Many studies have linked cramps to magnesium deficiency, dehydration, and muscle fatigue, and there are many suggestions for preventing or relieving cramps, including eating bananas, drinking sports drinks, and ***, but sometimes they just don't work! Some people still get cramps even after adequate hydration and nutrients, and adequate rest. In response, Nobel Prize-winning author Roderick MacKinnon has come up with a different theory: nerves are the cause of cramps, and eating spicy foods may help prevent them! From his own experience, Roderick MacKinnon realized that his cramps were not caused by a lack of water or electrolytes, so he thought that perhaps they were not caused by muscles, as commonly believed, but by nerves. Since then, he and his neurobiologist friend Bruce Bean have been investigating the possibility of nerve abnormalities causing cramps. Over the next decade, Roderick MacKinnon used himself as a guinea pig, experimenting with various spicy foods in an attempt to reset the nerve-muscle connection. Roderick MacKinnon's theory was that spicy foods could be used to give the nervous system ***, restore it to its original state, and alter the nervous system, including motor neurons. He hypothesized that such a diet would increase the sensory load on the mouth and esophagus and slow the output of motor messages. And some small experiments support his theory. Their findings are presented in a new sports drink called 'Hotshot'. The drink is a blend of ginger, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, and has been used as a folk remedy in the US for years. Trying various folk remedies is nothing new for athletes who want to deal with cramps. It's not uncommon for runners and cyclists to drink uncommon drinks such as sour cucumber juice and wasabi water. In the 1930s, "Schlaflyan topical lotion/ointment" was introduced to the pharmaceutical sales market, with cayenne pepper as its main ingredient. Today, the drug is used as a topical topical and is sold as temporary relief of nerve pain. By the 1950s, Dr. D. C. Jarvis of Vermont created a cure-all to help soothe cramps, made from a combination of apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper, which became popular and widespread with his book Folk Medicine. The Carlifornia School of Herbal Studies took the concept a step further, developing the first 'Fire Cider' recipe in the 1980s. This infused drink was based on a theory similar to "*** the nervous system and promotes health" and contained ingredients such as cayenne pepper, horseradish, ginger and garlic. Flex Pharma, Inc, the company that funded the development of the Hotshot drink and Mackinnon, recently announced that it has begun recruiting subjects for a Phase II clinical trial for people with multiple sclerosis, which will utilize similar theories to help prevent muscle spasms. Susan Weiner, a registered dietitian, believes that this therapy is attractive and promising for people with MS or those who suffer from cramps and spasms from time to time, but more caution is still needed in further research. According to HealthMedicine.com, herbalist Jiang Zhizhao suggests that in addition to *** or acupuncture, you can take ginger, black sugar, peony and chai hu on weekdays, as well as soak your feet in herbal soaks at night with peppercorns, Lonicera japonica, ayurvedic herbs and a root to help prevent or improve the problem of foot cramps. Pharmacist Liao Wei-Cheng has also pointed out that patches containing capsaicin have a pain-relieving effect, based on the principle that capsaicin depletes the nerve-conducting substances of pain, blocking the transmission of pain in the nervous system. Source: Healthline