Leg Cramps in the Night. (You'll never guess what helped!!!)

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Watermelon and avocados have a lot of potassium, as does potatoes.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Sounds like a charley horse.

Next time that happens, stick your leg straight out, toes pointing to the ceiling, and keep flexing your foot, trying to point your toes at your head, flex until the leg cramp goes away.

Works like a charm every time.

Thanks, but been-there-done-that and this was quite different. It simply would 'pop back into cramp mode.' I have had the charlie horse thingy and what you describe does work for that. This lasted WAY longer, until the... seasalt!

Originally posted by innocenttdreams
AHHHH are you kidding me???! Today i have the exact same problem with my right foot!! the pain is from my ankle, Ive never experience anything like this. Had to call in for work on this, i am going to try this!

Wow, no kidding! I've never had this either. Strange coincidence. Don't know why I thought of the sea salt, except for lots of information I've learned (probably on ATS, lol) converging. Somehow I just KNEW when it popped in my head that it was the 'cure.' Weird, huh?

Thank you ALL for your input! I've enjoyed reading all of your responses. I have to be away until tonight, so unfortunately I don't have time to reply to all the posts I want to. Those of you who are going to try this for leg/foot cramping, please DO be sure to drop back by and let us hear your results!

reply to post by new_here


The best I can do for you is this,
www.peoplespharmacy.com...

I don't know why it works, but she swears by it. Probably a mental thing, but hey, if it works.....

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet (wow, 2 pages on leg cramps!) But drink tonic water or something with quinine (a salt) in it. That has been the best solution for me.

I get these cramps like you wouldn't believe! Feels like the muscles are going to rip my leg apart. What's amazing though is that blood tests have revealed that it is NOT an electrolyte imbalance that causes these cramps (at least, not in me)--but for whatever reason, the salt does seem to help.

Tonic water with quinine has worked best for me. Drink a can/ bottle before and after your strenuous exercise. Stretching helps too.

Yep, salt. When my 18 month old was waking with horrible leg cramps, doctor told me he was low in salt. I started salting his food and the cramps disappeared.

Now, in my forties, I also experienced these leg cramps and salt does the trick.

Originally posted by Doodle19815
reply to post by new_here

 

The best I can do for you is this,
www.peoplespharmacy.com...

I don't know why it works, but she swears by it. Probably a mental thing, but hey, if it works.....

That is just really interesting and, well... strange! Thank you for sharing. Did you see THIS POST on the first page of this thread? His/her Grandma puts a bar of soap under the covers to alleviate restless leg syndrome.

Just what is it about a bar of soap and nighttime leg discomfort?

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


Wow, just looked it up and top hits said FDA is warning about bad effects of using it for this. Of course I don't count on the FDA's opinion... they want me to eat FrankenFoods!!!

So, thanks for the info!

Originally posted by tinker9917
Yep, salt. When my 18 month old was waking with horrible leg cramps, doctor told me he was low in salt. I started salting his food and the cramps disappeared.

Now, in my forties, I also experienced these leg cramps and salt does the trick.

Well this only leaves me wondering how on Earth I knew this (in my sleepy stupor no less) when I didn't already know it, unless I tapped into the Devine Knowledge in my time of need!

Originally posted by tinhattribunal
the key to this may be the REPLACING of the 'table salt' [mass manufactured sodium chloride] , in a balanced amount , with other types of salts that benefit the body.

sea salt being a much less refined sodium chloride has other minerals in it and is probably better.

this link to an alchemy site has a dozen different salts available [bottom 1/2 of page] and some pdf.'s as extra info.

i like, almost forgot to put this link in

intresting to read , i'm not saying it will work.
myself, i never add salt to my food.
also ... baking soda is a type of salt [ arm and hammer kind ] just brushing your teeth with it is a good way to 'ingest' some. it helps to lower the acidity of the body, which is good.
a real 'salty' thread you got goin' here.

Thanks for the link... checking it out now.

Also, I agree that there is a difference with using sea salt. Heck, I can taste the difference. Like broccoli, it tastes way better with sea salt on it as opposed to 'fake table sale' lol...

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
Wow New Here, I have a huge problem with my feet cramping at night and they feel like they're ready to break. It is excruciating and even heavy duty pain meds don't help. I've tried taking potassium gluconate as I hate bananas but to no avail.
I'll be trying your suggestion for sure!
Thanks

Well, 'twas a new one on me! (And not an experience I'd care to revisit-- can't imaging how you've coped with it!)

Please do 'report back' one way or the other!

In case it matters, I bought this sea salt already in a grinder from ALDI's (local grocery store.) It's full of salt chunks of random sizes and shapes, that look for the world like old-fashioned 'rock candy.' The brand is "Stonemill Essentials" As for Ingredients, it simply says: Coarse Sea Salt.

reply to post by new_here


Well, there's a difference between taking it regularly by prescription and having a small can of tonic water w/ quinine every now and then. You'll find on a bottle of tonic water that quinine is one of the ingredients and that's what gives it its bitter flavor (which is an acquired taste I have grown to...appreciate.) So, yeah, major difference between taking quinine tablets daily and taking a drink of what is essentially mineral-flavored water. I only drink it a couple of times a week or when I anticipate an especially long, active day on my feet. I will get back to you the moment I have any complications with it!

