Chinese therapy for restless legs

Chinese herbal therapy calms fidgety legs: Kneipp treatments good for the home

20/06/2013

An estimated two to eight percent of Germans suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). While the disease slumbers during the day, it shows its true face towards evening: Constant tingling, pulling or tearing in the legs often accompanied by uncontrollable tremors make a restful night's sleep impossible. If they get up and walk a few steps, they quickly lose symptoms. There are patients who wander several kilometers every night. During the day, they often suffer from extreme fatigue, tiredness and over-stimulation. Since medical examinations usually show no abnormalities, RLS patients often go a long ordeal with many visits to the doctor before even the right diagnosis is made.

If you want to avoid symptom-suppressing medication, Chinese medicine offers a good therapeutic option with its holistic approach. „In RLS, we see the cause mainly in a juices congestion in the lower body“, explains Dr. Schmincke, TCM expert and head of the clinic at the Steigerwald, the disease from the perspective of Chinese medicine. „There it affects the circulation of blood and lymph, which the body desperately tries to dissolve through involuntary movement impulses. His impulses reach the congestion in depth but not.“ The goal of TCM therapy is therefore to mobilize deep congestion and to divert stasis-induced slag through the intestine. The most important method is the Chinese drug therapy. „If patients have taken conventional medicine, we start with a careful tapering“, the TCM expert explains the first treatment step. At the same time, the administration of an individually composed drug formulation with a complex effect takes place: „It dissolves impulses in the pelvic cavity through warming impulses and removes them by cooling, draining plants via intestines and bladder.“ Mobilizing external applications such as foot reflexology, psychotics, shiatsu, acupuncture and heat treatments support drug therapy.

Those affected can also do a lot for themselves at home. For example, regular and properly administered Kneipp treatments such as a rising foot bath, a sensible moderate diet and avoidance of excessive alcohol or coffee consumption. Bloodletting, leech treatment, fasting, especially evening fasting and naturally exercise also help alleviate discomfort. Especially the elderly, sometimes pregnant women, are among those affected. Often, RLS also occurs in association with polyneuropathy, a disease of the long nerves. (Pm)