Article: Getting Relief | WellnessSooner.com | Practical Research for Better Sleep

The 3 Key Problems with Restless Legs

Here is exactly how we’ve connected the dots and helped thousands with their restless legs symptoms…

All without the use of drugs or expensive therapies.

As I mentioned, there are really 3 main factors in people with restless legs:

1. Malfunctioning dopamine-receptors

2. Poor iron metabolism

3. Chronic/long-term inflammation

As you’ll find out below, once you know how to correct all 3 malfunctions, symptoms can actually reside all on their own.

Let’s briefly explore all 3 of these:

1. Malfunctioning Dopamine-Receptors

Just about every medical researcher studying restless legs agrees that one of the most common factors affecting all patients is that their dopamine-receptors aren’t functioning properly. [1] Causes of Restless Legs. Role of Dopamine; Earley, Ph.D. 2018

And dopamine receptors are so important. They’re often called the “feel good” chemicals and their primary function is sending messages that control muscle movement.

That is exactly why almost any doctor you see prescribes dopamine-stimulating drugs for restless legs.

But this logic is flawed, and even they know this. Here’s why.

The biggest problem with restless legs is the bulk of your receptors that are SUPPOSED to receive dopamine aren’t receiving it. [2] Restless Legs, Insomnia And Brain Chemistry: A Tangled Mystery Solved? Allen, Ph.D. 2013

What these drugs will do is temporarily stimulate the receptors that ARE working, to work even harder. Until they eventually burn out.

It’s kind of like replacing sleep with more caffeine. It may work for a while but you’re not fixing the root cause. So the real question becomes, why exactly aren’t dopamine-receptors functioning properly in those with restless legs?

And recently, experts have discovered a very important clue – a severe lack of iron in the brains of over 85% of restless legs patients studied. [3] Causes of Restless Legs. Role of Iron in Restless Legs; Earley, Ph.D. 2018

And iron is absolutely critical for the proper functioning of dopamine-receptors.

But here’s the catch…

“Your iron levels are probably fine. Your iron metabolism most likely isn’t…”

2. The Iron Connection – Poor Iron Metabolism

Now some doctors, who have heard of restless legs, will test your iron levels. That’s because iron is an absolutely necessary requirement for so many functions of the body, especially for restless leg sufferers.

So this isn’t a bad idea.

But the trouble is this test only checks the amount of iron in the blood. And herein lies the problem.

“Your iron levels are probably fine. Your iron metabolism most likely isn’t…”

Here’s a little secret that some doctors won’t tell you.

Once your test results come in there are usually 2 avenues they will take you down. And both can lead you in the wrong direction.

If the test results show low iron levels in the blood, you are put on an iron supplement to try to correct the problem.

If they show normal, or even close to normal, you are prescribed one dopa-stimulating drug after another in hopes that one will work for a while, as a temporary “band-aid.”

But they are missing the most important fact…

Your restless legs has nothing to do with the amount of iron in your blood. But it has everything to do with low iron levels in your brain.

In particular, the substantia nigra region of the brain, which is where the dopamine factory is. [4] Ask a Neuroscientist: Restless Legs. Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. 2015

Why supplementing with Iron is one of the worst things you can do for Restless Legs

It’s not a matter how of much iron you have in your blood in fact, it can make your symptoms worse or even fatally toxic to take too much iron. In fact, a recent study revealed that only 1 in 5 restless leg sufferers were actually iron deficient. [5] Restless legs and low brain iron levels in patients; J Haba-Rubio, L Staner. 2005

So what gives?

The truth is, restless legs is caused by problems with iron transportation and delivery to the brain. [6] Response to intravenous iron in patients with iron deficiency and restless leg; Mehmood T, Auerbach M. 2014

What these experts are now realizing, is that it really boils down to how much iron can cross the blood-brain barrier and get into your brain, so it can be properly utilized by your dopamine-receptors. [7] Restless Legs, Insomnia And Brain Chemistry: A Tangled Mystery Solved? Allen, Ph.D. 2013

Iron is one of the most critical elements for the proper functioning of your dopamine-receptors.

So, obviously the next question becomes – Why do people with restless legs have a deficiency of iron in their brain?

