Natural Remedies
Common Ailments

Calming Restless Legs 

Recognizing the Problem

I first learn of this problem from my Grandmother. Her legs hurt and she had to keep shifting positions. It was hard to find a comfortable one. In only minutes she had to move again. This made travel very difficult for her.  Planes and cars were tough.  And my Grandmother was used to traveling a lot; business, pleasure, and visiting her 15 grandchildren.  Worse, it made sleep almost impossible! After tossing and turning all night, she was exhausted by morning. At 84 she had her first knee replacement.  Relief at last!  She had the second knee done months later and enjoyed her new knees for the next 15 years. Her daughters all also had knee surgeries or replacements.

An Alternative 

Suddenly at 40 years old, I realized I was headed down that road as well. The first signs were stiffness in my knees when I got up from the floor from meditating or yoga, and an achiness in my legs at night. Fortunately, I was treating my elderly collie for arthritis and decided to try some of the human Glucosamine & Chondroitin I was giving her. To my surprise, my symptoms disappeared.  

It has now been over a decade.  As long as I continue, I have no symptoms. If I leave Glucosamine & Chondroitin out of my morning vitamins, after a few months I feel the symptoms start to return. I still have my original equipment knees and I can run with my new puppies.  

Using Glucosamine & Chondroitin 

Take two capsules to start. Within 20 to 30 minutes you will know if this approach will work for you, because the pain will noticeably ease. Over time, you may find that you can cut back to one capsule once or twice per day if you wish.  

Considerations 

Glucosamine & Chondroitin is easy to find. My favorite is the time-release from Trader Joes. A bottle of is currently 12.99, regular is $9.99.  

Warning: For those with shellfish allergies -- Glucosamine is derived from shellfish.

Years ago when Glucosamine & Chondroitin was first introduced, conventional medicine regarded it a pure quackery. Once testing was actually tried, low and behold, Glucosamine & Chondroitin appeared to reduce inflamation. Many people tolerate Glucosamine & Chondroitin easier than Aspirin over the long term. Next, autopsies showed that in addition to relieving inflamation and pain – Glucosamine & Chondroitin appears to actually repair the cartilage. Conventional medicine had not believed this was possible. Even conventional medicine has had to concede its beliefs to science. 

Common sense suggests that the younger you start taking it – the less damage your joints will sustain. Certainly my experience validates this for me. I currently anticipate taking Glucosamine & Chondroitin for the next 50 years, for 60 years total. I have not heard of any long term issues. But it has only been the last 20 years or so that large numbers of people have taken this supplement on a daily basis. There are no long term studies, as that much time has simply not passed. With no studies on long term use, the effectiveness of Glucosamine & Chondroitin as a preventative, or as a long term solution, has not yet been proven.

 


 

 

 

 

All of the materials on this site have been included for the purpose of providing general information, and they should not be relied on as a substitution for professional advice.

© 2005-2007 Health and Wellness. All Rights Reserved.