Muscle Cramps and Pain

MENU

Related Topic

Aromatherapy
Cross Training
Essential Minerals
Fitness News
Joints Pain
Leg Cramps

Main Contents
Mineral Chart
Protein Center
Sore Muscle
Sports Injuries
Recovery



Muscle Cramps and Pain

Related Products

Amino Acids
Arthritis & Joints
Beauty Center
Fitness
General Health

Ointments
Message Oils
Minerals
Recovery
Skin Care

Muscles are the foot soldiers of the human body. Some, such as the heart, are independent. But more than 600 others bend and stretch to accommodate our every whim.

Only when we’ve forced them to do something ridiculous do muscles make their presence known, often in the form of muscle cramps, which are painful, spasmodic muscular contractions. Cramps often mean you’ve spent too long in an unnatural position: sitting in a cramped car for several hours or sleeping in a position fit for a circus contortionist. Muscle pain can mean you’ve pushed your body too far, whether in a vigorous game of touch football or by attacking the weeds in your garden like a Tasmanian devil. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help prevent or relieve muscle cramps, according to some health professionals.

Acupressure
Press point GV 26, situated on your face above your upper lip, two-thirds of the way to the nose, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. “You can stimulate this point with your knuckle or your thumb,” says Dr. Gach. “You can also press firmly between your thumb and index finger to relieve aches and pains.” Hold this point until the cramp releases, he says.

See Your Medical Doctor When...

	You have cramps several times in one day or cramps that “lock” for several minutes.
	Your muscle pain is accompanied by a fever or tender areas in the neck, shoulders, back, chest, hips and buttocks.
	You have a muscle spasm in your back or neck that causes weakness, numbness or tingling.
	You have a muscle spasm that doesn’t improve within three days. Aromatherapy

For a fragrant massage oil to relieve your aching muscles, Los Angeles aromatic consultant John Steele suggests a blend of anti-inflammatory chamomile, analgesic birch, stimulating rosemary and soothing lavender essential oils. To prepare, says Steele, add three drops of chamomile, three drops of birch, three drops of rosemary (or coriander), eight drops of lavender and three drops of wintergreen to ½ ounce of a carrier oil such as olive, almond, grapeseed or avocado. (Carrier oils are available in most health food stores.) Massage into the affected area after a warm bath, says Steele. To stop muscle spasms, soak your feet for 10 to 20 minutes in a large pot of hot water with wintergreen. Great for sore muscles, relaxing, poor circulation, and fighting varicose veins. You can also add wintergreen extract to your favor moisturizer.
Food Therapy
Eat your vegetables raw, since cooking them depletes their potassium, magnesium and calcium, the three nutrients most important in preventing and treating muscle cramps and pain, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. “Eating foods rich in potassium, and magnesium is the best thing for muscle cramps,” he says.

Product Recommendations

	Ultra Strength - Non Staining. Pain Relieving ointment for Sore Muscles, Overexertion, Joint pains, Backaches, Arthritis, Stiffness, and Sprains. The key ingredients are: Oil of Cajuput, Cassia, Clove, Mint, Menthol, Camphor.
	Pre Power 3 capsules provide: 1500 mg Inosine, 75 mg Ferulic acid, 1200 mg BCAA, 500 mg Cytochrome C, 1000 mg Calcium & Potassium Aspartate help boosts the efficiency of oxygen usage in muscle cells, decrease lactic acid build-up for less burning and cramping with faster recuperation.
	99.9 % Pure DMSO 90% Concentration with 10% Aloe Vera

Homeopathy
Rubbing DMSO ointment, cream, gel or oil into a sore muscle, two or fthree times a day can help relieve cramping and pain. DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a clear liquid known for its ability to permeate living tissue. It is believed to help stimulate cellular processes. It has a distinctive and slightly unpleasant odor, but Dr. Morton Walker, in his book, DMSO: The New Healing Power, describes how it appears to help block pain, reduce inflammation, kill bacteria and funguses, reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, neutralize free radicals, stimulate the immune system, and hasten the healing of wounds.

Hydrotherapy
A frozen bandage is great for minor sprains, minor sports injuries and spasms that do not respond to heat, says Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Dip a hand towel in very cold water, squeeze it out, place it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer over a piece of cardboard, so the towel freezes flat. To use, remove the plastic and lay the bandage over the affected area. The rigid bandage will quickly become soft as it’s warmed by your body heat. Replace with a fresh bandage when the towel feels warm. Dr. Thrash recommends 20-minute sessions of this treatment two to four times a day for a week or until symptoms subside.


Ask the Expert about
Natural Essential Minerals Supplements (click)

Imagery
Close your eyes, breathe out three times and imagine your muscle encased in a block of ice, writes New York City psychiatrist Gerald Epstein, M.D., in his book Healing Visualizations. Picture the ice melting, and as it melts, feel the muscle relax. After the ice has completely melted, open your eyes, and the muscle spasm or cramp should be gone. Dr. Epstein suggests doing this imagery for 2 to 3 minutes as needed every 15 to 30 minutes until the pain subsides.

Big Savings on Fitness Supplements

This Month Specials