Bar of Soap

[genealogynut]

Many of you probably have already read Dr. Gott's syndicated column in regards to leg cramps.  Many people have written to him testifying that placing a fresh bar of soap underneath the bottom sheet, near the legs, have helped eliminate the problem.

I would like to attest to that.  But I would like to go one step further and suggest placing two wide rubberbands around the bar of soap to help keep it in place.  Before I did that, I had problems with getting up in the morning and finding that I had kicked the bar of soap out onto the floor!

It sounds wacky, I know----but it does help. 

[Wilma]

A scientific explanation for that would be interesting.  I wonder what it would be.  I also wonder what Mythbusters could do with it.

[Teresa]

Ok folks..
Listen up. Have I got something to tell you.

Yes yes yes.. I know I should be working. My list is longer than a ......................((oh never mind))
But I just have to tell you this!

Anyway.....
My kids think .. no, let me refraise that.  They don't THINK......... they KNOW, that I'm off my rocker most of the time.. and when I told them what I was doing..
Well!~~~ Derek just horse laughed..
Loud .. I might add.. 
Loud and with great gusto... and then .. he gave me that half smile and the "Look"..
You that have grown kids know "the look" I am talking about...
The 'poor mama..she is  worse than we thought' look.  lol

For the past 3 weeks, I have had such severe charlie horses and leg cramps in my feet and calves that it has actually left bruises!
I would be up walking the floor TRYING to get them to ease up even a teeny bit . I would use every massage technique I could think of and it wasn't helping much. As soon as I would get back to bed and move my leg or foot a certain way..
POW~~  it would knot back up.

I  eat lots of salt and religiously  take about 25 vitamins every night and the last 2 weeks I even  upped my B12..Potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc. I started using vinegar tablets, as I thought that might help.
Nope.. still would get toes that would point in all 4 directions at the same time.. and calves that you could bounce quarters off of.( ouch)

THEN... !!
THEN........((drum roll please)))............ I run across this remedy..

It said to put a bar of Ivory soap in your bed under the fitted sheet, and it was supposed to help you to not to have leg cramps.
I thought.." What the hell".. I'll try it. I mean what do I have to lose?
I'm already one jump from a mental institution, so if I tried it and it didn't work.. No one would know~~~
Then I would just check myself in to a nice clean mental ward with all the other patients sleeping  with soap in their beds.. and I'd make sure I have a window with a nice view of  the flowers etc on the grounds.
I would live in La La Land forever and my kids could finally say that they were right about something..((That Mom is nuts))
*Good plan right??*
So~~
I excitedly  and gingerly unwrapped not ONE bar.. but 2 bars of Ivory..
Ohhhhhh yes... my philosophy is if 1 is good 2 is better).. Something that in my lifetime has gotten me into a few jams, I might add.. buuuuuttttttt........................................................................................

Anyway, back to my 'miracle of healing " story..

I slid them under the sheets.. crawled into bed and went to sleep.


And it worked!!   Not one cramp!     Don't ask me why either!
Slept all night and not one single cramp! So then you of course say to yourself~~
"Hmmmm.. it was probably a fluke deal. I'll give it a few more times before I really believe it!"
But by golly I have been using it for almost a week... and I can't  believe it myself.. but it actually worked.
I hate to admit  it, but I really doubted it would do anything other than make a few more soap suds when I went to wash the sheets.
The doctors don't even know.. and I don't care .........why it works... but it does.

Now, last night I woke up and my toes started to do "their dance".
I thought.. "Damn~  it was all in my mind and it really doesn't work".. So I slid my legs and feet around and ...no soap!
Ye Gads, I panicked.
I couldn't find my soap!
One of my bars was clear over on the other side of the bed almost to come out by the corner, and the other bar had gone over the high side at the end of my side of the bed!

So  I wallered around at the end of the bed , in the dark, and finally snatched them both back.. and since panic had started to set in and my toes were now part of the arch of my foot melding into one..... I  laid one of then under my leg directly and the other on on the underside of my toes and in 10 seconds.. GONE!
((Not the soap... the beginning of the cramp))

So??
It Works!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!



PS~~~ This was on Dr. Gotts webpage..
Take a bar of soap (large or small, new or used, but no Dial or Dove) and place it under the bottom sheet of the bed in the area of the feet and legs. Go to sleep and see what happens.
There is tons of testimonies there. Most of them said that this works.

[flo]

anything is worth a try if you've ever had the pain and cramps Teresa is talking about.  I get them just sitting in the recliner.  Now trying to figure out how to get soap in the recliner. Let me see, . . .  that will be 4 bars I'll need.   Might add I had a uncle tell me to turn my shoes upside down under the bed and that would take care of the leg cramps.  tried it..... didn't work.....

[Joanna]

I'm going to try to remember this.  My mom found an article about it, but it said some brands don't work and didn't say which did.  I used to have terrible leg cramps, but haven't for several years now (And boy is that a blessing!)  My sister & mom still have them though, so I forwarded it on to them.

[Teresa]

  Might add I had a uncle tell me to turn my shoes upside down under the bed and that would take care of the leg cramps.  tried it..... didn't work.....

[Kjell H]

((((whispering)))How about putting the "soap user " under the bed..( with the soap)..


Now I've had it!
**ducking the rolling pin**

[Judy Harder]

I am faithful user of the bar of soap in bed with me.
I have restless leg syndrome and all of those auto-immune diseases that I told you about and the few times I let the bar of soap get away from me, (I mean that I used it in the bath and forgot to replace it) I had cramps that you see athletes get  when playing sports.

they hurt like a son-of-a-gun, ( altho when they get active, that isn't the words I use)
I don't think the perfume/beauty soaps are suppose to work as good as a deodrant type of soap bar.

I don't care which kind you use........they do work.....and I will swear on a stack of bibles that they do.

I also believe in the Vicks for fungus of toenails and have used Vicks on dry and chapped hands too.
Now, just don't forget and rub your eyes ......LOL........makes them tear up pretty good.

When I need to replace a bar of soap in bathroom I use the one in the bed and replace that one with a fresh one.

So I don't know why they work and when you have that kind of pain you are just glad it does work.

Good luck with the cramps and I also hear that Vicks is good instead of Preparation H and it is cheaper..........course, that stings to, but don't the hemorrhoids......LOL..yes, Janet I know I misspelled that.............come get me.......LOL..
Hugs and God bless
Judy

[Janet Harrington]

Judy, you are so funny.  I won't make you spell it right.  I think your spelling works pretty good.  HIMROIDS.  Because what are men?  A big pain in the butt.  ha ha I'm sure the men will take offense at that one.

[flo]

Question - we were discussing this at swimmercize -  while exercising (oops) Swimmercizing, I got one of those awful cramps in my foot, the ones that cause your toes to point in all four directions, and we wondered if there was some way you could put a bar of soap in the bottom of the pool to stand on??