When Your Muscles Hurt

An amazing thing, our muscles! Each one is made of approximately 2,000 separate fibers. Each one of those fibers can be anywhere from about one inch to even four or five inches in length. If you didn't have muscles, your body wouldn't move. Did you know that even when you are resting your muscles stay slightly tensed? This "tenseness" helps to keep your body uniform and "in-line". As well, stronger muscles have more muscle strands than weaker muscles.

I'm sure there have been times that we have all experienced "pulled" muscles. This means that we have pushed that muscle way past the point it can handle. In turn, we experience aches, pains, and exhaustion. Untrained muscles are the real culprits though, and even react negatively to cooler air and drafts. Bruises and deep punctures and cuts can cause your muscles to tear and strain too. There are even "inward" causes for muscle pain. There can be mineral and vitamin deficiencies, problems with your circulation, diseases, and spinal cord misalignments.

Some of the most common ways to treat your aching, and hurt muscles are with warm baths and massages, very gentle stretching, and even a few basic dietary changes. Some even use mineral ointments and drink many kinds of herbal teas in their muscle therapies. Sometimes these, together with rest and relaxation do the trick.

Following are some "natural" things you can do to help yourself:

When you sweat your body loses minerals, therefore, you should concentrate on eating dried fruits (preferably apricots) and bananas to keep your levels of potassium high, so as not to experience "muscle cramps". Eat whole-grain items, as well as veggies, potatoes and nuts to keep your magnesium levels normal. As a preventative measure, eat a diet rich in raw or juiced fruits and veggies. Drink at least 1 quart each day. (Hearsay has it that if you are experiencing painful, achy muscles, you should not eat table salt, hard cheeses, or meat. (As toxins from these foods disappear, your inflamed muscle(s) will feel better.)

Remember, if you injure your muscle(s), apply cold treatments to the area for the first 2 days after the injury. Place ice packs on the aching areas, and use cold water (like a shower) to treat the ache. (The coldness will keep the swelling down, and stimulate your circulation.) For the next 2 days, use heat on the aching muscles. (Take hot baths. because these relax the muscles and dilate the blood vessels)

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