Muscle Cramps
Is Magnesium a Miracle Mineral?
The body needs minerals to function. Without adequate levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium we would perish. Doctors often encourage patients to cut back on sodium and increase calcium. P…
Doctors and Patients Confused About Statins and …
Tens of millions of people take statins such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin. Most physicians acknowledge that they have patients who complain about muscle pain …
Can You Really Control Blood Pressure With Dande…
High blood pressure is a very common condition that is usually treated with one or more medications. For the most part, people don't have a lot of trouble with diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ…
Can Coenzyme Q10 Control Severe Muscle Cramps?
We are always delighted when we learn about a new way to treat a common problem. If it doesn't require a prescription, so much the better! That's why we were excited to hear from a reader who found th…
Can Tonic Water Banish Your Muscle Cramp Pain?
What do you do for muscle cramp pain? Some people use massage, and others swallow a spoonful of yellow mustard. By far the most popular preventive used to be quinine tablets. At one time, doctors woul…
Can Soap Chips in Your Socks Ease Leg Cramps?
Leg cramps can be terribly painful. Athletes exercising in hot weather do all they can to avoid them, including sipping pickle juice. But ordinary mortals can get them, too, during daytime activities …
Could Pomegranate Juice React Badly with Crestor…
Do you know which foods might react badly with your medications? You might not, especially if your pharmacist didn't give you specific information. When you look online, you can find conflicting infor…
Do Selenium Supplements Cause Leg Cramps?
Most people who take supplements do so not expecting any type of unanticipated reaction. Occasionally, however, they get an unpleasant surprise. One reader reported that selenium supplements were link…
How Liquid Soap Gives Quick Relief from Leg Spas…
If you have ever had leg cramps, you know that these muscle spasms can be extremely painful. There is no standard medical treatment for this problem, partly because the cause is not well understood (E…
Can Magnesium Relieve Muscle Cramps at Night?
Muscle cramps at night are sleep-stealers. They can wake you from a sound sleep with sudden horrifying pain and a tight spasm. Mostly, such nocturnal cramps afflict the calves, but some people report …
Go Easy on Licorice to Avoid Leg Cramps
Your mother probably told you not to eat too much candy because it could ruin your teeth. Maybe your grandmother warned that gobbling candy would make you gain weight. But did anyone tell you to go ea…
Why Does Mustard Relieve Muscle Cramps?
If you get nighttime leg cramps, you know how painful they can be. Whether it is your calf, your thigh or even the arch of your foot, you might jump out of bed yelling. You could stretch the offending…
Could a Magnesium Supplement Conquer Your Leg Cr…
Nighttime leg cramps can be quite a challenge. They may well wake you with pain in the middle of the night, and easing the pain can take time. We have written about a number of home remedies that may …
Can A Bar of Soap Stop a Cough or Laryngospasm?
We have been writing about the amazing power of soap to stop leg cramps, ease restless leg syndrome and control hand cramps for years. Initially these stories seemed too good to be true. And yet we ha…
Stop Leg Cramps and Muscle Spasms Fast With a Si…
Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night with a leg cramp? One minute you are fast asleep and the next you are in agony with muscle spasms. When a muscle cramps up it can take a long tim…
Could Standing On an Icepack Cure Leg Cramps Fas…
If you search cure leg cramps on our website you will likely find all sort of remedies. They include pickle juice, pickle relish, yellow mustard, tonic water, soap under the bottom sheet, glycerin, B …
Olive Juice Cures Muscle Cramps like Magic
We have written extensively about muscle cramps over the years. Physicians have no FDA-approved drugs for this problem. As a result, people have searched high and low for home remedies. They have rang…
Busting Myths and Offering Unique Leg Cramp Reme…
Have you suffered from muscle cramps after exercise or overnight? Many readers have shared unusual leg cramp remedies over the years. Several years ago, we spoke with a neuroscientist who explained wh…
How Soap Overcame a Scary Throat Spasm
Many years ago, we heard about putting soap under the bottom sheet to ward off nighttime leg cramps. We thought it was implausible, but after hearing from hundreds of people and trying it ourselves wi…
