Lisa Sporleder wrote:
>
> I've had these cramps before, too.  I had to stand on my foot with my
> other foot to keep my big toe down.

My partner thinks I'm nuts when I step on my foot with my other foot
when I get a cramp. I've had to explain it to him a couple of times.
I've even had _him_ stand on my toes. He thinks he should jump up and
down for some reason. I tell him just stand there awhile and he humors
me.


<  When it has happened to me,
> adding sodium to my diet helped, which wasn't hard because I also
> found that I craved salt on my food then, too.  Most of the time meat
> and eggs taste just fine without salt, but sometimes they just don't
> taste palatable without it, so I do what my body wants and salt my
> food for a day or two.

I've been thinking that the sodium-potasium balance might be the
problem. Atkins says something about that. Because of being on Protein
Power I supplement with potassium, so I may be undoing the benefit of
adding salt. I feel I have given up so much from the way that I used to
eat, I am unwillingly to give up salt if I want it. It's also the same
with the foods I eat. I'm walking a fine line with the ways of my past
and am happy to be sitting on the fence. Much too precarious to change
my diet any more until I become more comfortable with it. I can't eat
bananas just yet to get my potassium, a banana has something like 2 of
my days carbs in one.


> Does strenuous activity have anything to do with the timing of your
> cramps?

I think it also may be the exercise. I'm not sure, but I think it's
worse after exercising. I don't think it's sweating causing me to lose
sodium; I don't sweat that much. But that's what the cramps are they are
spontaneous muscle contractions.


I used to get charlie horses nearly every night several years ago. I
took calcium but it didn't seem very effective. I found out that leg
cramps were a vit E deficiency symptom. When I started taking the E I
could finally sleep reliably thru the night again. I'm either not taking
enough or it's not the problem now. I worry about taking too much E. I
was taking it regularly and think that it helped candida get a foot hold
in my blood stream. I think this because of remembering how I used to
feel. But also I watched a show that suggested that taking vit E would
make you more suseptable to coming down with Malaria. They were showing
good results that a mixture of mostly linseed oil gave some immunity. So
one has to be careful I think even with taking even antioxidants.


> Ester, Alaska  (warmed up to in the 20s this week)

Burrrr. It was about 80 degrees here Wed.

,Micke