Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

I remember when I was first diagnosed with Willis-Ekbom disease (also known as restless legs syndrome). I just started 6th grade, probably one of the most awkward times in a person’s life. Even though I felt relieved that the condition that I suffered from actually had a name, and that others had it too, I also felt conflicted –...

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Re: Bad medicine: Restless Legs Syndrome      In response to the Views and Reviews column by Des Spence—“Bad Medicine: Restless Legs Syndrome” (January 3, 2014) (1), we are writing as the Medical Advisory Board of the Willis- Ekbom Disease (WED) Foundation, a patient-based organization in the U.S.A. that serves individuals in North America and internationally who have restless...

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Editor British Medical Journal January 20, 2014 Dear Editor, As interim director of the Willis-Ekbom Disease Foundation and mother of a daughter who has a severe case of WED/RLS, I write to counter the “commissioned commentary” of Dr. Des Spence about Willis-Ekbom disease, also referred to as restless legs syndrome, or WED/RLS. Dr. Spence begins his commentary by...

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I traveled by air to most of the national WED/RLS Conferences and Support Group Advisory Board (SGAB) meetings which were held while I was a Support Group Leader and member of the SGAB. One conference was held in a hotel in Los Angeles, CA. First, I had to fly from Jacksonville, FL to Charlotte, NC. It wasn’t bad....

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An article published December 19 in the British Medical Journal questions current practices in WED/RLS diagnosis and treatment. We are asking the WED/RLS community to take action by reading the article: “Bad Medicine: Restless LegsSyndrome.” A subscription is needed to post a direct response. However, a free 14-day trial subscription is available. An article published December 19 in...

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The latest "cartoon" in the new WED series NightWalker comes from the problems we face with people just not understanding what this disease is all about.  The urge to stand or move is so compelling to us but is simply not something most others can comprehend. There truly are "no standing" policies in many theaters and almost all...

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