FOLIC ACID, B-12 & IRON; pls read!

[Guest guest]

Coco,

You must be new! First, 20% to 25% of RLS sufferers are believed to have a

low ferritin level (measures body's saving account or storage of iron). A low

ferritin level may not cause (under 50) any problems for most of the rest of

the population but it sure can for RLS patients. Many RLS patients are

probably low on dopamine and that is why they experience symptom improvement

with Parkinson's drugs such as Sinemet in low doses, Mirapex, Permax and

Requip; the later three being dopamine agonist.

When the body gets low on its " savings account " of iron (what ferritin level

measures), it starts " pinching pennies " and conserving it. And, maybe cuts

back a little bit on what it sends the brain's way. If your saving account is

low with no foreseeable money coming in, you start cutting corners and

pinching pennies, right? Remember, the body's wisdom tells it to conserve and

cut corners because there is no guarantee there is any more iron coming its

way!

The brain needs an abundant supply of iron to take up dopamine. I have

considerable research on this I will send you separately I sent out about ten

days ago to the group. I became knowledgeable at this niche, ferritin level,

and B-12/Folic Acid deficiencies when my mother, the RLS patient, who suffered

from SEVERE RLS for years, improved dramatically when her low ferritin level

(8) came up and B-12 deficiency was corrected with B-12 shots.

You should be tested for your ferritin level (it has to be done separately as

does B-12 and Folic Acid levels as they are not part of any panel; also you

might have trouble getting your insurance to pay for the B-12/Folic Acid but

probably not for the ferritin level).

Print-off or send for a quality printed on salmon paper that looks more

credible of Dr. Elaty's write up. He says he has never heard of a physician

refusing to at least check your ferritin level if it had not been done in the

past 12 months (SMAC & CBC or regular panels do not include it). The doctors

are like a union; they will assume their collegue knows and go along with it.

Dr. Elaty's write-up also gives your doctor tips on how to get the folic acid

and B-12 levels tests covered, if not an HMO, by your insurance. If you are in

a HMO, remember your doctor gets a bonus which is more, the less he orders

tests, referrals to specialist, etc. on his patients. He also get more of a

bonus the less prescriptions are for his patients in the HMO, so point out

your RLS symptoms might get better if these underlying causes are aggravating

it necessitating less drugs!

Copies of Dr. Elaty's write up, he is the Medical Advisor for the Central

Florida RLS Support Group, which meets in Orlando, FL, 2nd Sun. every month

but May since Mother's Day falls on that date; next meeting 3-14-99, Sun.,

2:00 to 4:00 PM, Florida Hospital, South, Orlando (for details post to me) are

$1 plus SASE. E-mail me for my address if you would like a copy as many

doctors seem leery of something printed off the Internet or print it off or

read it if you have not yet!

DR. ELATY'S TREATISE ON RLS: everybody agrees, easy to understand, concise

and great! http://www.mlists.net/judson/Elaty.html

Remember, iron is the only supplement you should not take even in moderation

perhaps, unless you have been tested first. Too much iron can be harmful! I

have had many report where RLS symptoms improved also once their ferritin

level improved (if this happened to you; would you be kind enough to post to

me about it?), a few on B-12 but none so far on the folic acid.

Unless tested first, if it were me, I would not take more then double the RDA

or recommended daily allowance of folic acid as too much can throw other

things, I think even B-12, out of whack. THESE ARE WORTH WHILE THINGS to be

tested for. As you have heard from many, drugs might help temporarily, but

often they stop working.

No pill can solve the problem like correcting the underlying problem. The

body works best if it has everything, in your case, it needs to function at

its best!

Barbara

Ferritin/B-12 Lady

P. S. My nickname because I am so enthusiastic about checking and rectifying

particularly these two. If you had lived in my household and seen my mother

looking like warmed over death from lack of sleep and pacing the floors night

in and night out and went past her door most nights now, to hear her gently

snoring, you would be also! Her RLS symptoms improved by 50% on only a modest

increase of her ferritin level and more, with B-12 shots she was found to be

deficient in.

This past several nights she has had a flare-up of her RLS symptoms but has

admittedly fallen down on her diet concentrating on things high in iron; back

to the doctor she goes to check that ferritin level! She cannot take iron

supplements as they upset her stomach and cause even worse constipation.

She takes, when she is properly behaving, 1 tablespoon of black strap

molasses in her one cup of coffee a day (check different brands; one has 25%

RDA of iron in it), chicken livers, dark meat of chicken has 3 times as much

iron as white, spinach both cooked and raw in salads, which she loves any way,

etc. She had her black strap molasses today and ate the dark meat of chicken;

she had been snatching the white meat but is getting with it again!