Hi libbyliz, I have fibromyalgia, and developed alot of that buzzing everywhere.....scalp, legs, feet, intestines... I think you might have 2 different problems going on. I think you need to see a podiatrist about your foot problem. Sounds like you could use some metatarsal support. And who knows.....maybe the buzzing and the foot problem are related, in that you're probably stressing your entire leg. I have foot problems and knee problems, and that can make my entire leg ache. Another thing that might help you is to take larger amounts of the B vitamins. Find a good multi-B vitamin and take it every day. Also take a good sublingual B12 vitamin. When I used to have alot of funky neuro symptoms in my legs, my neurologist had me get a ferritin level. He said its more specific than just an iron level and he's seen people with normal Ferritin levels who actually need more to get rid of their symptoms. I took iron for awhile, and it helped. So you might consider adding an iron pill to your daily intake too. Do you have sleep apnea? If you do, and you begin to use a CPAP machine, you may find that your RLS eases up. Its curious.......I only get it in the evenings if I eat sugar/carbs in the evening. Are you starting through menopause? I got tons of funky symptoms during perimenopause.

Consider your diet first. I have not had that problem but I have had muscle twitching, that disappeared after looking it up and discovering that a lack of magnesium can cause that problem. Very necessary for the muscles and nerves. And it is not all that plentiful in the Standard American Diet. I had already been eating dark leafy green vegetables and thought that should have been a good source of magnesium, but the source I read, said that nuts and seeds have a lot more magnesium in them, so I ate nuts and seeds at every meal and in 24 hours it was cleared up. Raw, organic seeds. Grind them in a coffee grinder, if you have trouble chewing them. It is amazing how messed up our diet can be. Doing a little research on what is considered a good diet, takes time and effort, but is well worth it. It can get confusing. There is a PBS special called '3 Steps to Incredible Health' that I think is one of the best presentations out there. See if it is coming up on PBS anytime soon. Or they may have a copy in the library. Organic vegetables and fruits with every meal and nuts and seeds often. Reduce the meat, the dairy, grains and the sweets. That is a simple way of improving your diet to start.

To me, the best place for info is the RLS Foundation. Someone mentioned Nightwalker's Newsletter - it's from the Foundation. They also have a message board that is extremely helpful. RLS is hereditary in at least 50% of cases. My whole family - ever person in 3 generations on my mom's side - has it. Weird. It's also really mild in most cases, so drugs aren't needed. I used to be able to walk it off. It also tends to worsen over time, but not for everyone. When it affects your quality of life, many people find they cannot manage anymore without drugs, even if they did before. To me, the best thing you can do is find out about it so you know how to approach it. Here are some facts: 1. As stated above, iron is implicated. But, taking iron doesn't always help and you can have enough iron in your body and still have RLS. ALWAYS get your ferritin level checked - should be at least 50 and preferably over 100 - by your doctor. If it's below that, start taking iron (65 elemental mg per day up to 3 x per day) and get your ferritin checked every 3-4 months until it's high enough. Too much iron CAN harm you, so never take a high dose of iron without this test. 2. RLS is highly treatable with placebo. That means soap, quinine, magnesium, and many other things will often work for someone. But, in research, they do not work consistently or for many people. If something works for you - excellent! Don't assume it will work for others, though. Also, don't assume anything will work for years. Often we find one thing works for awhile, only to stop. 3. There are many genes implicated in RLS. This may mean that there are actually different variants that respond to different treatments. As with above, if something works for you, excellent. Just don't assume it will work for everyone else. 4. There are some excellent books on RLS. These help dispel myths and teach what works, how to approach your doctor, how to cope with RLS, and more. 5. There is a lot of incorrect information about RLS floating about the internet! Of course, some things are subjective (see above), but some things are not. For example, most people believe that antidepressants will always worsen RLS. The research shows that to be incorrect. Some of them do, but the percentages are low. 6. People with chronic RLS have a similar quality of life to other people with chronic diseases such as diabetes. 7. People with RLS are more likely to have anxiety disorders and depression. They are also more likely to have PLMs - periodic limb movements. These can be while sleeping (PLMS) or while waking (PLMW) or both. 8. RLS can occur in any part of the body. It almost always starts with the legs, but can progress after that. My brother gets it in his arms more than his legs. 9. RLS can occur at any time of day, however it's always worst in the evening. Researchers believe it may be connected to our body's clock. If you move your bedtime later, for example, eventually the RLS will start happening later. That's all I can think off offhand. Consider the RLS Foundation for more info - see link below. Here is a link that might be useful: RLS Foundation

From People's Pharmacy: Researchers have established that pickle juice promptly eases electrically induced muscle cramps (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, May 2010). They also have demonstrated that the mechanism of action of pickle juice or mustard is not through electrolyte replenishment (Journal of Athletic Training, May-June 2014). Nobel Prize winner Rod MacKinnon, M.D., and his colleague Bruce Bean, Ph.D., are neurobiologists. They also are prone to muscle cramps. While kayaking several miles off Cape Cod, Dr. MacKinnon suffered debilitating cramps, which was dangerous that far out in the ocean. Fortunately, they made it back to land, and they began a quest to better understand the causes of such incapacitating cramps. By thinking creatively, they discovered that muscle cramps are actually triggered by misfiring nerves rather than dehydration or electrolyte imbalances. These brilliant scientists came up with a revolutionary idea that might transform the treatment of muscle cramps. They hypothesized that strong flavors would trigger nerves in the mouth, throat and stomach. This neuronal stimulation might in turn overwhelm the misbehaving nerves that were causing muscle cramps. They concocted a spicy beverage containing cinnamon, ginger and a hot-pepper extract that “directly influence and regulate nerve function.” They call the product Hotshot (www.Flex-Pharma.com). We suspect that yellow mustard or pickle juice also may work by stimulating the same nerves. Visitors to our website report fast relief from such remedies that cannot otherwise be explained by the slow absorption of sodium in the case of pickle juice or turmeric in the case of yellow mustard. Perhaps it’s time for skeptics to recognize that just because a remedy may seem strange doesn’t mean it should be rejected.