Muscles

2017 February
Costa del Sol, S.L.
Newsletter
Muscles
By Anni Dahms
Owner of the retail chain
ANNI’s VITAL SHOP.
Nurse- & Health
specialist, Biopath and
Nutritional Adviser.
One of my friends recently gave me a large and heavy anatomy atlas. She was moving, and the book was
too heavy to take with her.
The book is German and very beautifully illustrated. I thank her many times for it and randomly open the book, ending at the
section on muscles. This causes me to reminisce back to my nursing exam, many years ago. Many excruciating hours were spent
memorising the names and functions of a load of muscles.
The hours studying the many and difficult names of our muscles were to be multiplied many times over, as I later become the
teacher at nursing schools and other educational institutes.
The muscle types can be roughly shared
into 3 groups.
1. Smooth muscle
This smooth musculature works subconsciously, and is found
in the inner organs and walls go the blood vessels.
It is controlled by the autonomous nervous system.
2. Cardiac muscles
The cardiac muscles work quickly, durably and has its own
rhythm, which is adjusted up and down with help of the
autonomous nervous system.
3. Striated skeletal muscle
The striated skeletal muscle has an impact on how our entire
musculoskeletal system works.
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It is of importance to all movements of
the body and extremities.
It protects our inner organs.
It takes part in heat regulation.
It contributes to the circulation of blood.
Use muscles or lose them
If you don’t use your muscles, they gradually
become smaller and smaller and
can’t hold together on the joints.
We have more than 100 different muscles
that strengthen movements and
keep up upright. Not using your muscles
will result in them shrinking and becoming
weak. Anyone who has broken a
bone and needed to wear a plastic cast
will have experienced this.
Exercise is important. It increases muscle
mass, strength and bone density.
Muscles like to be used. If you wish to
strengthen a group of muscles then they
must be activated regularly. It’s a good
idea to train the large muscle groups in
the body, the legs and the arms..
Muscle pain
There can be many reasons for muscle
pain. Muscle pain often occurs if the
muscles have been overburdened e.g.
from over-exercising. The pain disappears
quickly after a couple of days.
Other reasons for muscle pain can be
arthritis, or crookedness of the spine that
results in you over-burdening certain
muscle groups.
Muscle pain can also appear due to a
herniated disc, where there is pressure
on the nerves and to the muscles.
If you have done a lot of sport and have
numerous pulled muscles, this can result
in scar tissue in the muscles which gives
muscle pain.
A very common muscle disease, which
we Danes call “window-shopper syndrome”
or claudication, is caused by
atherosclerosis, bad blood circulation.
Often, it is people suffering from diabetes
that have the illness. When walking,
pain suddenly appears in your legs making
it difficult to walk. The pain in your
legs disappears when you sit.
Furthermore, many of us suffer from
muscle pain without quite knowing
why. In my experience, certain kinds of
muscle pain with swelling and stiffness
in the joints can be caused by allergy or
intolerance. Allergy or intolerance to certain
foods, most often wheat and dairy
products. It could also be preservatives,
flavour enhancers, pesticides and other
chemicals.
Also, muscle and joint pain can be a
symptom of vitamin and mineral deficiency.
E.g. Vitamin B6, magnesium, folic
acid and vitamin C.
Food you should stay
away from
Many are nutritionally malnourished,
because of the food in our every day
diet. It consists of way too much bread,
pasta, fast food burgers, pizzas as well as
cakes and other sugary foods.
Combine this with unhealthy drinks and
you are inviting muscle problems into
your life.
Be careful what you drink. Stay far away
from cola and other soda pops, and acidic
drinks. Don’t drink too much coffee.
Be aware that coffee is addictive. You
should know, that more than 4 cups a
day can give problems with muscle pain.
Drink plenty of clean water then you can
better tolerate your coffee.
Food that strengthens
Our whole body, the muscles included,
need good complete protein substances.
Therefore, it is important for your
muscles that you get enough healthy
protein.
If you eat dairy products, then milk,
cheese and yoghurt are good sources
of protein. Egg is also a good source of
protein. Beef, calf, pig, sheep, lamb, goat,
fish and shellfish all contain protein.
Should you prefer to obtain your protein
from vegetable products, or as a supplement,
then lentils, beans in the form
of soya beans and legumes are good.
Seeds, e.g. sesame seeds, nuts, almonds.
Whole grain products, e.e. brown rice,
soya beans and quinoa. Much of the
newer superfoods also contain protein.
For example, wheatgrass, which is alkaline
and contains many micro nutrients
and also strengthens the adrenal glands.
