Understanding Restless Leg Syndrome

This course...

is: an online live course

is for: nutritional therapy practitioners, nutritionists, dieticians, naturopaths, other health care providers and final year nutrition students interested in applying functional medicine approaches to health and well-being (i.e. exploring how nutrients, other foods and lifestyle factors influence the function of the body and how to apply findings in a person–centred manner that recognises individuals’ unique differences)

is led by: Belinda Blake, DipION, mBANT, CNHC reg

spans: 1 day

provides: ION CPD 5 hours, BANT CPD 5 hours, NNA CPD 5 hours

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This course discusses what we currently understand about the cause of restless leg syndrome and, through case studies, explores impactful diet, supplement and lifestyle strategies to help manage symptoms. It aims to provide insight into this condition at an in depth level.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, it is thought that between 5-10% of adults in the UK, US and Europe suffer from restless leg syndrome and, sadly, it is not just adults. Symptoms of this condition can vary from being mildly irritating to completely debilitating. It is a problem that is not well understood and often simply not spoken about. This workshop aims to raise awareness of this condition.

As practitioners, we may often see ‘restless legs’ indicated as a condition on our intake questionnaires, but it is almost never the main reason a client is seeking help and therefore can be easily overlooked. If explored however, a client will often explain that they thought it was just some quirk that they alone experienced, or that they didn’t think there was anything that might help. In reality, there is potentially a lot we can do, plus the symptom alone may help provide clues to help us better understand other underlying factors that may link back to the gut, immune system, sex hormone balance and the HPA axis.

This course will take a deep dive into current literature and explore what is currently understood about restless leg syndrome; the underlying factors that might predispose a person to this condition, factors that might influence the severity and discuss strategies that we can use to support clients in clinic.

By the end of the course, you will be able to

• Understand what restless leg syndrome (RLS) is, the significant impact it can have on a client’s wellbeing, and how to differentiate it from other similar conditions
• Have a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of RLS, and the role that dopamine dysfunction and iron deficiency play
• Recognize different triggers and comorbidities associated with RLS
• Understand how conventional medication works for RLS and how we may work safely alongside this
• Effectively utilize diagnostic testing to help assess accurately for nutritional deficiencies and inform protocol
• Design impactful personalized diet, lifestyle and supplement programmes to help support clients with RLS

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About the presenter:

Belinda Blake, DipION, mBANT, CNHC reg

Belinda is an ION graduate and an experienced registered nutritional therapy practitioner, lecturer and clinical supervisor, currently celebrating her 25th year in practice. Belinda has a passion for food and employs a creative approach to teaching, running hands-on workshops on a variety of health topics, for both health professionals and members of the public. Her Fabulous Foods workshops currently focus on fermentation and adventures with wild food, which she runs with medical herbalist, Janine Gerhardt. When Belinda is not playing with her food, she is in her Surrey clinic supporting children, adolescents and adults on their health journeys.

Restless leg syndrome is a very familiar condition to Belinda, who first started experiencing symptoms post-menopause. Whilst her symptoms are mild and managed however, other members of her family experience debilitating symptoms, and this has been a big motivator for her to research and better understand the condition, and to give a voice to all those people whose lives have been severely impacted by restless leg syndrome.