Muscle Soreness

In my massage practice I work with people who suffer from a lot of muscle soreness. While I think massage therapy is great and is defiantly a huge help for muscle pain there are also a few supplements that help a lot as well. These supplements work really well for anyone suffering from chronic muscle pain or muscle pain associated with working out.

Epson salt- I can’t tell you how much this helps. Seriously! Magnesium helps relax muscles. Take 2 cups and soak in a warm bath for 20-30 minutes. You will thank me for it 🙂
Arnica- These little pills are life saver. I take these at the slightest sign of muscle pain. They are safe for kids to take too. Here is a link to the ones I use.

Natural Vitality Cal-Mag- This little miracle tonic saves my life on a daily. It also helps me sleep like a baby. I have posted a link below.

Foam rolling- I can’t tell you how important it is to roll out before and after you work out. This will help keep your muscles supple and healthy as well as flushing out lactic acid. You can get them for around $20 and it’s well worth the $20.

H20- Yup good old fashion water. Drink lots of it and apply it in the form of ice anytime you have muscle pain.

Hope these help. Let me know if you have questions.

Stephanie
http://www.primalcotton.com

All information found on this blog is for entertainment purposes only and should not replace medical advice from your doctor.

Beat Muscle Soreness

Happy Thursday! We are only 1 day away from the weekend! I don’t know about you, but I am ready! This week I have made it a goal to get up at 4:30am and get my work out done and some writing in. I have been successful so far and I am really starting to feel it. I have amped up my workouts this week and I am sore. While I am happy to say I did make deadlifts my bitch this week  ,I am feeling the repercussions of it today. As always my pain is your gain  Here are my top remedies for muscle soreness.

Epson Salt Bath– Epson salt is not actually salt like you might think. It is actually magnesium. Magnesium works to relax muscles and calms the nervous system. This combined with warm water makes it an unstoppable remedy for muscle soreness. You can use Epson salt alone but I like to add a few essential oils and baking soda to it and increase the benefits. Here is my favorite muscle soreness bath recipe;

2 Cups of Epson Salt
½ Cup of Baking Soda (Helps soften the skin)
5 Drops of Lavendar Essential Oil
2 Drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
In a metal or class bowl mix all of the ingredients together until they are well incorporated. Pour into your bath and let dissolve. Soak in the bath for 20-30 minutes

Arnica– Arnica is a remedy that I keep in my home in two different forms. I have a topical form and an oral homeopathic form. Arnica is a flower that is known to help heal wounds, bruises, irritation, and inflammation, sprains, as well as muscle soreness. If you are suffering from muscle soreness you can buy the homeopathic form of this and take it orally or you can buy an Arnica cream and rub it into your sore muscles. You can find Arnica at most nutrition shops or places like whole foods and co-op’s. You can also buy it online see the link that I have posted.

Arnica Cream- http://www.amazon.com/Arnicare-Cream-Horizontal-2-5-Ounce/dp/B00DEYEREY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384435376&sr=8-2&keywords=arnica

Arnica Pills- http://www.amazon.com/Boiron-Homeopathic-Medicine-Montana-Pellets/dp/B0006NYI7C/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&srs=2586158011&ie=UTF8&qid=1384435467&sr=1-1&keywords=boiron++arnica

Massage– Who doesn’t love a massage? Muscle soreness is the perfect excuse to get one. Massage works to relief muscle soreness and stress by relaxing muscles and flushing toxins and lactic acid from them. When choosing your massage I do not recommend getting deep tissue massages, this will only make you feel worse when you are recovering. Save the deep tissue massage for another day. I recommend getting a Swedish massage or Hot Stone massage. Both of these massage modalities work great for relieving muscle soreness and flushing lactic acid and toxins out of the body. I especially like hot stone massage because the heat feels amazing when you have sore muscles. You can also ask your massage therapist to use some lavender essential oil or a muscle soreness blend if they have it, and this will increase the benefits of the massage.

Foam Rolling– I used to hate the idea of foam rolling. As a massage therapist I used to think “how can this piece of foam do me any good?” That was until I finally broke down and tried one. Now I love my foam roller and use it all of the time. It was the best $20 I have ever spent! It is a great way to do self-massage and help relief muscle soreness and tension. If you are new to foam rolling, I recommend starting out with a white foam roller, they are softer and ideal for beginners. If you move up to a blue or black one they tend me a bit harder and will be a lot more intense. You can find foam rollers on amazon for a really reasonable price. Check out the link I posted. Once you get your foam roller, go on youtube and there are tons of videos that will show you how to use it.
Foam Roller- http://www.amazon.com/Full-Round-Foam-Rollers-Size/dp/B000GE1J9G/ref=sr_1_18?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1384437634&sr=1-18&keywords=foam+roller

There you have it, my top remedies for muscle soreness. I hope they give you some relief.

http://www.primalcotton.com
This blog is for recreational use only and is not to be considered medical advice. If you need medical advice contact your physician.

Holistic Remedies for Whiplash

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend. My weekend started a little earlier then I had planned. Normally I work on Saturday, so Sunday and Monday are my weekend. On Friday I was on my way to the bank on my lunch break and I got rear ended at a red light. This was followed up by 3 hours in the emergency room, some heavy drugs, and a nice case of whiplash. Luckily it was only whiplash because it could have been much worse. While I appreciate the doctor giving me drugs I am really of no use to anyone if I just sleep all day, and that is pretty much all I could do on muscle relaxers and pain medication.  Thankfully I have treated many clients over the years for whiplash so I knew how to give myself some relief without being drugged up all weekend.  

Here are my go to remedies for whiplash

1. Arnica- Arnica is a homeopathic remedy that can be taken internally and applied topically.  Arnica helps aid in healing and pain relief. I always keep this on hand in case someone gets hurt.
2. Ice- Ice is my best friend at the moment. It helps relieve pain and helps keep inflammation to a minimum.
3. Foam Rolling- If you remember my last blog about foam rolling, I gave some tips on exercises you can use for sore muscles. This is a great way to relieve some of the tension in your muscles associated with whiplash. Just go easy on these muscles because they will be sore, and wait at least 24 hours.
4. Water- Water is really important after an injury. Your body stores toxins and lactic acid in your muscles and it is important to flush as much of this out of your body as you can. This will aid in the healing process
5. Epson Salt Bath- Epson salt baths are a great way to relax muscles and aids in repairing strained muscles.
6. Aromatherapy- I use a combination of lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and peppermint. Each of these oils has therapeutic effects. The lavender and chamomile help with inflammation and pain, and the rosemary and peppermint help sooth sore muscles and relax them. Plus they smell really good 🙂
7. Massage-There is nothing more beneficial for whiplash then a massage. Massage will help relax all of the muscles that have been strained. It aids in breaking up adhesion’s and deactivating trigger points that may have formed. Make sure you wait at least 24 hours before going for a massage and make sure you let your massage therapist know you have whiplash.
8. Chiropractic Adjustment- I can’t say enough good things about the chiropractor. When you experience something like whiplash it normally misaligned your spine and this will cause swelling between your vertebral disks. Getting adjusted will realign your spine and it helps all of the muscles to relax and heal.

 Now you have my go to remedies for whiplash.One thing I can’t stress enough is to be sure you are seeking medical attention if you think you have whiplash! Neck and back injuries are nothing to play around with. If you are cleared from a doctor then defiantly try some of these remedies.