Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

December 14, 2021 Support Group Leader and Secretary, RLS Foundation Board of Directors I recently had the pleasure to sit down and chat with one of the extraordinary members of our Board of Directors, Linda Secretan. Since she became a Foundation member in 1997, she has served the RLS community in so many ways. From starting a support...

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November 15, 2021 By Steve McCann, former RLS Foundation Board Member I’m in my 50’s and have been in corporate sales for over 30 years. My diagnosis of RLS should have come when I was five years old; however, back then, members of the medical community did not know nearly as much as they do today. My path...

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November 3, 2021 Understanding Augmentation and How to Recover from Dopamine Dependence by J. Andrew Berkowski, MD, member of the RLS Foundation’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board Dopaminergic medications had been the mainstay of first-line pharmacological treatment of RLS for many years, but they have significantly fallen out of favor in the past decade due to high rates...

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October 19, 2021 By Brian Schrag, PhD, RLS Foundation Member “Always just beyond the edge of consciousness . . . like electricity. Toes. Ankles. Calves that have to move. RLS, a tailgater crowding my rearview mirror, a bully breathing down my neck, a whiff of something rotting just behind the wall. Always there. Always ready to twist a...

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October 6, 2021 Recognizing Sleep Issues in Childhood In the 2013 Patient Odyssey Survey conducted by the RLS Foundation, nearly half (45%) of survey respondents reported the appearance of RLS symptoms before the age of 30. Recognizing sleep issues in childhood is important to prevent development of adverse mood, emotions, social skills, behavior and overall school performance in...

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September 5, 2021 By Karla Dzienkowski, RLS Foundation Executive Director RLS awareness and education are two recurring themes for individuals living with RLS. Unfortunately, healthcare providers often lack awareness of the disease and/or the clinical knowledge to manage patients according to consensus treatment guidelines.1 Three women based in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands joined forces to do...

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August 18, 2021 The Buchfuhrers — Celebrating Father’s Day as Doctor Team By Rich Archbold When Julia Buchfuhrer was growing up, she had a special bond with her father, Mark Buchfuhrer, but, hard as he tried, he could not persuade her to become a doctor like he was. ‘No way, no way,” she told her dad. She was...

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July 12, 2021 The Management of Restless Legs Syndrome: An Updated Algorithm Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder affecting up to 10% of the population in the United States, with nearly 3% experiencing severe symptoms that require daily medical treatment. An article in the Journal of Neural Transmission in 2007 reported that it takes nearly...

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June 29, 2021 Statement has been endorsed by more than 25 medical, scientific, patient, and safety organizations A new position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine emphasizes that sleep is a biological necessity, and insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders are detrimental for health, well-being, and public safety. Published online in the Journal of Clinical Sleep...

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June 14, 2021 Magnesium and RLS By Maddie Lionberger, RLS Foundation Research Coordinator Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral in our bodies that plays an essential role in a diverse array of biochemical processes, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function and blood glucose control. Deficiencies in magnesium can lead to muscle contractions, cramps and problems with conduction...

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May 28, 2021 In-Person and Virtual Meetings By Steven Zucker, Metro Denver RLS Support Group Leader As a member of the RLS Foundation, I eagerly anticipate each new edition of NightWalkers. A few years ago, I would immediately flip to the back pages, checking to see if a Colorado support group had been started. My disappointment eventually led...

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May 17, 2021 What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines By Maddie Lionberger, RLS Foundation Research Coordinator In March of 2021 the world passed the one-year mark since the coronavirus pandemic was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. As of May 17, nearly 34 million cases have been confirmed, with...

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May 5, 2021 By Stefan Clemens, PhD, HdR, Chair, Research Committee, RLS Foundation Scientific and Medical Advisory Board The RLS Foundation’s Research Grant Program is a return-on-investment initiative; member contributions lead to advances in the understanding of RLS and to potential improvements in treatment options. The RLS Foundation established the Research Grant Program in 1997 under the leadership...

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April 6, 2021 If there is one silver lining that we have seen the restless legs syndrome (RLS) community discover over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the bonding together of more and more people who are joining our network through online support groups. Since we were forced to “go virtual” as a safety measure, people...

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