Henry Waxman Schooled On Restless Leg Syndrome (VIDEO)

As you may have heard, California Rep. Henry Waxman was released recently from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, having been admitted after fainting in his L.A. office. Waxman is on the mend, and we're glad he's doing okay. Sadly, the news is not so good for one of Waxman's health care reform talking points, which expired quietly on the air on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.

Seeking to make a point about pharmaceutical companies and how their relentless advertising places all sorts of free-range diagnoses into viewers' heads, Waxman attempted to use his own experience in the hospital, and a joke about "restless leg syndrome." Waxman was of the mind that he was talking about a pretend-disease. That did not go well!"

WAXMAN: Somebody said, "Why is your knee jerking?" And I thought I was making a joke, and I said, "Well, I have restless leg syndrome." Now, I don't think there is such a thing as restless leg syndrome. I'll probably hear from all those people who have it. But I thought that restless leg syndrome was a disease that was created by a drug company that wanted to sell a drug for the disease they had created. And I was making a joke. Well, when I got out of the hospital, I looked at my record, it said, "He claims to have restless leg syndrome." Well, I don't know if there is such a thing or not. I don't have it. But a lot of people start thinking they have medical problems because they've seen too many of these commercials. I don't think that's doing the public a lot of good. It's certainly making the drug companies richer, but it's not doing a lot of good for the public.

HOST: Let's hear from Scott on the Independent line, from Greenbackville, Virginia.

SCOTT: Uh, yes. Representative Waxman, good morning. As someone who does have restless leg syndrome...

WAXMAN: [Laughter]

SCOTT: ...I can tell you that it does exist.

WAXMAN: It does exist.

SCOTT: Oh, absolutely. It's a terrible thing. I had achieved that through a back injury.

Story continues below

advertisement

[WATCH]

SCHOOLED! Though it's worth pointing out that none of this changes how annoying those pharmaceutical commercials are, with their trippy cartoons and packs of wizened old men celebrating their boners in song and that one for Yaz that HuffPost Comedy Editor Alex Leo hates because of the terrible, awkward set up to a strained conversation about side-effects.

[WATCH]

Waxman's restless leg syndrome talking point died peacefully, and was probably survived by a bunch of talking points on the over-prescription of selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors.

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to [e-mail] -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[victorsays]

This guys has to be the ugliest person in Washington and there are a lot of uglies.

[cvarner]

Wow, that must mean he's a Bad Person. Let's replace him w/someone more eye-pleasing to you!

[Telemachus]

"... and now, to fix the health care mess, we bring you Senator Fox Chicky-bot to read more GOP talking points as though they were facts."

[duchessofdork]

I know a certain soon-to-be Ex-Governor of Alaska who is more pleasing to the eye, but I certainly wouldn't want her in Congress. I didn't realized that it was a beauty contest. Guess that must by why that soon-to-be Ex-Governor of Alaska seemed to gain such popularity.

[PalaceOfWisdom]

Can RLS be physically controlled if the afflicted person consciously holds their leg still, or is it a completely involuntary movement? I think about how frustrating a simple case of hiccups can be, and can't imagine what it's like to have your leg going crazy on its own.

[RegLib]

The movement is voluntary, actually. It's an incredibly uncomfortable feeling in your legs, and the "restless" part comes from trying to move them around to a comfortable position. I had it for a while; no idea what caused it, never took anything for it, and have no idea why I don't get it any more. But I certainly feel for those who have posted here who have severe and chronic problems with it. It's no fun.

[chlllfactor]

I disagree - the movements are inovulntary and a person has no control over what the legs will do nor when the symptoms will strike. One you have restless leg syndrome, it does not go away - it is lifelong. If you are lucky, you find the medication that works for you.

[zenwhenicanbe2]

man it drives me bananas when I get it. It's not that often, maybe a few times a month.. but it is positively miserable.. you cannot sleep

[lmvd3]

Imagine a lifetime of it...all the time. You cannot get away from it. Ever. It's just torturous for many of us, without the medication (which coincidentally, is used also for Parkinson's Disease).

[weatherwaxx]

Slow news day?

There are a lot of ailments that even doctors don't "believe" in.... Restless Leg is one, fibromyalgia is another.... Rep Waxman's right in that the pharmaceutical industry is right up there in people's face about prescription drugs for things that would be better treated with nutrition and common sense.

Can't eat spicy foods? Don't listen to your body, take X! And hey, it's not prescription anymore, so you can buy it OTC until you wind up in an emergency room! Restless leg? Don't try calcium, potassium, and magnesium supplements before bed, bullly your doctor into prescribing an expensive pill with side effects.

Henry Waxman blew it on RLS. But he's a human being and he is entitled to an occasional mistake, and the way he said it, he knew he might be wrong.

I'm just glad he's okay and back on the job!

[soupson52]

Absolutely!