It is rich in amino acids and contains
about 27% protein.
Protein – how much do
we need?
It is a discussion among many circles
to how much protein we need. You
need for protein definitely depends on
where you daily level of energy lies. Do
you do a lot of sport? Or do you have a
normal energy level? The World Health
Organisation recommends that you have
0,75 g protein per kilo bodyweight daily.
That would mean that a person of about
75 kg needs about 55 g. of good protein
daily. Usually, it’s elderly people who
have a protein deficiency in their daily
lives. this is often due to them eating
very lightly and unilaterally. Make sure
to eat a versatile mix of organic foods,
that contain good carbohydrates, polyunsaturated
fats and proteins. This will
ensure that you get a good foundation
for your muscles.
Corn of all sorts contain protein. Protein
is broken down into amino acids in
order to be absorbed in the body.
Unfortunately, corn products lack the
amino acid lysine. The low content of
lysine influences how well the other
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amino acids are used. Hence it is good to
supplement corn products with lysine-rich
food, e.g. vegetables and legumes, sesame,
buckwheat, millet or dairy products.
If you are hungry before bedtime, then
take a bit of fruit, a small bun with honey
or with cottage cheese before going to
bed. This will provide your muscles with
something to work with throughout the
night.
Supplements
• Make sure your diet is being supplemented
with a broad spectrum vitamin/
mineral supplement.
• There are many liquid forms of vitamins,
minerals and amino acids available.
• A variant of the product above is also
available especially for people who do a
lot of sport. It also contains a lot of other
nutrients.
• You can prevent many muscle problems,
by consuming a vitamin supplement
that contains all the vitamins, with quite
high doses of the B vitamins as well as
vitamin A, D and E. The minerals you
should pay special attention to are calcium
and magnesium, along with selenium,
potassium and manganese.
• Selenium deficiency can lead to muscle
weakness.
• Sore muscles can be eased by eating
rose hip. It’s available as capsules and in
powder form.
• An extra supplement of magnesium
can be a good idea, as it helps the functioning
of your muscles.
• Spirulina is an algae. About 60% of the
dried substance consists of proteins and
thereby supplies the muscle with essential
amino acids.
• Ginger can be a great help if your
muscles are stiff or sore. Available both as
powder and capsules. Ginger is found in
various mixes, e.g. with turmeric.
Add ginger to your smoothies.
• Carnosine consists of two amino
acids. It is produced in the body and concentrates
in the muscles when they are
working. It is also found in the heart, the
brain and many other parts of the body.
The content of Carnosine in the muscles
and heart decrees with age, leaving you
tired more easily. Here, a supplement of
Carnosine would do wonders.
• Q10 is a co-enzyme that works in our
mitochondria, which is the cells energy
plant. We produce it ourselves, and is also
supplied from a large part of our diet.
However, the bodies deposit of Q10 is
reduced with age and in crisis situations.
Studies have been made showing how
Q10 can protect against muscle damage,
for people participating in hard sports.
The result was published in the magazine,
“European journal of nutrition”.
• Omega-3 oil helps flexibility in the
muscles and reduces muscle soreness
and possible inflammation. Omega-3 is
available as fish oil and in various forms
of algae. The latter has gained immense
popularity in recent years, and can also be
used by vegans.
• The amino acid L-Carnitine is produced
in the body. It is taken as a supplement,
should you wish for more energy
in the muscles, especially in the muscle
of the heart. It can contribute to the
improvement of an irregular heartbeat.
L-Carnitine is also known to reduce cholesterol,
and also for reducing triglycerides.
Works best with Vitamin C.
Tips
• There are plenty of soothing balms,
liniments and ointments to apply to sore
muscles. Find out for yourself or visit your
health shop to find out which is best suited
for your needs.
• Exercise is good. If you are unused to
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exercising, then start up slowly and find a
level in which you feel comfortable with.
Only you can feel, where you stand and
how much you can manage. You must
find a form of exercise that you will stick
with. If you do too much hard exercise, it
can contribute to inflammation.
• In 1859 Søren Kierkegaard wrote in
a letter, “whatever you do, do not lose
the lust to walk”. It is a sentence which I
have personally taken to heart. I go on
long walks daily, and can really feel how it
strengthens me both physically and mentally.
I have walked away many a worry
and turned heavy thoughts to happy
thoughts.
• Louise Hay writes about likely problems
with muscles: “Resistance to new
experiences. The muscles represent our
ability to move in this life”. As a new
thought pattern she suggests:
”I experience life as a
happy dance”
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