Muscles, aching
After a strenuous workout, especially if the
muscles are not accustomed to use, some people
experience sore and achy muscles from strain and
overexertion. Often, the aching does not develop
until several hours later. At first, the muscles only
feel tired and heavy. In the morning, they become
stiff and painful, especially when first getting up.
If there is a visible injury with swelling or
bruising, the muscle is probably strained. Muscle
fatigue increases the risk of injury.
There is some debate as to where muscle
soreness actually comes from. It is believed that the
aching and stiffness are due to an increased
accumulation of lactic acid, a by-product that
accumulates during exercise, combined with
micro tears in the muscle fibers that occur during
exercise. This minor muscle injury is the result
of muscle overexertion after repeated
unaccustomed exercise, or fatigue from insufficient
training. Not warming up and not cooling down
slowly with stretching exercises before and after
sports will increase the risk of aching and injury.
Supplements and herbs
Nutritional supplements cannot help prevent
soreness, but they can help heal the
inflammation. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids speed
healing and recovery of the connective tissue.
Essential fatty acids, especially the gammalinolenic acid (GLA) found in
evening primrose
oil, are used to build anti-inflammatory
prostaglandins. Vitamin E is also important for
healing, and further serves to prevent scars
from forming as a result of the inflammation. Glucosamine is very important in healing
damaged muscles.
Herbal remedies relax aching, sore muscles.
- Take 3 or 4 aqueous horsetail extract vegetal
silica capsules three times daily to improve
muscle tone and repair connective muscle tissue.
- Willow bark is used for
pain instead of
Aspirin TM. Soak 1-3 tsp. of the bark in cold
water for two to five hours. Take 1/3 cup three
times daily. If you have a sensitive stomach,
combine the willow bark with 1/4 part
licorice root and a small amount of
cinnamon
bark, or take 1 capsule of powdered willow
bark three times daily.
- For aching muscles after exercise, combine
saffron, dandelion,
gentian, skullcap,
valerian, buckthorn bush,
cayenne and wild yam.
There are similar combinations available
in capsules. Saffron is the major part of this
formula because of its ability to remove the
lactic acid build-up in the muscles. This
build-up is the cause of soreness and
stiffness after beginning a new exercise
program.
- To relax muscles, take a half-hour hot bath
with lemon balm,
fir needles and/or
hayseed infusion added to bath water, or add
20 drops each of eucalyptus,
camphor or
lemon balm oil. After the bath, rest in bed
for at least an hour.
- Add 5 drops of tea tree oil to 1 tbsp. of
warm almond oil to massage muscles.
- To relieve pain, rub St. John's wort
oil into the painful areas. Arnica is also an
excellent remedy for muscle pain.
- Calendula cream is a proven remedy for
sore muscles.
- To relieve the symptoms of aching, heavy and
tired legs and ankles because of stagnation of
blood in veins of expectant and nursing
mothers, make a tea or drink 1 tbsp. of the
fresh juice of St. John's wort and yarrow.
What else you can do
- To relax tense and painful muscles after
vigorous exercise, take a half-hour hot bath. Add
1-2 cups of Epsom salts to bath to withdraw
toxins from muscle tissue. After the bath, rest
in bed for at least an hour.
- As a prevention, warm up muscles by
stretching before exercising or any vigorous activity.
- Some jobs require long standing or a lot of
walking around, especially on hardwood or
cement floors. In the evening, the abused legs
react with pain and sometimes even swelling.
Massage and rubbing are excellent to relieve
the pain.
How much to take
- Vitamin C, with bioflavonoids, 1,000 mg
- Evening primrose oil, two 500 mg capsules
three times daily
- Vitamin E, with mixed tocopherols E, 400 IU
- Glucosamine, 500 mg, 3 times daily
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