Almost everyone has at least experienced once in their lives having muscle cramps, either during their sleep or while playing a sport, possibly while they were swimming or unexpectedly just out of nowhere and for no apparent reason. Having muscle cramps is said to result from muscles' electrolyte shortages of substances such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. When this happens. the muscle suddenly contracts involuntarily, may prolong for a long period of time, before it slowly relaxes leaving a painful sensation in the area of the muscle that has just had a cramp. When this happens, a person can sometimes just ignore the remaining sensation, however, some muscle cramps recur frequently while some even last for hours. It is these latter situations that are difficult to treat or find solution to and may need professional help already. Despite of this, some natural or home-made remedies are still available for people to make use of on their own . Below are just some of the commonly practiced treatment procedures. Not all treatments, however, are assured to work or are proven to be effective in all instances.

-Eating salt or any food that has salt to increase your level of sodium in the body
-Eating bananas to increase the level of potassium in the body
-Eating some spinach or broccoli to increase the level of magnesium in the body
-Eating yoghurt or drink milk to increase the calcium level of the body
-Applying magnesium oil topically on the area that frequently experiences having cramps. Magnesium oil is not easy to find in local stores within your area and is much easier to purchase on-line.
-Consuming pickle juice or dill relish is said to provide immediate relief for charlie horses or leg cramps
-Instant relief is also obtained by using camphor water in coconut oil and to be applied topically on the area that is frequently experiencing cramps.
-Pulling the toes upward toward the knees as soon as the cramp happens.
-Holding some pennies for a few minutes is said to provide instant relief from muscle cramps
-More of as a preventive measure, take two teaspoons of honey everyday before or after meals.

The exact amount of dosage of these natural remedies, however, are difficult to determine especially the level of its effectiveness relative to the amount of the substances that are being used or taken. This is one of the disadvantages of using herbal or home-made remedies. When these treatments are already exhausted and the painful condition such as muscle cramps still persist, it is better to immediately take prescription medication such as Soma to relax the muscles. Soma is among the most prescribed muscle relaxant medications that provide fast and efficient relief to certain health conditions.

Natural or home-made remedies have the advantage of avoiding certain side-effects from occurring which may primarily be brought about by use of drugs or medications. On the other hand, over-the-counter or prescription drugs can boast of being scientifically-based, measurable, and efficiently controlled. Aside from these characteristics of medications, it is also important to note if these drugs are made from well-known pharmaceutical companies and have the assurance of being of high quality. Finally, it is also practical to look for some medications offered on-line that are of reasonably low prices without having to compromise the quality of the drug itself.