Exercise Pain
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EXERCISE IS A PAIN: Exercise Pain Relief Tips from “PAIN FREE 1-2-3”
By Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.
Whether you are a weekend warrior or a marathon runner, pain is always a hop, skip, and jog away. But the rewards of getting in shape far outweigh the temporary discomfort.
When you feel the burn the morning after a workout, it simply means that you asked your muscles to use more energy than they possessed. Overdraw your muscle energy account and the body manufactures lactic acid, which is responsible for the stiffness you feel. Nutritional support with supplements such as Ribose, B Vitamins, Magnesium, Malic Acid, CoQ10, and Carnitine feeds the muscles, making it easy to condition long term with less pain. Studies also show that enzymes can decrease inflammation after a marathon. The book "Pain Free 1-2-3" offers natural strategies to eliminate pain of all kinds and optimize health and well-being.
Exercise is also the great pain antidote. Endorphins created during exercise are the body’s natural codeine, which increase mobility; and exercise can even help ward off arthritis. Exercise in the sun and you super-charge the benefits from the Vitamin D produced on your skin, which raises serotonin levels and decreases pain. Another reason to exercise is that it promotes weight loss, which means less wear and tear on the joints.
Pain Free 1-2-3 explores natural anti-inflammatory botanicals like boswellia and willow bark, which may be taken before or after exercise to mitigate pain. These plant products avoid the risk of stomach ulcers and GI bleeding common to pharmaceutical NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors.
Sleep is the flip-side of exercise. It enables growth hormone or GH to repair the body and mend micro-tears in the muscles. I prescribe natural muscle relaxants like hops, wild lettuce, Jamaican dogwood, valerian, theanine, and passion flower to ensure good sleep without any groggy side effects for those who need it. For optimal health and overcoming pain, a person should sleep a full 8 to 9 hours every night, rather than the customary 5 or 6.
One other exercise which increases growth hormone is commonly overlooked. Sex is the ultimate health-promoting and life-affirming exercise. It provides a powerful workout and triggers a cascade of euphoric, youth-enhancing bio-chemicals which override pain and make you feel and look younger.
Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., is Medical Director of the Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia Therapies in Annapolis, MD. Having suffered from and overcome these illnesses, he spent the next 30 years researching, developing, and teaching about effective pain relief therapies.
Dr. Teitelbaum's latest book Pain Free 1-2-3 (McGraw-Hill Feb 2006) outlines a step-by-step program which will help anyone identify the source of pain and understand how to alleviate it through both natural and conventional therapies.
Dr. Teitelbaum is also the author of the perennial best-seller From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery Penguin Putnam, completely revised and updated August 2001) and Three Steps to Happiness! Healing Through Joy (Deva Press 2003), a blueprint for creating and maintaining a natural state of happiness and vitality at all times. Dr. Teitelbaum lectures to patient and physician/research groups internationally. He has conducted groundbreaking gold standard research on effective treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, which appeared as the lead study in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
For more information, please visit www.endfatigue.com.
