What causes muscle cramps? Hint: They're NOT brought on by dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. Triggering TRP channels with leg cramp remedies might help.
Hockey player Oliver Peer uses pickle juice against leg cramps. Joe and Terry discuss the science supporting home remedies.
Health care is as divided and polarized as politics. For many people it's herbs and home remedies or drugs. Why not both...when appropriate?
What is it about quinine in tonic water that eases leg cramps? Can we explain this benefit? We think the bitter taste stimulates TRP channels!
You will not find pills with quinine for leg cramps. But you may be able to use tonic water or pickle juice to get rid of the cramp.
Active people sometimes suffer from muscle cramps. Many report that they ease leg cramps with a spoonful or two of yellow mustard.
Have you ever wondered how could mustard relieve muscle cramps? We have a probable explanation that works through nerves and their receptors.
We've heard from many people that they get relief from night-time cramps by slipping a bar of soap under their bed sheets. Why are skeptics so angry?
Many readers find that a bar of fragrant soap under the bottom sheet can prevent or stop painful nighttime cramps. Will this remedy banish your leg cramps?
Some readers report that dandelion extract lowers blood pressure without strong side effects. Clinical studies are lacking.
Skeptics often dismiss remedies that they cannot explain. Such is true for mustard for cramps. But now there is an explanation and it is incredibly elegant!
Coenzyme Q10 supplements appear to prevent painful muscle cramps, including those associated with statin cholesterol drugs.
Many people complain about statin side effects, such as muscle pain and weakness. Statins and muscle cramps seem to be ignored complications.
One reader found that keeping soap under the bottom sheet of the bed reduced the unbearable pain caused by tarsal tunnel syndrome.
A reader reports that taking calcium supplements for leg cramps at night has worked for three decades. Others prefer magnesium or other minerals.
Enjoying a bowl of spicy hot soup might be just the ticket to prevent bothersome nighttime leg cramps. The pungent flavors could be responsible.
You might worry about whether pomegranate juice will react badly with your medication, but it should not create problems with rosuvastatin (Crestor).
Could selenium supplements cause horrible muscle cramps? Animal research suggests that an excess of the mineral can affect muscles and nerves.
A reader reports that smearing liquid soap on the legs can stop muscle spasms quickly.
Readers report that they can prevent most muscle cramps at night by taking magnesium supplements. Few scientists have studied this treatment.
Anyone with concerns about heart rhythms or blood pressure should take it easy on licorice. Too much can be dangerous and even lead to leg cramps.
Canadian and US health regulatory agencies have dealt differently with quinine pills. As a result, you can't buy them in the US.
Can you make painful foot cramps relax by holding your breath? One reader reports this is the remedy that works best in their situation.
Are you getting tired of reading that a bar of soap can ease muscle cramps? We get it. We frequently write about this remedy. But here are some new soap stories, including laryngospasm.
Be sure to use the discount code Spring18 to get 18% off any body care purchase in our store during this spring month of April.
Tonic water contains quinine. Those who are sensitive to this drug must beware tonic water, as even small amounts could trigger serious reactions.
Would you like to stop leg cramps and muscle spams really fast? We've got lots of home remedies that might do the job, including the old lip pinch technique!
Have you ever had a Charley Horse? Leg cramps at night can be incredibly painful and wake you out of a sound sleep. There are scientific reasons why strange cramp remedies work.
You have read all about muscle cramp cures here at the People's Pharmacy. Have you ever heard that an ice pack could cure leg cramps? We didn't think so.
Have you ever had a Charley Horse? This is a muscle cramp that is excruciating! Would you believe olive juice cures muscle cramps?
Tucking a bar of soap under the sheets can help prevent leg cramps and possibly even restless legs syndrome (RLS). How does this work?
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A randomized controlled trial showed that magnesium oxide supplements worked no better than placebo pills against painful leg cramps at night.
People with leg cramps sometimes suffer excruciating pain, but what can be done to alleviate it? For some, home remedies like tonic water may be the answer
Rubbing soap on the neck stopped a scary throat spasm almost instantly. We don't know how that works, but we suspect it is through neurons.
Here is a homemade recipe to ease muscle cramps. The person who came up with this formula based it on research from two distinguished neuroscientists.
A Nobel prize winning scientist has come up with an explanation for why mustard, pickle juice or hot chile peppers could ease muscle cramps.
Swallowing a spoonful of yellow mustard can stop cramps within a minute or two. There is new research explaining how this works.
Almost everyone has experienced leg cramps at one time or another. What about hand cramps? A fisherman told us about his success with soap for hand cramps.
Who would ever imagine that drinking tea could cause muscle cramps? Surprise! Earl Gray tea could be a culprit. Some people may react to green tea too.
Essential oils used in aromatherapy and to scent soap appear to have benefit for leg cramps that strike at night.
Many people report that when they put soap under the sheet (the bottom sheet) that it relieves leg cramps. But some note it can lose effectiveness. Why?
In people who are very sensitive to quinine, just drinking a few ounces of tonic water might be enough to trigger a terrible headache.
What did French grandmothers know about putting soap in bed to ease leg cramps? Find out the secret behind Marseille soap and why it is popular in France.
For some susceptible people, exposure to soap results in a red itchy rash as well as relief from nighttime leg cramps.
The soap remedy for nighttime leg cramps is amusing, but it can also be helpful in keeping painful muscle spasms from disturbing your rest.
Reader is convinced that mustard for leg cramps is bogus at best and junk science at worst. Do we always need an explanation for why something works?
Swallowing a spoonful of mustard can provide quick relief for painful muscle cramps in the legs or feet.
An large number of people insist that a spoonful of mustard eases cramps in minutes. But anyone taking a blood thinner like warfarin might get into trouble.
Is mustard a miracle remedy for leg cramps or an old wives' tale with no merit? There are no randomized controlled trials, but people share amazing stories.
We have heard from hundreds of people that soap in bed prevents nighttime leg cramps. Now we learn that a dog has also benefited from soap. Bow-Wow!
Eating kimchi during the day may ward off debilitating leg cramps at night.
Hot pepper extract banishes painful leg muscle cramps almost instantly.
Slipping a chip of soap into a sock can ease the pain of muscle cramps.
Slipping soap into socks or under the bed sheet can help ward off leg, foot or toe cramps.
Painful foot cramps at night may be prevented by taking magnesium or B vitamin supplements.
This home remedy has helped many banish excruciating leg cramps, and is a long time reader favorite.
Is there a scientific explanation for why a bar of soap in bed may relieve some people's nighttime leg cramps? Research is providing some good theories.
Tomato juice is a simple and healthy way to prevent leg cramps. If that doesn't work we have lots of other suggestions that won't be as dangerous as quinine
For years, quinine was available in drugstore products to relieve muscle cramps, but the FDA has now banned it for this use. What can people do?