common aspect of the disorder, may also implicate deficiency of the heart. The limitation of the movements to the legs, which are said to be influenced by the liver-kidney system, suggests a deficiency of those two organs. The liver-kidney system is said to deteriorate with aging and to be responsible for many of the disorders that arise with aging, so this relationship may also explain the prevalence of the disease among the elderly. The strange leg sensations described by those who experience Restless Legs Syndrome may correspond to the "numbness" pattern that is attributed to blood deficiency and blood stasis in the traditional Chinese system.

Therefore, the Chinese medical therapy would primarily involve tonifying the deficiencies and promoting blood circulation. The deficiency syndrome appears to mainly involve the liver and kidney (possibly also the heart), and the stasis mainly involves the legs. Certain herbs immediately come to mind, such as: rehmannia and cornus for nourishing liver and kidney; tang-kuei and peony for nourishing blood of liver and heart; millettia and achyranthes for nourishing and vitalizing blood (achyranthes is also relied upon to direct the blood flow to the lower body). Chaenomeles is often included Chinese formulas for contracture of the leg muscles, and is especially used in deficiency syndromes; the traditional pair of peony and licorice is typically given to reduce spastic activity, also in deficiency syndromes. In China, these deficiency syndromes would also be treated by consuming organ meats (such as liver), thus providing iron and folate.


Ergo,

Tests have suggested that serum levels of both ferretin and folate are involved in nutritional aspects of Restless Legs Syndrome (3-5). The levels of these nutrients within cells may not be relevant, nor, apparently, are levels of hemoglobin or free iron. Administration of iron and folate in deficiency cases can provide some relief and sometimes resolve the problem entirely. Folate deficiencies can result from genetic defects, low absorption, or dietary insufficiency (recommended intake for adults is 400 μg/day). The following table displays good sources of folate (see the article Iron Deficiency Anemia for good dietary sources of iron; suggested daily iron intake is 7 mg for men; 12-16 mg for women). Some foods are rich sources of both folate and iron, especially liver (and, to a lesser extent, other meats), spinach (and, to a lesser extent, most green leafy vegetables), and several legumes (beans and peas). Fortified foods, such as breads and cereals, are also good sources of these nutrients. Folate was named for leaves (foliage) that were noted to be a significant source; the supplement form is called folic acid. Current recommendations suggest limiting intake of supplements with folic acid to 1,000 μg (= 1 mg) per day, but the concern for high doses is eliminated when vitamin B12 is also administered.

-----
So yeah...the right diet...or the right supplementary pill...one's far cheaper ;) Basically it appears that this condition manifests due to a long term deficiency on some level. Sorta like if you never get any electrolytes, your nerves will start doing funny things...

[St. George]

I sometimes have RLS or something like it... and I agree rubbing one out usually helps. I'll take the hand before the pills any day :tup:

Mmmmmmmm smells like victory!

:D

[Deepsepia]

I sometimes have RLS or something like it... and I agree rubbing one out usually helps. I'll take the hand before the pills any day :tup:

Do you have a prescription for that? No? We're going to have to write you up for unlawful practice of medicine . . .

[MrsM]

Mmmmmmmm smells like victory!

:D

:tup:


Do you have a prescription for that? No? We're going to have to write you up for unlawful practice of medicine . . .

:nana:

[DemonGeminiX]

So this was a legitimate journal then?! :-k

Could've been worse. Could've said something like "going on a date with Rosie and her five sisters" or "Hanging out with Miss Michigan".

8-[

[Muddy]

I've had RLS before... It sucks..

[Deepsepia]

So this was a legitimate journal then?! :-k

Yes, actually it was. The letter was published in the journal "Sleep Medicine" -- the article I posted was from AOL news, which wrote about the journal article, and obviously played it for fun. "Letters" to a scientific journal are the lowest form of scientific publication-- they're on the order of "we noticed something interesting in this one case".

its actually an interesting observation for precisely the reason that the article noted -- "restless leg syndrome" is a very minor sort of tremor, and the idea that the dopamine pathways might suppress a tremor makes sense.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13899457

[Foxdana]

Could've been worse. Could've said something like "going on a date with Rosie and her five sisters" or "Hanging out with Miss Michigan".

8-[
I've never heard of the 5 knuckle shuffle before! I've led a very sheltered life I guess!:lol:

Yes, actually it was. The letter was published in the journal "Sleep Medicine" -- the article I posted was from AOL news, which wrote about the journal article, and obviously played it for fun. "Letters" to a scientific journal are the lowest form of scientific publication-- they're on the order of "we noticed something interesting in this one case".

its actually an interesting observation for precisely the reason that the article noted -- "restless leg syndrome" is a very minor sort of tremor, and the idea that the dopamine pathways might suppress a tremor makes sense.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13899457

I totally believe this could be a legitimate treatment for some people, it was just that phrase that tickled me! I've had restless legs forever, before it was a "syndrome" and it never bothered me, but I will being giving the treatment a go, and see if it works. :mrgreen:

[Lambchop]

I had the classical symptoms for RLS when I was 16 through to 18. Turns out I was walking around with a potassium level of 2.5 mEq/L (normal range is from about 3.5 - 5.0 mEq/L) and this was the source of the symptoms. I did masturbate quite a lot at the time and that did not help but the article does seem to mention dopamine which was not the source of my problems.

[Deepsepia]

I had the classical symptoms for RLS when I was 16 through to 18. Turns out I was walking around with a potassium level of 2.5 mEq/L (normal range is from about 3.5 - 5.0 mEq/L) and this was the source of the symptoms. I did masturbate quite a lot at the time and that did not help but the article does seem to mention dopamine which was not the source of my problems.

True RLS is mostly a disease of much older folks . . . it can be irritating, but the drugs for it are mostly worse than the disease. I sympathize with folks who've got severe symptoms, but its seems like its most often a drug company looking for a profitable problem

At 16 to 18, you're packing on muscle so fast, there's a lot of metabolic "twitchiness", which originates in the muscle, not in the nerves -- I'm sure that at that age you were applying "lots of therapy"-- but that won't do anything for a muscle twitch. The dopamine thing would impact on something that was neurologic . . . so yeah, for older folks, the climax cure probably would do some good-- and its way better as a placebo than anything else.

But teens are going to have to think of another excuse.

[DemonGeminiX]

I've never heard of the 5 knuckle shuffle before! I've led a very sheltered life I guess!:lol:

Spankin' da monkey. Strokin' the salami. Chokin' the chicken. Wringin' the wang...

[Muddy]

beatin the meat..