Books about RLS
Caring in the Comfort of Home: a Guide for Carers
By Sylvia Denton, CBE, FRCN, and Sharon Haffenden
 | About the book For most people there is no place like home, but hundreds of thousands of people affected by illness and disability face the heart-breaking situation that they can no longer manage to look after themselves. Some are elderly, some have chronic disease but for whatever reason they can only remain in their own home if they have someone to help care for them. Although the Social Services can provide help with care, members of the family and friends provide vital support. Their value to the individual is priceless, but more to the point their value to society in the UK has been estimated at £87 billion each year. Without a carer the alternative for many may be a move to residential or nursing homes. The physical and emotional demands on carers are huge; many feel lost, alone, frustrated and uncertain. Although the government has launched a National Strategy for carers, many still feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn to for practical advice and help. The newly-published book “Caring in the Comfort of Home: a Guide for Carers” is easy to read, and covers a range of issues from sources of practical and financial help to strategies to avoid carer injury or burnout. It is an essential guide, inspired by a similar manual which has been very successful in the USA (“The Comfort of Home: a Complete Guide for Caregivers). Its authors, Sylvia Denton, CBE, FRCN, and Sharon Haffenden, both have many years of experience in working with carers and within healthcare. Imelda Redmond, Chief Execuive, Carers UK, has this to say about the book: “Too often carers struggle without the help and support they need. This comprehensive guide is full of practical advice on getting help and dealing with the more difficult emotional issues caring can bring. A great starting point for any carer.” |
"Caring in The Comfort of Home" is a book that we should all possess. It is a book of practical help and is a comprehensive guide to all who find themselves as carers. People can suddenly find themselves in the position of being responsible of a loved one who is dependent on them and they wonder where to go and who to turn to for help.
This book covers everything from financial benefit support, emotional support and even dietary needs. It shows how to carry out the correct procedure for lifting a person from a chair or bed . It also gives advice on dealing with anger and abuse.
The world has been waiting for this book to be written and published. Within a few days of purchasing this book I had loaned it to some friends who had found themselves in circumstances where they needed most of the advice offered within its pages.
This book is a "Must Have" for many people who find themselves as "Carers"
Beverley Finn
Restless Legs Syndrome
Edited by
K. Ray Caudhuri
P. Odin
C.W. Olanow
 | About the book This concise text - the first book specifically dedicated to restless legs syndrome - is written by an international panel of authorities. The contents include up-to-date reviews of pathophysiology; differential diagnosis, treatment, and laboratory tests. The book is an important resource material for trainees and specialists across a range of disciplines, most notably neurology, psychiatry, sleep medicine, geriatrics, rheumatology, hematology and primary care. It will also be useful for other health care specialists as an aid to early recognition and proper management of this distressing condition. |
Review (by Webmaster of the ESG website)
If you have more than a passing interest in Ekbom's Syndrome and are medically qualified (or are an intelligent layman with a medical glossary at your side) you will find much of interest here. But it is not an easy read for those suffering from restless legs. Thirteen experts in various fields have contributed to this slim hard back volume. I'd say it was a volume that is long overdue but that those writing it are writing for their peers and for academic recognition and not for we the sufferers. So there - go and look elsewhere for that quack title, no doubt called - "Honestly Buy this book and Cure Restless legs for ever". Because the writers write in teams and for their own chapters, the reader is liable to read about how Restless Legs can be diagnosed, several times over. This might sound irritating but as the perspective changes each time, it is a very valuable attribute of the book and adds to the readability. But in parts, of necessity, it is very dense. However, it has very comprehensive lists of references to each chapter which tells of the rigorous preparation of the various authors. My main observation is that the editors have not been sufficiently rigorous about the format for the chapters. Taking the excellent Chapter 7 as a model, there is an introduction, a diligent treatment of the subject and a conclusion. Conclusions occur elsewhere but only sporadically. If you are a sufferer and can get your hands on a borrowed copy of the book, do have a browse and read. If you are working in this field, it has to be a must for the shelf as a first and as a source book.
Sleep Thief
By Virginia N. Wilson
Edited by Arthur S. Walters, MD
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| About the book This is a must read for RLS sufferers, particularly those who have found that their doctors have never taken them seriously. This book describes the syndromes, the reactions of friends, family, and the medical community - many of whom still believe suffers are imagining it all - and offers some help and comfort in confirming what many knew all along: RLS is a real ailment that is making many lives miserable! The author urges sufferers to pressure their doctors to look more seriously at the problem, and to change doctors if they can until they find someone who understands the reality of RLS. |
Review (one of several to be found on Amazon)
This book lit a fuse for me. I have suffered from Restless Legs Syndrome for 30 years, and until I ran across this book, I had basically given up on any help. I received the book three weeks ago, saw a neurologist at the Swedish Hospital's Sleep Disorder Clinic in Seattle two weeks ago, and am set up for a sleep test in two weeks! I am so thoroughly excited about all this & have this book to thank. I was only 8 years old when this syndrome started taking over my nights and I have been labelled "dysfunctional" ever since. I can't and rarely try anymore to sleep at night (daytime sleep comes a little easier for me). I have hurt myself and my husband with my flying legs, it has made me doubt my own sanity, and just the possibility that they may be able to help just makes me emotional! I wish to thank the author, Virginia Wilson, for writing her story and sharing it. If she hadn't, I don't know how long it would have taken me to realise they are learning about it. I have since ordered the book for my three brothers, who are already checking into seeing a neurologist also. It runs strong in my family - in fact, two of my four children seem to have it too. Very valuable info - I lent it to my family doctor, who obtained some valuable info and a little insight on the subject. Thanks again!
