RLS and 'Clickbait' Treatments
As a long-term sufferer of restless leg syndrome, I've been taking the same medication for years and years. Because of this, my body's drug tolerance is increasing, and I'm experiencing more side effects. The urge to spend money has caused issues for me, especially at night, whilst binge eating has helped me to gain over 3 stone (42 pounds) over the last 3 years.
Searching for solutions online
I started looking for other options besides pharmaceutical medication, something in the alternative medicine arena. Tapping away on the internet, yoga, meditation, and tai chi popped up time and time again. Stress can cause RLS to flare up, making each evening unbearable, especially if you are trying to cope without your usual medication.
Avoiding all the usual triggers such as caffeine, tobacco and alcohol, desperately trying to stay awake during the day by putting matchsticks in my eyes to hold them open ... Dodging the tempting tea bags or coffee granules, trying to meditate with a cup of peppermint tea, pricking my toes with pins to jolt myself awake ... The struggle is real!
Advertisers tracked my searches
Several search engines and social media sites track what you're looking for across the World Wide Web. This resulted in it seeming like my phone was listening to me! When I checked my social media later in the day, every single item currently available that could possibly help with RLS or sleep disruption materialised within my timeline.
It's easy to be led astray
Trying to avoid "click-bait" is becoming a full-time job whilst navigating the internet. Checking a store's URL to ensure they are not fake, or ensuring you are not forwarded to a rogue site when you click on a link, is more important than ever. But perhaps the worst type of fraud is saying an item may help a medical condition when it clearly does not.
My attention was gripped by a small gadget that is attached by an elasticated band that holds the product against your leg. But with the next click, a similar-looking contraption came up on the page being pushed as a treatment for some other medical anomaly.
Don't fall for false advertising
Grasping at straws is something we all do when things start to overwhelm us. Spending a insignificant amount of money on an item that may or may not reduce your RLS to a far distant memory, is something many of us would do in a heartbeat. Thankfully, we are not usually that silly.
Since the first day this advertisement materialised, I have checked the reviews or comments added to the bottom. I see no miraculous recovery from our horrendous condition, no one singing their praises to the company for ensuring they get an easy nights’ rest for the first time in decades. Actually, there are very few comments at all -- even their website has only 3 testimonials for random items.
I just wanted to make sure that, in our rush to not have to deal with RLS on a nightly basis, you ensure the product you are considering has received proper medical testing. The last thing I want is to find any of my community has been hurt by a charlatan posing as someone trying to help.
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