Natural Muscle Pain Relief 

I prefer natural or alternative treatments to conventional ones because I have first hand experience that they work. Having said that: there is a time and a place for alternative treatments and there is a time and a place for conventional treatment. My main objective is to make you understand that minor aches and pains can be treated effectively with natural or alternative methods rather than going down the route of paracetamol or ibuprofen straight away.

Firstly - and you may have heard that often enough before - water. It is so important. I really cannot emphasize enough what a difference it makes to your life if you drink enough water. Don't wait until your body tells you that it is thirsty, drink several glasses of water distributed evenly throughout the day. Side effect: you will have to visit the toilet more frequently in the first few days when you increase your water intake. Your kidneys aren't used to being flushed and go into overdrive, but once they got used to it they will adapt very quickly. Your skin will improve, your organs work better, your hair looks better and you will get less tired. Your headaches subside and your muscles are less prone to injury and pain after exercise.

Secondly: exercise. I am not a fan of the gym and I don't believe in exercising day in day out. What I am talking about is walking for example. A modest walk of say 30 - 60 minutes day with some steps thrown in or some faster walking up a hill does wonders for your cardiovascular workout. I have three dogs and I walk them up to 90 minutes per day. I cannot begin to tell you what a difference this has made to my life. I have been suffering from a slipped disc since I was 15. At 28 I was told I needed surgery, however through a clever combination of alternative therapies I escaped the scalpel. I adopted my dogs 5 years ago because I moved to the countryside and I felt a country house needed a dog. And of course a dog needs to be walked. For exercise as well as mental stimulation - which is true for human beings as well, by the way. The amount of great ideas that are coming into my head whilst out there walking is phenomenal. I am now at a stage that I become very grumpy if I don't go out for my daily walk. And if it's raining I hear you say? Well, buy yourself some rain gear and you van go outside at any weather (perhaps not at -20 degree during the winter but that's another matter).

Back to natural muscle pain relief. Based on my own experiences, yet again, a deep tissue massage also works wonders. It is not for everybody, but if you need a quick fix that last for a few days then this is great. Anybody who work at a computer all day long will develop some kind of muscle ache and a deep tissue massage can give instant muscle pain relief. Make sure you find a properly trained therapist before you embark on your massage sessions. And may I recommend having the massage in the evening as then you can go home and straight to bed. Or better still, find a therapist that does home visits.

Coming back to my dogs, I sue my border collie to try out herbs and alternative remedies. She suffers from arthritis and she really needs a pain killer but I found that a combination of herbs such as devils claw and turmeric plus some glucosamine with chondroitin works wonders. The latter she gets in her specially formulated food which is available from all good pert shops - ask for food for senior dogs and read the label. She is also on a supplement called Nexrutine which is based on plant extracts. Nexrutine apparently inhibits Cox2 but not Cox1 and those of you who suffer from arthritis will know what I am talking about. My collie is a different dog since I started her on all these natural pain relievers that have anti inflammatory effect. She is able to accompany me on short walks, something she couldn't do before and she even regained some of her eye sight. She is 13 years old now and still going strong. I am sure that if I ever have arthritis I shall take the same supplements that I give her at the moment.

A great way to relief pain naturally is the Bowen technique. This is for all of you who don't like undressing, lying on a table and being massaged by someone you don't know. With the Bowen technique you don't have to undress and the therapist touches you only very slightly. The technique is based on the theory that there are pressure points and meridians in our bodies that are out of alignment and can be reconfigured with light manipulation. The technique has been proven to be an excellent muscle pain relief for frozen shoulder syndrome, migraine, bad back and arthritic knees just to mention a few. Best of all, you should need only 3 sessions followed by yearly fresheners.

Last but not least your diet. I am not sure as to whether carbohydrate free or meat free is best. What works for me is a balanced diet with no or very little sugar. Sugar manifests itself as acid in your muscles and can attribute to muscle pain if eaten in excessive amounts. Plus it makes you fat! You can eat lots of pure, raw chocolate however that is an acquired taste. Raw chocolate can be very bitter however it has now been proven that it contains many beneficial trace elements that are good for your body. You may find that your local health food store sells chocolate nibs which are better to digest as they come in small pieces. Try these and if you are a chocolate fan and stay off your bar of milk chocolate that contains a very high amount of unsaturated fats and sugars. Personally I love salads and steamed vegetables. I do like my steak every now and then but on the whole I prefer fish to meat. And to keep my blood sugar levels going I eat dried fruits and nuts as snacks. I don't obsess with weight as I know that when I weighed much less than what I weigh now, I was always tired and always suffered from colds and a dry and pimply skin. I am 49 years old now, have hardly any wrinkles, am fit most of the time and I haven't had a cold in years.

In my next article I shall go further into what' else is available in terms of alternative muscle pain relief such as cooling gels, yoga, massage chairs and much more.

Sabine Oppenlander | Alternative therapy enthusiast and fairtrade supporter
http://musclepainrelief.zoxic.com