Restless Legs Sydrome
The RLS Rebel's Survival Guide By Jill Gunzel
 | About the book Do you feel an irresistible urge to move when you need to be still? Do you call the urges heebee jeebees, ants crawling under your skin, spider webs on your legs, electric feelings, growing pains, or crazy legs? If so, you may be an RLSer (a person who has Restless Legs Syndrome). If you want to be still through movies, long plane rides, hospital stays, or long days of working at your desk, read Restless Legs Syndrome: The RLS Rebel's Survival Guide. You will learn to organize and develop effective ways to: Fight the "beast of RLS". Decrease the severity of your RLS. Prevent RLS attacks. Develop a Bag of Tricks Approach. Develop team work with your doctor. Help children who have RLS. Communicate with RLS supporters. |
Akathisia and Restless Legs
By Parminder Sachdev
 | About the book Although descriptions of the syndrome date back to the 17th Century, akathisia has long seemed an orphan within neuropsychiatry, lacking until recently the serious attention it deserves. This book reviews the diverse published material on akathisia and related disorders, including Restless Legs Syndrome along with other forms of motor restlessness and neuroleptic-induced dysphoria, and provides a comprehensove account of these important but insufficiently researched syndromes. It is the first extended review of scientific and clinical aspects of akathisia and restlessness, and also suggests directions for their future investigation. It will be much valued by psychiatrists, neurologists and other physicians seeking a better understanding of these disabling syndromes. |
Restless Legs Syndrome
By Robert H. Yoakum
 | About the book According to the American Medical Association, 10 to 15 percent of adult Americans have the neurological disorder known as Restless Legs Syndrome. This underdiagnosed and treatable condition can completely overwhelm a person's life, causing stress, sleep deprivation, career difficulties, and relationship strife. Author Robert Yoakum has suffered from Restless Legs Syndrome all his adult life. He has compiled a comprehensive resource on this disease, giving those afflicted with it a voice and creating a community. In addition, many of the foremost medical specialists in the field have contributed their knowledge and experience to make this the most comprehensive and timely source of information on this disease. Restless Legs Syndrome provides invaluable information for victims, their friends and loved ones, and health-care providers. Yoakum informs and advises readers on: Sleep management and alternative rest options; how to enlist help from others; possible causes of Restless Legs Syndrome; criteria for diagnosis; medical advice and treatment options; the relationship of stress, dopamine, and iron; finding or creating a Restless Legs Syndrome support group. |
Restless Leg Syndrome
By ICON Health Publications
 | About the book This is a 3-in-1 reference book. It gives a complete medical dictionary covering hundreds of terms and expressions relating to restless leg syndrome. It also gives extensive lists of bibliographic citations. Finally, it provides information to users on how to update their knowledge using various Internet resources. The book is designed for physicians, medical students preparing for Board examinations, medical researchers, and patients who want to become familiar with research dedicated to restless leg syndrome. If your time is valuable, this book is for you. First, you will not waste time searching the Internet while missing a lot of relevant information. Second, the book also saves you time indexing and defining entries. Finally, you will not waste time and money printing hundreds of web pages. |
Restless Legs Syndrome
By Wayne A. Hening, Richard Allen, Sudhansu Chockroverty and Christopher Earley
 | | About the book Recognized international leaders in the field of Restless Legs Syndrome bring their expertise in this clinically-focused, practical resource, aimed mainly at medical practitioners. The book will help readers understand the various causes of this common movement and sleep disturbance and identify the best treatment options in each case. The text provides comprehensive overviews of both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches, covering benefits, limitations, and side-effect profiles. No matter what their specialty, physicians treating any patients with Restless Legs Syndrome should find that this book has everything they need to offer patients the best care possible, while sufferers themselves might find better understanding of their affliction, and perhaps gain some comfort from the recognition these acknowledged experts have given to the Syndrome. |
History of RLS
“Wherefore to some, when being abed they betake themselves to sleep, presently in the Arms and Legs, leaping and Contractions of the tendons, and so great a Restlessness and Tossing of their members ensue, that the diseased are no more able to sleep, than if they were in a Place of greatest Torture.”
In the 19th Century the disorder was reclassified as a psychiatric or psychological disorder – anxietas tibiarum. In the 1940s Karl A Ekbom, a Swedish neurologist, redefined the disorder in terms of its physical features and introduced the term “Restless Legs Syndrome.” It is also known as Ekbom’s Syndrome.
In 1995 the first clinical criteria for the diagnosis of RLS were presented. Despite the long recognition of the disorder and the availability of treatment, RLS may be under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed by many doctors.
Analyses have shown that adults of all ages may be affected, but the prevalence increases with age. RLS typically appears during middle age but symptoms may date back to childhood when the symptoms may have been shrugged off as “growing pains” or “hyperactivity”. Many sufferers report experiencing symptoms before the age of 20. More than 60% of sufferers say their symptoms became progressively worse with age, so symptoms may have been present for many years before medical attention was sought. Many suffer increasing daytime fatigue as the symptoms get worse and sleep becomes more fragmented. Large-scale study groups in Europe and the US have provided evidence that RLS may be associated with high body-mass index, lower income, smoking, lack of exercise, low alcohol consumption and diabetes mellitus. Women seem marginally more likely to be affected than men. There is also evidence to suggest a higher incidence among people with cardiac problems and high blood pressure.
