Al Stone, L.Ac.
Beyond Well Being
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicines
Santa Monica, CA.
(310) 264-6668
RogerRamjet writes:
On too regular a basis, I suffer from "Restless Leg Syndrome". It is the opinion of Western Medicine that it can be a stress related condition.
Any suggestions?
Yup. Restless Leg Syndrome is not unheard of in Chinese medicine. Ironically, this is one case in which it may not actually be stress related, though so many pathologies are.
We often look to a problem of heat in regards to restless leg syndrome. In modern culture, we talk about catching a cold. In Chinese medicine, we can catch a few things, including cold, damp, heat, dry, etc...
Heat has a unique quality of causing restlessness in the body. I treated a woman with this once and it was due to heat that had gotten into the body and was lodged in the Blood. Her complexion was always very red and she suffered from a variety of restless symptoms including the need to move legs, especially at night.
Her case was a little unique. The other case in which I've treated this condition was due to a Yin deficiency. This isn't a case of something getting inside the body to create the problem, but a case of not enough cooling mechanisms in the body to deal with the heat that is created.
Yin in the body represents, among other things, the liquids needed to keep the body cool. If you have an engine that is overheating, there is a possibility that there is something wrong with the engine. But more likely, the problem is that there isn't enough water in the radiator to control that heat.
That's Yin deficiency in the body. The nighttime is the part of the 24 hour cycle in which Yin pathologies are most evident. If you're situation is more pronounced at night, then we're barking up the right tree here.
Other symptoms of this Yin deficiency include: night sweats, heat in the palms and soles of your feet, scanty yellow urine, dehydration symptoms, dry mouth, dry cough, dry stools, perhaps dry eyes and skin, constant thirst, chronic low back pain, feeling hot all the time... restlessness.
So what do we do about that? We strengthen your body's ability to absorb the water you drink. You may drink a lot of fluids, but the body's ability to turn that water into usable body fluids is deficient. So, we strengthen the Kidneys so that they can better absorb that water you drink. That way, your dry symptoms disappear and with them, your restless legs.
In the meantime, try taking up dancing, or running. I'm just kidding here.
This is very do-able. Acupuncture will induce a rapid sense of relaxation. Herbal therapies will enter the Kidneys to regulate their function hence, treating your problem at its root.
Best of luck to you.
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Al Stone, L.Ac. |