“Inflammation – The Connecting Factor in Almost Every Restless Legs Case…”

3. How Inflammation is at the very Heart of Restless Legs

Restless legs is complex. If you want to uproot the cause of your suffering, and not just battle your symptoms forever, you have to connect all the dots with this condition.

And these dots all point back to inflammation.

We are absolutely convinced that inflammation is the #1 underlying cause beneath all of the restless legs factors mentioned above.

In fact, the most recent studies from 2016 and 2017 have linked low-dopamine activity AND low-iron levels in the brain directly to long term inflammation in restless legs patients. [8] Inflammation Effects on Motivation and Motor Activity: Role of Dopamine; J. Felger, M. Treadway. 2016, [9] Iron and Inflammation – the Gut Reaction; S. Verma and B. Cherayil. 2017

According to this research, inflammation causes a chain of events to happen in the body which first leads to poor iron metabolism and eventually, a malfunction of dopamine receptors in restless leg patients. [10] Limitations of Serum Ferritin in Diagnosing Iron Deficiency in Inflammatory Conditions; A. Dignass K. Farrag. 2018

And folks all around the world, who have learned the method we’re going to show you, are now finally able to put their restless leg nightmare behind them.

Folks like Susan Wilkes, from Amarillo, Texas. She recently wrote in to say: “Many nights I would only get 1 hour of sleep, I couldn’t keep still to save my life. For the first time in years I’ve finally found something that actually works. And no more horrible side-effects from all the medications I was taking. I wish I would have known about this years ago, it would have saved me so much heartache.”

Here’s how this works in your body…

Get Off The Inflammation Loop!

During inflammation, your body releases immune cells called cytokines, which act like an army of troops for your immune system.

And for reasons still unknown to scientists, these cytokine cells shut down something critical for allowing iron into the brain. [11] Restless legs. Theoretical roles of inflammatory and immune mechanisms; L. Weinstock, A. Walters. 2011

It’s an iron-transporter called ferroportin.

Ferroportin is critical, because it’s only job is to allow iron into your brain.

But since most people with restless legs have constant, low-grade inflammation, this precious ferroportin becomes scarce over time.

And the iron in your blood becomes stranded, unable to get to your brain.

But that’s not all.

Because of this constant state of inflammation, other immune cells are being released, which can alter the ability for dopamine-receptors to function.

And many experts believe this is a built-in mechanism that your body naturally activates during periods of stress, or during an inflammatory response.

In fact, Michael Treadway, professor in Emory’s Department of Psychology, sums up the critical link between inflammation and dopamine by saying if your brain is overrun with inflammation, it simply can’t be calm.

The body redirects its energy from producing “feel good” chemicals and instead makes immune and inflammatory chemicals, in order to fight more effectively.

When your body is constantly inflamed, all of your extra energy is being used up by your immune system.

This is because when your body is stuck in an un-ending loop of inflammation, there aren’t many resources for doing much else.

And, as is the case for so many restless legs sufferers, their immune system never shuts off. It’s on “red alert” every second of the day.

How to Quickly Shut Down Restless Leg Symptoms – Step-by-Step

Over the years, we’ve used so many different strategies for quickly shutting down restless leg symptoms. However, we’ve discovered a 3-part system, that when followed correctly, can shut down even the worst of symptoms in a matter of days, and sometimes, even hours.

It doesn’t require drugs and it’s not expensive. It’s a 1-2-3 punch that quickly and safely addresses all 3 of the biggest restless leg causes mentioned above.

Here’s the first one:

Lactobacillus Plantarum 299 (Probiotic) – #1 Iron Synthesizer 

We’ve already seen why just supplementing with more iron is in fact one of the worst things you can do for restless legs, so what does work?

When we were doing research into what was the most effective way for helping iron cross the blood-brain barrier, there was one winner which stood out from the rest – probiotics. Particularly the probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum 299.

These are friendly bacteria that are already present in the human body, which work hard at breaking down vitamins and minerals from food so that they are more bio-available and useful to the body. [12] Freeze-dried Lactobacillus plantarum 299v increases iron absorption in young females; Hoppe M, Önning G. 2017

But due to modern diet and lifestyle, most people are severely depleted in these friendly helpers. The probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum 299, is especially efficient at breaking down iron so that can cross the blood-brain barrier – where it’s really needed most.

