Night Creepers Called Cramps

All of us from time to time have experienced muscle cramps. Muscle cramps occur when the muscles tighten due to overexertion and dehydration. When the body does not have enough fluids in the system, it can lead to an electrolyte imbalance that can cause muscle cramps.

People often get cramps in their calves, thighs, hamstrings, quadriceps, feet, and just about every muscle. Cramps may also occur after inactivity, such as sitting too long in one place without moving any muscle. A person can get a cramp even when lying in bed.

A cramp can last a few seconds to 15 minutes or longer. it might recur multiple times before it actually goes away. Muscle cramps can happen anytime of the day, even during when a person is fast asleep. This condition is referred to as night leg cramps.


Night leg cramps are a sudden painful cramp in the leg. It can be very painful. This happens because the leg muscles contracts, which usually happens in the back of the lower leg or calf. Most of the time they usually occur while a person is asleep or sometimes when a person is about to wake up.

Doctors also believe that abnormal processing of electrolytes lead to such cramp attacks. Electrolytes such as salt and minerals are essential elements that our body needs for the maintenance of the basic functions of muscles. Other factors that contribute to cramping include inadequate stretching and muscle fatigue. Calcium deficiency also cause leg cramps at night, especially among women.

If a woman is post-menopausal, trying to lose weight, or does not consume enough calcium, she is susceptible to developing night leg cramps.
To alleviate leg cramps, one must have an adequate level of calcium consumption. This can also prevent other problems associated with calcium deficiency like osteoporosis. Calcium supplements may also help relieve a person from leg cramps, if taken on a regular basis.


Decrease potassium levels, neuromuscular disorders such as Paskinson's disease and alcohol use are also some of the causes of leg cramps. Certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications can also cause night leg cramps. Partially obstructed flow of blood to the legs and abnormal mineral or hormone levels can also be the causes for painful muscle cramps at night.


If a person suffers form night leg cramps, there are some practical pain relief methods to make this annoying condition go away. Try massaging the area with ice for no more than ten minutes or until the area is bright red, which indicates that blood cells have returned to heat the cramped muscle. If ice is too uncomfortable, try heat. Heat improves blood circulation and makes muscles more flexible. Some people find that heat is more soothing for muscle cramps than ice.

Try a heating pad for 20 minutes at a time or even a warm shower or bath. Make sure to massage the muscle following the application of ice or heat on the affected area.

Doctors may prescribe muscle relaxants, Benadryl, or vitamin E for the treatment of leg cramps. These drugs are safe but it is best to first consult a physician before taking them. If a person is frequently suffering from leg cramps at night, it is still best to consult a doctor to get rid of this nocturnal problem that's creeping and twitching our legs and disturbs people from their good night sleep.

How To Stop Leg Cramps And Spasms By Cherokee Billie

Natural Body Building

The body building industry has taken a very firm stance on the use of illegal and artificial substances – especially in competitions.  There are even specific contests geared toward natural body builders.  Most competitions will test participants prior to allowing them to compete, and if someone is found to have an illegal substance in their body, they are banned from participating.

While synthetic products will grow your body very quickly, they can have horrible side effects.  The trend toward natural body building is about growing your body, maximizing your nutritional intake, as well as staying healthy while you are growing your muscles.

When you decide that natural body building is the route you want to go, it’s important that you get the right amount of nutrients and vitamins that will maximize your workout sessions.  That means taking a multi-vitamin and eating properly in ways that will send muscle building proteins to the right parts of your body.

It is more than possible to grow your body naturally through an effective weight training program coupled with good nutrition.  There is no reason why steroids or growth hormones need to be introduced into the body for ultimate muscle mass.

One of the key components of a natural body building program is to eat healthy and maintain a positive mindset when it comes to your workout program.  Supplements are also important when you want toned, fit muscles.  The ingredients in supplements like creatine and glutamine are naturally produced in the human body anyway.  What the supplements do is increase or enhance those substances that are naturally there anyway.

Proponents of natural body building will agree that an effective workout program coupled with effective supplements and nutrition can make for a healthy, toned body.  Natural body building is definitely the way to go if your goal in a body building program is to get healthy and feel good.  Steroids and growth hormones should be avoided at all costs.

