[pct-l] Muscle cramps, reprise

[bmclaughlin at bigplanet.com (Brian McLaughlin)]

> Seems the theory hasn't changed much in the last 28 years since I
graduated
> college!  All we knew was to drink more water and carry "salt pills."   As
a
> Paramedic later on I realized the important balance between balanced
> hydration, sodium, potassium, and calcium.  Too much and too little can
kill you.
> Cramps are just a warning sign.

It's true that cramps are an important sign of something wrong.
That's one reason why they are so hard to ignore!

However, for those who fret easily, I would like to point
out that it isn't necessary for you, the hiker, to understand
all the chemistry behind the cramping, or to know precisely
what balance of water, sodium, potassium and calcium
to insert into your body.

Luckily for us, our bodies are fantastic chemists. You can
just give your body a good assortment of food and drink
and it will not only tear it down into its components, but
it will sort through the whole mess of molecules, grab what
it needs, save some others, and discard the rest. Then it
will go about synthesizing all the complex chemicals it needs
out of the junk you gave it. It is pretty amazing.

So, when you cramp, stop, eat something, drink some water,
rest, massage your muscles. If you pay some attention, your
appetite or thirst will give you important clues as to what input
would be most welcomed by your body. If you have some
handy electrolyte-balanced whatsis to give it, give it some, but
be sure to give it something. Do it BEFORE it gets really serious.

In fact, that is so important I'll repeat it. Listen to your body.
It knows WAY more than you do. Act when trouble starts,
not when it is far advanced and much harder to fix. It is
when your brain thinks it is the monarch and your body is a
slave that the slave revolts and the system stops.