[judiNJ]

I know RLS does exist, but I think this little spat illustrates something more important than someone thinking it was made up by Big Pharma. I have wondered for years why in the world Big Pharma is spending billions on TV advertising to the public when they can be using it to control costs. Half the time I don't even know what the drug is for and to even think for a minute I would call my Doctor to ask if I should use it is ridiculous. It is like advertising semi tractor trailer trucks to the public. Much better to save the advertising for the New England Journal of Medicine and pass the savings on to folks that need the drug as prescribed by their Doctor.

[Telemachus]

"Ask your pilot if the A320 Airbus is right for you."

[Francis99]

And the governor of SC had restless WHAT syndrome?

[weatherwaxx]

I can't wait to see the ads for THAT on TV.... though personally I think Sinford just OD'd on Vlagra.

[DeloresT]

My doctor suggested that I take a couple of magnesium tablets ( over the counter) and it works just fine. As we get older, our body loses certain elements. It worked for me and I'm seldom "restless" now. Waxman was excellent this morning, but he didn't do well this comment.

[astheworldturns]

Magnesium help in some cases, but not all cases of restless legs syndrome possibly because there is not just one cause.

[chlllfactor]

Agreed - mine is so severe that without proper medication I would never sleep nor be able to sit and relax.

[lapdogs]

So Restless Leg Syndrome doesn't exist, huh Henry?

Well, come on over to my house before I'm taking off my 15 pounds of metal leg braces, exposing the 18 scars on my legs and wait roughly one hour (shorter wait on rainy nights) once I've laid down in bed.

You will soon see my leg jump as I get "250 volt shocks" in my hip that quickly travels down to my ankle and "blows it off" like a grenade (over and over again), with the applicable yell to go along with the "shocks".

If I could transfer the pain over to you, to wipe that smirk off your face, I'd do it in a nano-second!!!

[RegLib]

While RLS is no fun, I've never heard of a case as awful as what you're suffering. I wish you well, and hope your doctors can find some relief for you.

[ClareP]

Waxman is making an ignorant comment about a genuinely debilitating disease. The caller's mere mention of it hardly "schools" him- he needs to be subjected to a genuine education by a knowledgeable expert in the medical profession. It's very easy for politicians to make jokes of diseases they don't understand and choose not to believe in- it's also extremely irresponsible. People should barrage his office with information.

[weatherwaxx]

I think he's got the idea. Better to barrage the GOP and recalcitrant Dems with the notice that a public health option is good and SINGLE-PAYER healthcare is even better... then take the RLS to a doctor.

[bmora]

This is real and it sucks.

[helmboy]

My mother had it so badly she could lie on the bed and look like someone writhing. It was horrendous and its an awful sleep-stealing quality of life destroying disease. Whoever makes it a joke should have it.

[christopherflynn]

and I'm sure he meant no ill about it...Sometimes, it takes a while for people to learn...

[Peets101]

RLS is very real and very tiresome. I've had RLS all my life. It can keep me awake for hours and make it impossible to sit. The tiniest amount of Valium (1/2 of smallest tablet) stops it within a few minutes. A glass of wine can help. Stretching can help. Walking can help. It tends to run in families.

[lapdogs]

So Restless Leg Syndrome doesn't exist, huh Henry?

Well, come on over to my house before I'm taking off my 15 pounds of metal leg braces, exposing the 18 scars on my legs and wait roughly one hour (shorter wait on rainy nights) once I've laid down in bed.

You will soon see my leg jump as I get "250 volt shocks" in my hip that quickly travels down to my ankle and "blows it off" like a grenade (over and over again), with the applicable yell to go along with the "shocks".

If I could transfer the pain over to you, to wipe that smirk off your face, I'd do it in a nano-second!!!

[Swatantra]

Don't think just because Waxman was uninformed means that drug companies don't invent illnesses for which they have the cure you need for it. Remember "gacid indigestion?

[ClareP]

the answer to that is to restrict advertising for prescription drugs- as was done formerly. They'd sell snake oil if they could get away with it- but that's not an excuse for denying real issues and real human suffering. These people are involved in debating medical reform at the moment. they should not be so uninformed and superficial in their treatment of the issues.

[Diogenis]

Well, we have now seen that Sarah Palin has "Restless Tongue Syndrome"! No know cure.

[KLordsha]

LOL

[jalyn]

Really it does exist, I know. Maybe this will get the word out there that it is a nasty little problem, it keeps one up at night, and I've tried a lot of stuff, including almost standing on my head to relieve it. But, certain vitamins, iron and b-12 help.

Am skeptical about the pharmaceuticals too, they cause too many side effects.

[lmvd3]

No side-effects whatsoever from Sinemet (Carbidopa­/Levidopa)­, or I wouldn't take it. My doctor promised there would be no side-effects from it and I didn't believe him. He was absolutely correct. I call it my miracle drug, for my severe life-long affliction of RLS.

[miketothad]

Congress has effectively turned out the media to drug dealers.