Body building the natural way is best for everyone.  Steroids are not.  Don’t take the chance that you will suffer ill effects from steroid use.  Just know that a strong workout program and a commitment to your body building goals will grow your body in a natural way not an artificial way.

Addiction Retreats

Addiction is a brutal development regardless of the vice. Addiction retreats offer unique treatment programs that are helping addicts recover.

Addiction Retreats

A new weapon in the battle against addiction has emerged recently. Instead of just working through a 12-step program, or being helped medically, a number of people who are having problems with addiction have chosen a different route. Addiction retreats have popped up in several areas of the United States, taking a new approach to helping those who have addictions to substances and other addictive behaviors.

One of the new addiction retreats that has started recently is the Essence Recovery Center, located in Asheville, North Carolina. This retreat offers an all-inclusive vacation-like feel, all while helping you to work through your problems with addiction. There are therapy sessions, which include individual "talk" therapy, as well as music and art therapy. They also offer massage therapy and acupuncture, which help to detoxify your body. Meditation, 12-step group programs, sauna and whirlpools, and even spa cuisine help to round out this holistic spa retreat. Week long programs and 28 day programs are available, and the spa is careful to point out that you should get your doctor's approval before starting this program, as it is not a medical program.

One of the addiction retreats located outside of the US is the Soukya Holistic Health Center in Bangalore, India. This retreat is one that combines many different health approaches, such as Ayurveda, homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture and Western (allopathic) medicine, in order to help people beat their addictions. With their approach including counseling, homeopathic remedies, relaxation techniques and more, they have earned the praise of people such as Dr. Deepak Chopra, a well-known doctor and philosopher from here in the US. Bangalore is known for having many English speaking residents and is a city that is often visited by US and British citizens. As with all programs, your doctor should be consulted before you start (or book your stay).

This new group of addiction retreats is sure to grow as more people discover the healing benefits of total body cleansing and relaxation. Whether you are in need of a long stay or just a short trip to rejuvenate your mind and spirit, these retreat centers offer more than just the usual massages and facials found at most other spas. They offer a new way of life and a new way of thinking, along with the luxury of a spa atmosphere.

Addiction is a scary thing and breaking it is a difficult task. Addiction retreats offer people the ability and time to break the addiction curse.

Preventing Osteoporosis

Last month my 74-year-old mother while walking, tripped on a small tuft of grass, fell - and broke her rib! Her recovery has been painful, debilitating and at times depressing. It also affected my elderly father who relies heavily on her day to day.

Surprisingly, this instance of fracture was not due to osteoporosis. However my mom's experience caused me stop and think deeply. As a 40-something woman, am I doing everything possible to keep my skeletal system in tip-top condition?

Once we get past the inevitable scrapes of childhood, during our middle years we don't give too much thought to our bones. We understand that bones make up our structural frame, but we tend to think of our bones like the frame of a house. Supporting and rigid, and that's it.

The truth of it is that bone is an active, living tissue. Bone is constantly changing, undergoing synthesis and remodeling itself. Like all other bodily tissue, bone is totally dependent on many different micronutrients and enzymes for optimum bone function and health.

Unfortunately the typical western diet is now so heavily weighted with white flours, refined sugars and fats it is deplete of many of the micronutrients required for healthy bones.

There are other aspects of concern with the typical western diet. Do you regularly drink carbonated beverages? Did you know that carbonated drinks increase the body's intake of phosphorus - which, in turn, may interfer with our absorption of calcium. Decreased absorption of calcium can lead to an unhealthy, nutrient-starved skeletal system. And in time this can lead to osteoporosis.

Whilst calcium is necessary, it is not the only critical micronutrient for healthy bones. Make sure your diet has an adequate supply of magnesium, zinc, silicon, boron, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, Manganese, vitamin K, vitamin D and magnesium. These trace elements are important and many of us are not getting them from our regular food consumption patterns. For instance, the Journal of Nutritional Medicine reports between 80 to 85 per cent of Americans consume a magnesium-deficient diet!

The good news is that if many of us with diet deficiencies which may have impacted our bone health, can improve our situation with a few lifestyle adjustments. Medical evidence supports an improvement in bone density where people make lifestyle changes to incorporate weight bearing exercise, a diet more rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, complemented with high quality nutritional supplements.

Why wait until you bones start breaking before you think about ensuring a healthy skeletal system?

(c) Kim Beardsmore