The next super power we found in our research comes from an unlikely source. But we’ve seen it deliver consistent results time and time again…

Magnesium Malate – “A Spring Cleaning” for Your Dopamine Receptors

Magnesium is known as the master mineral and one of the first things the body goes deficient in.

It’s estimated that up to 68% of all restless legs sufferers has a magnesium deficiency. [13] Magnesium therapy for periodic leg movements-related insomnia and restless legs: an open pilot study; Hornyak, Voderholzer U. 1998

This is probably because magnesium is required for over 300+ biochemical reactions in the body. [14] Magnesium in Prevention and Therapy; Uwe Gröber, Joachim Schmidt. 2015

The one we’ve found to be most effective for restless legs is called magnesium malate.

Magnesium malate does something very special for restless legs.

It goes to work unclogging your dopamine receptor sites, which is happening far too often in restless leg cases.

Studies have shown that magnesium malate is actually able to cross the blood-brain barrier, allowing for maximum absorption where it’s really needed. [15] Magnesium therapy for periodic leg movements-related insomnia and restless legs: an open pilot study; Hornyak, Voderholzer U. 1998

And this is where it gets interesting for patients…

Once it gets absorbed, it magnetically binds with aluminum and other toxins that clog dopamine receptor sites, safely flushing these toxins from the body. [16] The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders; A. Kirkland, G. Sarlo. 2018

And your movement receptors can once again receive dopamine neurotransmitters which ultimately holds the key for many who are fighting restless leg symptoms.

The Off-Switch for the “Inflammation Loop”

Lastly, you want to focus efforts on putting out the “fire” of inflammation.

We’ve found that by stopping the inflammation that’s happening, the natural repairing mechanisms within your body can re-activate and come back online.

This is the most critical step. It’s where we’ve spent the most time and research solving.

There is no other compound in the world which provides more inflammation reducing effects per ounce than curcumin.

Curcumin is the active and beneficial ingredient found in the ancient herb Turmeric. It is quite literally one of the longest-used and most powerful, natural anti-inflammatory agents in the world.

Curcumin is special because of its ability to “turn-off” those rouge immune cells which cause excessive inflammation, but without reducing the effectiveness of the immune system itself.

There are literally hundreds of experiments conducted by researchers worldwide demonstrating curcumin’s ability to stop inflammation in its tracks. [17] Safety and anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin: a component of tumeric; Chainani-Wu N. 2003

And when it comes to silencing the triggers that typical restless leg patients experience, there is no quicker and more effective way than this potent herb.

And finally, there is one more major deficiency that almost every patient seems to have in common…

I saved this for the very last because I see this causing the most violent episodes of restless legs – especially at night…

Vitamin D3 – Protector of Your Brain & Movement Receptors

Ultimately, restless legs starts and ends in the brain. This is where the real battle is taking place.

There are now hundreds of studies that conclude this.

In over a dozen landmark studies on restless legs, vitamin D deficiency was regularly found in upwards of 75% of restless leg sufferers. [18] An evaluation of sleep quality and the prevalence of restless legs in vitamin D deficiency; Cakir T., Dogan G. 2015

Often called the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D acts as an anti-inflammatory and also a major protector to the region of the brain responsible for receiving nerve-pain and movement signals.

Experts found that the replenishment of vitamin D levels had decreased both the pain/severity of restless legs symptoms in patients.

But you don’t want to just take any regular vitamin D.

You would be wasting most of it because regular vitamin D isn’t readily absorbed in your body.

Vitamin D3 is the most natural form that your body is able to utilize. It’s the same form that your skin produces whenever it’s exposed to sunlight.

But here’s the key to even BETTER results…

Taking vitamin K2 along with D3.

The K2 works with vitamin D3 to help your body direct the calcium and magnesium to the proper tissues in the body. Without it, you are at risk for soft tissue calcifications in the brain, aorta and other soft tissues in the body.

Also, when taken together, K2 and D3 have a synergistic effect – both improving their brain protecting powers while increasing absorption rate of both compounds. [19] The Synergistic Interplay between Vitamins D and K; A. Ballegooijen, S. Pilz. 2017