Natural Relief for Muscle Cramps: Remedies and Prevention Tips

Does anyone else get toe cramps when you work out? 

Gaah 😫 it's annoying - and painful.  

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), cramps are a symptom of an underlying Blood or Yin Deficiency.  

How do you know which one it is?  

Your tongue is pale - Blood deficiency

Your tongue is red with not much coating - Yin deficiency. 

HYDRATION

Since water is the basis of blood, this underlines the importance of staying hydrated.  

If you're wondering about electrolytes, since those are so trendy right now, here's the BEST electrolyte mix available.  

Ready? 

...

Into your (BPA-free refillable water bottle or glass) filtered water + a pinch of sea salt + a squeeze of lime/lemon. 

That's it!  

Do you need something fancier or more expensive?  Or that comes in a cool package? Only if you want to.  

Other things you definitely DON'T NEED to stay hydrated:

* sports drinks (Too much sugar and added, nasty junk!) 

* ice

* another coffee

* booze

* sugar

* a ph-balancing machine that costs $2000 (If you already bought one, don't worry.  It makes a great doorstop!)  

* ph-balanced/alkaline water (Your digestive tract NEEDS to be acidic!!) 

What you need to stay hydrated:

* a BPA-free refillable water bottle that you actually use and take with you everywhere

* filtered water

* occasionally in very hot weather, or with intense exercise:  a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon/lime

Yin is the overall moisture in your body. 

Blood is a part of the body's Yin.  So are your organs.  Yin is the "substantial" - meaning what you can see.  (Yang is considered the "insubstantial" - meaning the energy that you can't see. ۣ👀) 

Yin also relates to 

* rest

* nighttime

* the part of the menstrual cycle after the bleeding stops

Having Yin/Blood is more than just staying hydrated.  It's also how well you rest, and what you do with yourself during the evening hours.  

For example, working a night-shift job depletes your Yin.  

Being stressed out and over-worked is hard on your Yin.  

Not sleeping well is a double-edged sword:  it's Yin-depleting, but also gets worse with Yin deficiency.  

Some foods and herbs help nourish Yin.  

* moist foods (mushrooms, soups, broth, chicken legs with the tendons, oatmeal, etc.)

* herbs like Shisandra, Dong Gui, Rehmannia, and Wild Yam (Shan Yao) 

* oils and fats

What About Bananas?  

For years the rhetoric has been - have cramps? eat a banana.  

Bananas are one source of Potassium, a trace mineral that helps with fluid balance in your cells.  It opposes sodium, which moves fluid outside the cells.  

This makes me think about people avoiding salt in their diet for hypertension.  Why not just eat more vegetables and fruit and reduce or eliminate high-sodium processed foods? 

Other sources of Potassium include other fruits, greens, and root vegetables.  

Studies show that most people with consistent Potassium deficiency also have a concurrent Magnesium deficiency. 

And many people have an underlying Magnesium deficiency.  A lot of people are just not eating enough fruits and veggies.  It's literally the #1 thing you can do to "eat healthier."  

Eat. More. Vegetables. 

Pain is Stagnation

Another concept in TCM has to do with pain.   Any sort of pain is defined as a Stagnation of your Qi or Blood. 

To help your Qi and Blood move better, heat is your friend.  Use heat packs, moxa, or a hot bath.  

This is why compression or massage helps cramping muscles.  Compression increases heat in that area.  

Can acupuncture help with cramping? 

Yes!  Especially when combined with heat therapy and herbs that nourish Blood and Yin.  

Stress and insomnia are common causes of Yin deficiency.  Acupuncture helps regulate your autonomic nervous system, temporarily shutting off that "fight or flight" response, helping you get the rest you need. 

It also helps regulate stress hormones in the body.  High stress is an underlying reason of consistent Potassium or Magnesium deficiencies.  Stress uses up your vital resources.  Acupuncture is a great way to "reboot" your system and down-regulate the stress response.