Leg Cramp Remedies Earn Boos and CheersPosting Date: 10/25/2004 Nothing can ruin a good night?s sleep faster than a sudden leg cramp. There you are, sleeping peacefully one minute and then the next you are awakened by excruciating pain like a bolt of lightning. No one really knows what causes these sudden, painful muscle spasms in the calf, the thigh or the arch of the foot. Doctors recommend several minutes of stretching before retiring to prevent cramps. If that doesn?t work, they sometimes prescribe quinine. It may work, though the evidence is weak. It can also cause stomach upset or ringing in the ears. Some people drink tonic water with quinine to get the drug without the prescription. Physicians may also suggest calcium or magnesium supplements, and for some people these minerals work. Others attempt to boost their potassium intake with potassium-rich foods such as low-sodium V-8 juice or bananas. People have used home remedies for this problem for centuries. We recently wrote about an unusual recommendation for muscle cramps: a spoonful of yellow mustard: ?My mother has leg cramps almost every night. Because of your column on yellow mustard, I got a huge supply of individually wrapped mustard packets. She keeps them on her nightstand and in her purse. When a leg cramp starts, she takes the mustard and the cramps disappear immediately.? Although this remedy helps some people, not everyone finds it beneficial: ?The spoonful of mustard did NOT do anything to alleviate my cramp, but it kept me up the rest of the night with indigestion. My esophagus burned all night long. What a terrible remedy!? Another reader agrees that the taste of mustard in the middle of the night is unpleasant: ?I received immediate relief. I do agree that the taste of a teaspoonful of mustard unaccompanied is thoroughly vile. I didn't suffer any repercussions except an awful taste in my mouth.? Related Stories |
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