Heat Cramps

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Peppermint Oil [1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that peppermint helps to treat cramps)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Oleander Leaf (Nerium Oleander) [1, 5, 6, 7, 8]:

WARNING: This plant is toxic! Not to be ingested. Causes nausea, appetite loss, vomiting, drowsiness, bloody diarrhoea, seizures, irregular heartbeat, heart failure, respiratory depression and death. The plant and any of its extracts should be strictly avoided, especially by children and pregnant women.

Recommendation: Strongly against (There is insufficient evidence to prove the effectiveness of Oleander in heat cramps. Please note, this plant and its extracts are poisonous, even when ingested in dry form. Many people have died of heart or respiratory failure after eating parts of the plant or its extracts.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Mugwort (Artemisa Vulgaris) [1, 2, 3, 4]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It has been proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has been discounted due life-threatening side effects

Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that mugwart helps to treat cramps. More research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec21/ch318/ch318b.html?qt=heat%20cramps&alt=sh#sec21-ch318-ch318b-666a

2. American College of Sports Medicine, Armstrong LE, Casa DJ, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exertional heat illness during training and competition. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Mar;39(3):556-72.

3. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

4. Anliker MD, Borelli S, Wüthrich B. Occupational protein contact dermatitis from spices in a butcher: a new presentation of the mugwort-spice syndrome. Contact Dermatitis. 2002;46:72-74.

5. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/mugwort

6. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004.

7. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/oleander-leaf

8. http://www.nerium.com/index-2.html

9. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/WarningLettersandNoticeofViolationLetterstoPharmaceuticalCompanies/UCM165406.pdf

10. http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/plant/pim366.htm

11. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/peppermint

12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17420159

13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19507027

14. http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/alternat/AT022.html

15. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-peppermint.html

16. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/peppermintoil/index.htm

 

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