Natural Remedies for Sports Injuries (cont’d)
Filed Under Dr. Zoltan Rona (MD) |
Creatine monohydrate (20–30 grams a day for a week for muscle saturation, then 5–10 grams per day for maintenance) – a natural, tasteless, and safe nutrient found in animal protein (about 5 grams per 2.2 pounds of steak, salmon, tuna, lobster or lamb). It has ATP (adenosine triphosphate) enhancing effects that dramatically increase muscle strength.
Creatine monohydrate is especially popular with competitive body builders who can look about 5–10 pounds more muscular because creatine attracts water into the muscles. This should not be confused with the bloating and fluid retention caused by allergies, congested organs, or other suboptimal states of health where the fluid accumulation is outside the muscles.
Creatine monohydrate converts in the body to creatine phosphate, an energy supply for muscles, providing greater strength and stamina. Creatine also acts as a buffer against the buildup of lactic acid and neutralizes the free radicals produced by heavy exercise.
L-carnitine (1,000 mg or more daily) – has a protective effect against exercise-caused pain and damage. This appears to be primarily related to its vasodilatation property, which improves the energy metabolism of damaged muscle.
Vitamin D3 (5,000–10,000 IU daily) – is anti-inflammatory in higher doses beyond the RDAs. If you have inflammation (arthritis, iritis, thyroiditis, pancreatitis… anything ending in “itis”), you need more vitamin D. The best thing to do is get your blood levels checked. Ask your doctor to check 25-hydroxy vitamin D since this is the most accurate test to assess vitamin D status.
As you may know, vitamin D has been much in the mainstream news media in regards to its ability to prevent cancer. For more detailed information on this, see my website article at http://www.mydoctor.ca/documents/users/2509/8823.pdf
Acetyl-L-carnitine (1–2 grams before you workout and at bedtime) – an L-carnitine derivative, this has been shown to reduce the high catabolic cortisol levels in the blood after intense exercise.
If you are just beginning a supplement program, do not expect instant results. All the nutrients discussed above take time (at least 3–6 months) to show noticeable improvement since it takes that long to grow the several billion new cells incorporating the new influx of nutrients.
The best times to take supplements are 1 hour or so before and immediately following an exercise session and at bedtime. For more information on nutrient supplementation, see your natural health care provider.
Dr. Zoltan Rona
REFERENCES:
Alive Research Group; Gursche, Siegfried, Publisher; Rona, Zoltan P., Medical Editor. Encyclopedia of Natural Healing. Vancouver: Alive Books, 1998.
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