Natural muscle relaxers can help you in a lot of the same ways prescription muscle relaxers can, and with a lot fewer side effects. Think about it. Prescribed muscle relaxers can be extremely addictive and extremely dangerous for our bodies, if we use them the wrong way.

Allow me to go into a little bit more detail. As I have mentioned, prescription muscle relaxers are a danger to our health. However, did you also know that prescription muscle relaxers are used to subside the pain, but never to get rid of the problem? In other words, these medications target the brain and nervous system in a way where the pain is shut off. You feel better, but you’re not actually better. Once the pain comes back, you take the prescription muscle relaxers again, and the cycle goes on.

So, why take these medications if they never take care of the problem at its core?

Instead, I suggest for you to start using natural mechanisms to relieve your muscle pain. With the nasty side effects omitted, what’s to lose?

Check out some natural remedies below.

Arnica Oil

Arnica oil has an extremely potent affect on the body, and it primarily helps with inflammation of any kind along with most exercise related injuries. It can be applied through creams, ointments, oils, and salves. Typically, arnica oil has been reported to aid in the healing of inflammation and muscle damage issues.

Arnica does all it can by making blood flow move through the body, capillaries specifically, quicker and more efficiently. By speeding up the blood flow to areas of the body that need it most, arnica oil almost cuts healing time in half. It also speeds up the flow of white blood cells in the body, therefore allowing trapped fluid buildup within the muscles and joints to exit sore areas and the body, in turn.

Chiropractic adjustments

Chiropractic adjustments are fantastic when it comes to natural remedies, but I must warn you that it may hurt in the beginning. However, this is one of the best solutions to fixing muscle spasms of any sort.

You see, chiropractors focus on aligning the spine and the muscles around the spine to help the process go more smoothly. If there is any sort of kink around the spine, they straighten you out and proceed from there. Then, when it comes to back and neck pain, the chiropractors will help you get into your proper alignment, and in turn will get you feeling better over time.

Cannabis Oil

Just as pharmaceutically prescribed muscle relaxers block neurons from going down the pain pathways in your body, so does cannabis oil. That’s why it’s really called a natural muscle relaxer; Because it does the exact same thing prescription muscle relaxers do, but without the prescription and without the unwanted side effects.

Cannabis oil actually relieves chronic pain and inflammation quite easily. However, be sure to purchase it through a credible company that sells the oil in its purest form; Don’t buy this off the streets if you choose to use it.

Essential Oils

All essential oils have the ability to help us in different ways. When it comes to helping with muscle spasms and aches, however, the peppermint essential oil is the best. The peppermint oil actually acts as a natural pain reliever and it relaxes muscles, too. For example, peppermint oils can relieve back aches and pains, soothe muscle tenderness, and fade a headache away.

Be careful when applying peppermint oil to your body, though, as it is extremely strong. Be sure to dilute it, perhaps into a lotion of some sort, before applying it to the area of the body that needs it.

In addition, another essential oil that can help with muscle aches and pains is the lemongrass oil. This oil helps improve circulation of blood throughout the body, therefore supplying the areas that are experiencing spasms and aches with adequate red and white blood cells. In turn, this will speed up the healing process.

Massages

When your body is in pain, it shoots neurons down the pain pathways to tell your brain to stop using that area of the body. This is done so that the body can start healing itself. This is why prescription muscle relaxers can be prescribed to make it seem as if the pain is not there. However, this causes an adverse affect, and leaves the body to continuously feel pain, due to the root of the problem not being taken care of, as previously stated.

Instead of taking these prescription muscle relaxers, visit a professional massage therapist and schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Allow them to work on your body for one to two hours, preferably, so that they can release all of that tension and pain from the areas of your body that hurt.

If you frequently experience muscle pain, many massage therapists recommend for you to schedule appointment at least once a month. In addition, if you are stressed out, your body is more apt to have tension and pain throughout. Visiting once a month is a necessity at this point.

Remember, massages promote good circulation just as most other options on this list do.

Avoid what’s known as ‘pain foods’

Pain foods may be obvious, but they may not be obvious. Below is a small list that will briefly sum it up for you with a short explanation:

• Sugar: Increases pain
• Alcohol: Increases inflammation
• Caffeine: Dehydrates and increases inflammation
• Trans fats: Increase inflammation and pain
• Many calories: Increases back pain due to the possibility of being overweight

Epson salt and magnesium

Typically, if you do not have the amount of magnesium in your body that should be there, your muscles will tend to cramp up and spasm. There’s a simple fix to this problem; Soak your entire body in Epson salt. If you can’t soak your whole body, settle for just your feet. Your magnesium levels will go right up.

Stop resting so much

As long as the pain isn’t too painful, try not to rest too much. It’s better to keep moving and get that blood pumping. Plus, being up and about will allow your muscles to be loose, therefore working out many of those tight ‘knots’ in your body.

However, be sure to avoid all movements that cause you pain, or that may have caused the muscle to ache in the first place. Take a good enough amount of time to rest, but not too much time. Always keep in mind that exercising a little bit each day will actually speed up the healing process. So get up, move around, and avoid long bouts on the couch.

By Jenny Lyn