Mom, 86 leg cramps severe most nights, takes homeopathic remedy with mixed results. Eats banana a day. Is taking too many meds to mention here. Has poor lung function needs continual oxygen. I read your daily message. Thanks.
Leg cramps can ruin a night’s sleep, especially at an age when repairative sleep is critical. The most common cause that I encounter is a magnesium deficiency. A good amount for her to take is 500 to 800 mg per day, as long as it does not cause diarrhea.
Calcium deficiency is also possible, and she could take the same dosage as magnesium. Her potassium may also be low, but the banana may be helping that.
If you have tried the previous three and they have not worked, you may want to try manganese.
The easiest solution is to be sure she is drinking enough water, because the thirst mechanism decreases with age. Dehydration is at the root of many health problems in the elderly. You may also want to check all her medications and see if cramps are a side effect to any of them.
My doctor says I can get all the vitamins and minerals I need from my food. What is your opinion on this?
I used to say the same thing to my patients, back in the days before I studied healthy alternatives. It is the party line of allopathic medicine, although that is starting to change. Here's the bottom line, and I'll follow up with some info on what allopaths are now doing:
3 responses so far ↓
1 Sharon // Jul 20, 2010 at 9:43 am
My husband gets severe cramping when he works hard in the heat. Hi is in costruction. I found a product that works for him. If he knows that he will be working hard especially in the heat he takes this and it has prevented the cramping. You may want to try it. It has 400IU of VD, 500mg Calcium, 250mg magnesium, and 900mg Potassium. It is an orange powder that you mix in 6oz of water. The flavor is pleasant. You can find it by calling 800-895-2159 or do your research at http://www.realadvantagenutrients.com.
2 Deb // Jul 20, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Hi Stan,
Thanks for this info. I am in my 50’s but do occasionally get cramps in my arches or calves. I have found that putting a pillow beneath my knees helps keep the cramping away. I’ll add some more water and some magnesium to my diet as well, having read this post.
3 Joanne // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Maybe the leg cramping is due to my strange reaction to bananas. My mother and I both get the leg cramps when we eat a banana. Also the salts that contain postassium give them to me at night. Just a thought, to check out.
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