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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Soap remedy is a mystery (helps restless legs, leg cramps) Soap remedy is a mystery By JOE GRAEDON and TERESA GRAEDON 2/15/2007 Sometimes a remedy defies logic. Usually there's no science to support it, either. That's certainly the case when it comes to putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet to stop leg cramps or restless legs. One reader (who happens to have doctorates in biomedical engineering and physics) took us to task for suggesting this remedy. He asked: "What is the mechanism of action for a bar of soap under your sheets for relieving any type of pain? Answering that this is anything but an old wives' tale discredits everything you have done in the name of science. "As a fellow scientist and university faculty member, I feel it is your responsibility to educate your readers using accepted scientific principles. When you do not, you are performing a disservice to the rest of us. "What's next? "We have heard from many readers that it helps to have a leprechaun in your pocket when looking for gold at the end of the rainbow, and we can't see how it would hurt.' " We can't pretend that soap under the sheet is anything more than a folk remedy. We can't explain how it would work, and we don't know for sure that it does. Nonetheless, we have been impressed with readers reporting success. One wrote: "I've been a longtime sufferer of sciatica. Recently, I was diagnosed with degenerative joint disease resulting in tarsal tunnel syndrome in my left foot. The pain was nearly unbearable. After your column on the soap mystery, I could not believe it, but I thought I had little to lose. "I keep the bar of soap underneath my sheets all the time. It's been over a month, and I've been noticing much less pain and more energy. I shared the article with a co-worker, who also is benefiting. Her sister, a nurse, is puzzled by this." We heard from another nurse who had been doubtful: "Being a nurse, I was VERY skeptical about the soap remedy. Statin medicines give me leg cramps. I decided the bar of soap could do no harm. It worked the very first night and has continued to work for the past three months. I can't figure out how it can possibly help, but it does." Another reader found a bar of soap more helpful than prescription pain relievers: "I had an unsuccessful replacement of my right knee 18 months ago, and my left thigh suffers from meralgia paresthetica (thigh nerve pain). "The bar of soap works wonders. The pain in both legs almost disappears when I go to bed. I tried to do without soap one night, and after about 30 minutes of tossing and turning I put the bar back under the sheet to relieve the pain. "I have to replace the soap about every two months to stay pain-free. I said goodbye to Celebrex and Mobic, which were not easing the pain." Leg cramps can be extremely painful, and there are no drugs approved to treat them. We only wish there were some studies to help us understand the soap phenomenon. Anyone who is fascinated by such oddball remedies might be interested in our new book, "Best Choices From The People's Pharmacy" (Rodale Books). Our rule of thumb with such remedies is, if they won't hurt and might help and are inexpensive, why not give them a try? We can't explain the soap remedy, but doctors can't explain how many prescription drugs work, either. http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070215/1050084.asp
Poster Comment: In a quantuum model this would not be unusual. Why do placebos work so very very well? They are afraid to admit the answer. If beliefs have no bearing on reality, why then the massive amounts of energy spent by power broking institutions such as church and state to install belief systems into populations? 'as a man thinketh, so is he'
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#2. To: gengis gandhi (#0)
I can think of a lot of ways this could work. Inhaling the fumes from the soap, the skin absorbing the vapor, the vapor changing the charge on the sheets, etc. Can't say if any of it is the actual mechanism though. You have to be very careful with effective cures as witch doctoring can work. I once had a good cure for hiccups. I believed what I did relaxed the spasmed nerve in my throat. Someone then explained that what I was doing wouldn't relax the nerve. The cure stopped working after that.
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