What has a bum knee taught me?

It can be a welcome excuse to blow off any exercise I don't like, and an annoyance to endure for a sport that I love.

Magnesium. One of magnesium's many functions is helping tight muscles to relax. In addition to eating magnesium-rich foods, such as nuts and soy, spinach, black-eyed peas, and low fat milk, take a supplement during times of heavy muscle soreness. But don't over do it; when the body takes in too much magnesium, the ability to absorb calcium is diminished.

Arnica works to stimulate white blood cells and aid in the healing of bruises, aches and pains. Look for lotions that contain arnica or rub extract of the arnica flower directly on your skin in the affected area. Note: Arnica can be toxic when taken internally. It can also raise blood pressure. Avoid it if you have hypertension or are on hypertension medication. Do not use arnica on broken skin.

Step on a bee? Swallow something scratchy? Touch something really hot? LIME is here to help you feel better ASAP, using mostly natural and herbal approaches to whatever ails you. No waiting room, no consultation fee, and no insurance paper work to fill out -- just good, solid advice on treating household boo-boos and bang-ups with the best nature has to offer.

Two cups of coffee might be the perfect post-workout drink, after new research shows that caffeine can help ease muscle soreness.

Remember BenGay? There was a time when the cool, tingly ointment was the only way to quickly relieve the tenderness associated with sore muscles. But BenGay is completely synthetic — check out Skin Deep's breakdown of the salve's toxicity. Though methyl salicylate, the chief ingredient in the BenGay, is naturally found in Sweet Birch (a.k.a. Black Birch) and wintergreen, massive manufacturer Pfizer still synthesizes it.