Post by Chelle Belle on Jun 18, 2004 8:08:38 GMT -5
This morning I woke to an incredible sore and achey body. Yesterday and the day befores workout was a rough one and I'm feeling it now. So, I was searching for relief and this is what I found. Thought I'd share:
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
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