Homemade Muscle Cramp Remedy: Ginger, Cinnamon a…
If you have ever experienced a muscle cramp you know how distressing it can be, especially if the spasm wakes you out of a sound sleep. We recently talked to Bruce Bean, PhD, of Harvard. This neurosci…
How Does A Teaspoon of Mustard Cure Muscle Cramp…
For years people have been insisting that a teaspoon or two of yellow mustard eases the pain of muscle cramps within a minute or two. We have even tried it ourselves with amazing success. But health p…
How to Stop Cramps Instantly with Yellow Mustard
Whether you are are running around a tennis court or spending a lot of time in the swimming pool, you might suffer a painful muscle cramp. Even if you are lying in bed at night, a leg cramp can h…
Why Did Abandoning Earl Gray Tea Cure Muscle Cra…
Q. You briefly mentioned Earl Grey tea causing leg cramps. You suggested oil of bergamot used for flavoring can interfere with potassium absorption. Eliminating the tea was an instant cure for a pers…
Leg Cramp Remedy Resulted in Red Itchy Rash
A new medication or a change in medicine can sometimes lead to an uncomfortable or undesirable side effect. Often, the health care provider's response may be to write another prescription that can ea…
Reader Dismisses Mustard for Leg Cramps as Junk …
Q. I am disappointed in your response to the person who claimed that swallowing a teaspoonful of mustard cured severe leg cramps in two minutes. You agreed with the writer that it was most likely the …
Nighttime Foot Cramps May Yield to Magnesium or …
Q. My sister gets cramps in her feet at night. They are so severe that she has to get out of bed to deal with them. She has tried mustard, soap, pickle juice and V8. Is there anything else that might …
Skeptics Become Bed Soap Believers To Overcome L…
If you have ever been awakened in the middle of the night with a cramp in your calf or the arch of your foot, you know how much that can disrupt your sleep. But what can you do to prevent this proble…
Home Remedies for Hand Cramps: Soap Stories to t…
When most people think of muscle cramps what comes to mind are leg cramps. That's because a "Charlie horse" can be super painful. The muscles in your legs are long and strong and when those muscles co…
High Doses of Vitamin B6 Could Cause Nerve Damag…
What happens when you take high doses of vitamin B6? A deficiency of this crucial nutrient has been linked to nerve damage, particularly nerve pain. But is it possible to get too much? Taking High Dos…
Pre-Marathon Painkillers Can Cause Trouble
Long-distance runners should resist the temptation to take pain relievers before a race. Although they may not want their performance to be hampered by pain, taking OTC anti-inflammatory drugs such as…
Mustard for Muscle Cramp
Q. I walked all around the house for 10 minutes last night with a cramp in my ankle that wouldn't quit. Then I remembered my sister telling me to try mustard. I went to the refrigerator and got a dab …
Why Does Soap Soothe Nighttime Leg Cramps?
We admit that putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet near your feet seems like a strange way to prevent leg cramps. Many health professionals insist that it is pure placebo. But we think there a…
Doctor Embraces Old Wives’ Tale
We sometimes hear from doctors who are disappointed that we write about home remedies. They feel the only topics worthy of discussion are treatments that have been discussed in weighty medical journal…
Gramps Gets Relief from Cramps
Q. During a visit to an amusement park last fall I encountered severe leg cramps while walking around the park. This happened several times during the day and each time I got a little cup of mustard f…
Mustard Eases Post Wedding Party Pain
Q. After dancing up a storm in high heels at a very fun wedding reception, I awoke with a terrible leg cramp in my calf. It was so intense I could barely move. After trying to grab my toe to stretch o…
Science Proves Pickle Juice Remedy Works
Q. I would like to tell you about a remedy for leg cramps or spasms. One evening we were playing cards with some friends, and suddenly my husband bent over with a severe leg cramp. Our host went to th…
Tums to Ease Leg Cramps
Q. Let me share my remedy for leg cramps. I find that Tums give fast relief, better than a spoonful of yellow mustard. I keep a packet at the bedside and in my purse. A. You are not the only reader to…
Leg Cramp Sufferers Face Quinine Quandary
Q. I am devastated that quinine is no longer available. I have taken it safely for decades to reduce leg cramping, especially at night. Since I ran out and cannot get more I have a terrible time sleep…