2. Are there any dangers of working out/training too often or too hard?
Yes. It may come as a surprise, but exercise can actually cause inflammation in your body through release of stress hormones. Too much inflammation can increase the risk for chronic muscle fatigue, depression, and weakness, causing you to become more vulnerable to injuries and extreme burnout.

4. Should I use over the counter (products without a prescription) pain relievers and oral supplements to speed up my recovery after working out?
Many athletes opt for non-steroidal drugs (medications used primarily to treat inflammation, mild to moderate pain, and fever), anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (Advil) or Aspirin post-workout to reduce inflammation and joint pain. However, these drugs can be very harmful to the liver, kidneys, and stomach and are not specifically formulated for exercise. Newer studies* are now revealing that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs actually slow down recovery from muscular injury and delay the protein synthesis, muscle building, and tissue healing process. Therefore, these oral drugs can have negative effects on both your sports performance and health.

In addition, many athletes take oral supplements to increase energy and speed their recovery, without fully knowing the possible risks and negative effects. One of the most popular supplements is creatine monohydrate that appears to increase energy in muscles, and is used for short-bursts of activity such as weight-lifting. When taken orally, creatine can cause stomach cramps, muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhea, weight-gain due to water retention, and severe kidney and liver damage.

In general, oral pills and powders are usually made from synthetic compounds and can cause dangerous and unwanted side-effects on our tissues and organs, without providing the health benefits that an active athlete deserves.

A scientist, Dr. Gabriele, has recently developed a transdermal (through the skin) delivery system called Delivra™, that can deliver actives such as prescription medication, natural actives and sport supplement actives like creatine, deep enough beneath the skins surface to offer similar or better effects, without the concern of pills that may compromise your internal organs.

*References:
Mayo Clinic: mayoclinic.com
Lance Armstrong Foundation: livestrong.com

5. What is a better way to reduce inflammation, speed-up the injury healing process, and decrease recovery time?
New scientific breakthroughs such as the Delivra™ transdermal delivery system, has led to the development of topical creams that are specifically formulated for athletes to enhance exercise and sports performance. These creams contain molecules to replenish energy, get rid of lactic acidosis, and repair muscles in a safer and more effective way than ever before! Prior to Delivra™, these molecules were never able to fully penetrate to be effective.

Topical cream supplements are made from natural organic molecules and do not cause the harmful side-effects of oral, non-specific, anti-inflammatory drugs or synthetic supplements. They can be applied directly to the muscle group or the source of pain and inflammation (e.g., ankles, knees, biceps and quadriceps) to work quickly and effectively, reducing your recovery time and enhancing your training experience. LivSport™ topical creams have been developed using the novel and superior Delivra™ delivery systems to penetrate their actives deeper into muscles and tissues, treating the exact source of pain to provide long-lasting relief.

Natural topical creams can help increase endurance and stamina, decrease inflammation and recovery time, and optimize every athlete’s performance.