And it seems like it's (quinine) been used in the treatment of a lot of things. Doesn't surprise me that the FDA doesn't like it. Oh, by the way, there is a synthetic version of quinine that you can buy. I'm sure the FDA has no qualms about that one.

Good old-fashioned tonic water with NO high fructose corn syrup has done wonders for my cramps though. I used to get these cramps nightly after an 8-hour shift on my feet. It got to the point where a 3-4 mile walk would lead to cramps the minute I lied down for bed. Don't even ask me about hockey season! I've tried a lot of different things for it. Stretching, hydrating, and supplements weren't helping me at all! Finally, I had a doctor who said to try the tonic w/quinine. It works really well and I can do my physical exercises without worry about the horrendously painful cramping I got as a result.

Salt is definitely the answer! When I was in the army we were issued with salt tablets to take for cramping! They worked! I to this day, over 30 years later, still take salt if my legs or feet go into cramp!

Originally posted by new_here
Just what is it about a bar of soap and nighttime leg discomfort?

Originally posted by new_here I spied the Sea Salt in the salt grinder, and I knew it would help.

placebo effect

sure there may be more to it then that, but that IS a major part of it,

Originally posted by pryingopen3rdeye

Originally posted by new_here

Originally posted by new_here I spied the Sea Salt in the salt grinder, and I knew it would help.

placebo effect

sure there may be more to it then that, but that IS a major part of it,

edit on 12/5/12 by pryingopen3rdeye because: (no reason given)

Hardly! Usually, the body knows what nutrients it needs and will crave accordingly. Listen to your bodily cravings. It's just trying to get what it needs. Unless one is craving things like sugary sodas and Big Macs.

After all..."salty" is one of 4 (possibly 5) tastes that the human tongue is receptive to. Too bad we don't have a "placebo" taster on our tongue

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by Asktheanimals

 

Watermelon and avocados have a lot of potassium, as does potatoes.

only colored potatoes (purple etc) and its realy only in the skin,

brown potatoes have almost nothing in them,

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha

Originally posted by pryingopen3rdeye

Originally posted by new_here

Originally posted by new_here I spied the Sea Salt in the salt grinder, and I knew it would help.

placebo effect

sure there may be more to it then that, but that IS a major part of it,

edit on 12/5/12 by pryingopen3rdeye because: (no reason given)

Hardly! Usually, the body knows what nutrients it needs and will crave accordingly. Listen to your bodily cravings. It's just trying to get what it needs. Unless one is craving things like sugary sodas and Big Macs.

After all..."salty" is one of 4 (possibly 5) tastes that the human tongue is receptive to. Too bad we don't have a "placebo" taster on our tongue

edit on 5-12-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

edit on 5-12-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

so your saying it wasnt the placebo effect because they had a craving for it....


great news! taco bells cheesy gordita crunch cures headaches! i had a headache and i craved a gordita crunch so i got one at taco bell and boom the headache was gone...


it was placebo that i had the headache (hunger) preference that i wanted the gordito, and satisfaction of hunger that the headache went away

reply to post by pryingopen3rdeye


Well, I still stand by what I said. Listen to what your body is craving...unless it's a known junk food. I did state that in my above post.

Also, a craving for a specific food could just contain a certain nutrient the body is deficient in. Say, you need something from the cheese of your cheesy Taco Bell. You just made an association to a particular nutrient found in the cheese and that's just the primary source of that nutrient that you are accustomed to eating. A lot of our cravings are indeed for psychological feel-good foods.

Take this for example: I have hemochromatosis, an excess of iron in the bloodstream. I actually have an adverse taste to a lot of iron-fortified foods; especially cereals. I don't like eating red meat nearly as much as I used to. I noticed my tastes changed before I even found out about this iron-overload. This isn't really proof of anything, I admit. But, it is an intriguing correlation I have noticed in my personal experience.

I'm just sayin'...usually your body is trying to tell you something...whether it wants a particular nutrient that it is lacking, or even a possible endorphin rush from eating Taco Bell.

But, I think the placebo effect is pretty interesting all by itself. Makes me wonder just how efficient the human mind is at solving its own bodily problems without the use of pharmaceuticals

reply to post by Sparky63


Swimming with fins was one of the first times I experienced complete muscle spasm. Was a few meters under water and when it happened it hurt. Grabbing the fin and stretching only helped enough to get out of the water. Had to sit out that dive.
Later on developed restless leg syndrome where only long walks/hikes would help. Still get muscle spasms/cramps but they seem to be random places like my ribs or neck muscles.
Being dehydrated definitely causes them in me. The worst experience was where it felt like my diaphragm was seized up. It was a physical labor to breathe. I actually had a buddy start to drive me to a hospital but the cramps stopped before we got there.

Lots a fluid and plenty of iodine salt seems to be my best medicine.