Doctors have been telling us for years to exercise more. But if you've ever tried to follow their advice, you probably woke up the next morning with that sore, aching feeling. That pain or soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. Most people's first reaction is to stop exercising, fearing that they were overdoing it. But, according to a new study from the University of Ohio, the best way to get rid of that soreness is to stay physically active.

I know, it sounds ironic that if you damage your muscles while you're exercising, you should keep exercising. But, the University of Ohio researchers found that muscles get stronger by repairing this damage. And the best way to repair it? Once again, the answer is to keep up a regular habit of physical fitness.

DOMS occurs when tiny skeletal muscle segments called sarcomeres pull apart as a muscle lengthens. Contractions that lengthen muscles are particularly damaging to sarcomeres. And these contractions occur all the time in humans -- when we sit down, walk, run, or even lower heavy objects.

The latest study looked at six aging racehorses. Granted, horses aren't humans. But their muscles are similar. In fact, muscle tissue is the same in all mammals, so this new study has given us clues to how our bodies respond to exercise.

The researchers put the horses on a treadmill three times a week for 10 weeks. Each workout lasted about 20 minutes. The animals got little to no exercise during the three months leading up to the study; that way, they all began the experiment at the same fitness level. The researchers removed small pieces of muscle tissue immediately before and after the first and last treadmill sessions, and also before and after a session during the eighth week of training.

What they found was that the tissue from the larger muscles they examined had become stronger and more resistant to sarcomere damage by week eight of the exercise program. The horses were able to run up to 24 percent longer by the end of the study than they were at the beginning. The findings also suggest that there will be less post-exercise pain after later workouts.

Now this isn't to say that you won't ever feel sore after exercising again, especially if you haven't done the activity before or have pushed beyond your usual limits. But if you stick with it, not only will the pain go away, but you'll also get all the other benefits of exercise.

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When a little doesn't go a long way

Q: What do you recommend for acid reflux disease?

JVW: Many expensive, high-tech patent medications have been designed to eliminate heartburn pain by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. There are also many low-tech, over-the-counter remedies. The theory that underlies all of these treatments is that acid reflux is caused by too much acid in our stomachs. The problem is, that theory is almost always wrong.

Heartburn almost never signals too much acid, and it may often be associated with producing too little. That means, for many people with acid reflux, the best treatment may not be less acid, but more. This may sound like throwing gasoline on smoldering embers, but many knowledgeable physicians have successfully treated tens of thousands of people with natural, inexpensive acid supplements (along with various other natural remedies) for the better part of a century.

The first step to eliminating the pain of heartburn is to have your stomach function tested. If the test results indicate low levels of stomach acid, you might want to consider working with a natural medicine physician on supplementing with either betaine hydrochloride-pepsin or glutamic-acid hydrochloride-pepsin before meals. I usually recommend taking one capsule (5, 7 1/2, or 10 grains) before each meal. After two or three days, if there are no problems, use two capsules in the early part of the meal, then three capsules several days later. The dose is gradually increased in this steplike fashion until it equals 40 to 70 grains per meal.

Please keep in mind that treatment with hydrochloric acid can be dangerous and should be used only when testing indicates a need. If this is the case, the process should be carefully monitored by a physician. Though problems occur rarely, they can be severe. Hydrochloric acid should never be used at the same time as aspirin, Butazolidin, Inodicin, Motrin, or any other anti-inflammatory medications.

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What is...stomach acid?

Stomach acid, or hydrochloric acid, is secreted by cells lining the stomach to help break down food as part of the digestive process and to ward off infection. Mucus coats the cells of the stomach lining to protect them from being damaged by acid and enzymes. Any disruption in the layer of mucus can result in damage that leads to a stomach ulcer.

Yours in good health, Amanda Ross Managing Editor Nutrition & Healing

Sources:
Devor S, et al. "Exercise training increases oxidative capacity and attenuates exercise-induced ultrastructural damage in skeletal muscle of aged horses." Journal of Applied Physiology 2005; 98(1): 334-342