Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen
Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen are folk-remedy experts and home tipsters based in New York City. They have spent decades collecting “cures from the cupboard” and are authors of several books, including Secret Food Cures.
Muscle aches are a part of life. They can be caused by overexertion during a workout. Conversely, they can also be caused by sitting at a desk and not moving around enough. Whatever the cause of your muscle aches, natural remedies for muscle pain and inflammation can help relieve the soreness and help you to get moving again.
In the following excerpt from Secret Food Cures by Joan and Lydia Wilen share some of their favorite natural remedies for muscle pain and inflammation.
Muscle strain, a tight, sore neck…leg cramps…an achy body can be such a pain! But most minor muscle aches seem to loosen up quite well when treated to a massage or a nice, hot bath. In addition, these remedies may help ease your aches and pains.
• Prepare strong ginger tea with two teaspoons of ginger powder or fresh, grated ginger root in two cups of water. Let it simmer until the water turns yellowish in color. Add the ginger tea to a bathful of warm water. Relax in the tub for 20 to 30 minutes. This ginger tea bath may relieve muscle stiffness and soreness and is wonderful for one’s circulation.
• When you have sudden muscle stiffness or pain (charley horse), soak in a tub of “old faithful”—Epsom salts. Pour three cups into warm water. Stay in the water 20 to 30 minutes and your charley-horse pain may start to ease.
• This remedy is said to be particularly effective for a charley horse. Vigorously scrub three small lemons, two small oranges and one small grapefruit. (If you can get organic produce, do so.) Cut up the six fruits and put them into a blender—peel and all. Add one teaspoon of cream of tartar and blend. Store the mixture in a covered jar in the refrigerator.
Dose: To relieve the stiffness, take two tablespoons of the concoction with two tablespoons of water twice a day—first thing in the morning and right before bedtime.
It’s quite common for those of us who are under pressure to have a pain in the neck. People tend to tense up in that area, which is the worst thing to do to yourself. Your neck connects your brain and nervous system to the rest of your body. When you create tension in your neck, you impair the flow of energy throughout your system.
• To prevent tension buildup, do neck rolls. Start with your chin on your chest and slowly rotate your head so that your right ear reaches for your right shoulder, then head back, left ear to left shoulder, and back with your chin on your chest. Do these rolls, slowly, six times in one direction and six times in the opposite direction, morning and evening. You may hear lots of crackling, crunching and gravelly noises coming from your neck. As tension is released, the noises will quiet.
• If, when you roll your neck around or just turn from side to side, you hear and feel like there’s gravel in your neck, eat three or four cloves of raw garlic every day. You may have to work your way up to that amount.
• The medicine men and healers from several Native American tribes prescribe daily neck rubs with fresh lemon juice, as well as drinking the juice of half a lemon first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
• According to the ancient principles of reflexology, the base of the big toe affects the neck. Rub your hands together vigorously until you feel heat. Now you’re ready to massage your big toes with circular motions. Spend a few minutes massaging the bottom of your feet at the base of the toes and the area surrounding them. As a change of pace, you might want to massage the base of your thumbs, also for a few minutes at a time. Keep at it, at least two times a day, every day.
Whiplash is the result of neck muscles that were too tense to absorb a sudden thrust (like from a car accident). We’ve been told by medical professionals that wearing a neck collar is the worst thing you can use for whiplash. It doesn’t help realign the neck and it doesn’t let the body help realign itself.
Instead, a naturopath, chiropractor or osteopath can realign the neck vertebrae properly. During this uncomfortable time, wear a silk scarf. It has been known to help blood circulation and relieve muscle pain and tension in the neck.
WARNING: If you’ve been in an accident and experience neck pain, get medical attention immediately. You could have a fracture that can result in paralysis if not treated.
