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Sports Injuries
Q: Is it dangerous to basically just exercise on the weekend? I don't have
time to workout during the week.
A: Weekend athletes can run into problems. Boring as it sounds, you well
know that regular and moderate are key concepts in health, whether you apply
them to sports, relaxation, relationships, food or even oxygen. If possible,
try to get up and shake your booty a bit each day -- walk, dance around
the living room, try a yoga or aerobics class, go to the pool, do a sustained
spell of gardening or housecleaning. Just move! And when you do go out
for the weekend hike, kayak trip or soccer match, make sure to warm up and
cool down. Warm up stretches should include at least a few minutes on each
of the major muscles groups: calves, thighs (front and back), hips, low
back, abdomen, chest, arms. Stretch slowly, using your breath to sustain
the stretch. You don't want to push to the point of discomfort. Don't
bounce cold muscles. Walking slowly, swinging and punching the arms, then
easing into a brisk walk, is an adequate warm up for running. Even better
is to take the time to stretch into some low lunges and biceps/triceps curls
before beginning the aerobic portion.
One thing to understand about exercise is that we have very small reserves
for aerobic respiration at a tissue level once we begin to raise the heart
rate. As a rule of thumb, it is best to not get so out of breath that it's
impossible to talk. Not that you should aspire to engage in prolonged articulate
discourse with your running partner, heavens forbid! But if you can't
even gasp out a pleasant remark from time to time, you're probably overdoing
it. Anyway, after about 60 seconds of working out with your heart rate
up, the immediate oxygen tissue stores are consumed and you go into what
is called anaerobic respiration. The byproduct of anaerobic respiration
is lactic acid, which is what creates that muscle "burn" for the
first 20 minutes of a hard workout, especially one without a warm-up.
The better oxygenated our tissues, the less problem we will have with lactic
acid buildup and burn. Breathe into your belly through your nose whenever
possible. Make sure to get regular and adequate sleep and water to promote
a healthy workout. If you feel thirsty while working out, you are already
dehydrated. We tend to be chronically dehydrated in this culture because
our foods contain lots of salt and sugar, which requires lots of dilution,
and because most people don't drink enough pure water. No other liquids,
not even herbal teas, can substitute for the requisite 6-9 glasses of pure,
room temperature water daily.
The rest of this essay will focus on first-aid and natural medicines for
sports injuries.
The acronym for how to treat an acute sports injury is R.I.C.E. which stands
for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Depending on the circumstances,
this usually means as soon as possible after the injury, for the first 24
hours after the injury. If the problem is simply a cramp, the antidote
is to stretch the cramped muscles. So, if you get a cramp in your calf,
gently but firmly stretch the calf by strongly bringing the toes up towards
the face, while pushing the heel down. You could also do this sitting down
and passively pushing the foot into this position. If you get muscle cramps
a lot, you are probably low in magnesium, and need supplementation -- 400
mg daily should do it. Most pain is, fundamentally, a temporary or chronic
lack of oxygen. Many of the little wandering pains felt during a workout
can be remedied readily by some extra deep breathing.
After the first 24 hours with a sports injury, alternating hot and cold
packs are generally more effective to promote healing than either heat
or ice alone. The contrast of hot and cold acts like a local pump to bring
fresh blood (oxygen and nutrients) to the injury and flushing out the debris
from the damage. Besides rest and water, the very best way to reduce swelling
which forms around the residual damaged tissue post-injury is by judicious
use of protein digesting enzymes, called proteases. Most of the "debris"
from an injury is tiny scraps of protein that used to be intact muscle fiber.
The fruits papaya and pineapple are naturally very high in proteases, containing
papain and bromelain (the botanical name for the pineapple family is Bromeliad).
An old trick used by opera singers is keeping pineapple juice in the wings,
to gargle and swallow between entrances, thus keeping their throats clear.
Supplementation with proteases post-operation or injury must be taken between
meals, otherwise the digestive activity will be directed towards the food,
not towards the tissue injury.
Other food stuffs to help with sports injuries are the natural anti-inflammatories.
My favorite is Flax oil; others are Evening Primrose oil, or Borage oil.
Natives of the Far and Middle East use curries not only as food preservatives,
and for flavor, but for the medicinal effects of the spices in curry. In
particular, Turmeric (or Curcumin) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent,
especially when combined with proteases such as bromelain. For pain, valerian
root works well as a tea or tincture.
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A graduate of Bastyr University in Seattle, she completed both the Naturopathic and Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine programs. Her preceptor work (similar to residencies) took place in Seattle, West Virginia and China, 
