Ice is not a popular remedy for aches and pains because it can be tedious and painful to apply to wounds and afflictions, using ice packs requires skill and doctors do not normally recommend it as a solution by itself because they make little or no money for doing so, and they know little about ice themselves.
Yet ice is a miracle of creation. Liquid frozen solid like diamonds in the rough. And ice gets great results when you know how to use it right!!! No prescription is required! No doctor visit! And even the impoverished can afford a two dollar bag of ice and a zip lock bag to pack onto the body spot needing attention!
Ice is very popular among sports trainers to keep atheletes on the active list. Game warriers sometimes sometimes show up at the door to their house wearing custom made ice packs after a game.
Ice does not cure anything. It does reduce swelling so body parts can return to a more normal function and heal more quickly. Ice properly applied also removes pain and aches which is probably a by product of reduced swelling. It also reduces swelling in joints to where it might be possible for you to function where it was too painful otherwise.
Ice packs sold in stores are costly and of little or no use. They are partly responsible for the widespread ignorance regarding the miracle of ice. Those who buy one of those thick rubber packs get very little in the way of results from applying the insulated bag to the problem area because the cooling effect of the ice is blocked considerably. The public likes their ice bags of thicker material so as to avoid the discomfort of applying ice more directly, but after using ice successfully; you will no longer mind having ice in close contact to your troubled body areas. You will be comforted by knowing ice works.
Most Americans have zip lock bags already on hand where they live or work. Just get a quart size zip lock bag and fill it not too tight with cubed or crushed ice. (Dry ice is not recommended because it adheres to the skin like superglue and causes wounds.) Lying down is the best position for application of ice. Keep it on the afflicted area for approximately five minutes if you can endure it; otherwise remove the bag and reapply it a second time until you get used to ice. You should start off with just one afflicted area until you grow accustomed to using ice properly, then graduate yourself to icing all of your afflicted areas. Once you are done, be sure to let the iced area return to a normal temperature before getting up and putting your body to work, otherwise you are likely to injure the area you iced. Muscles and joints do not like to work while they are frozen.
Thawing out usually takes five minutes after you have set the bag of ice aside. If you are in a hurry, you can put a blanket over the iced area or even put your warm hands over it. Once you are back on your feet, it is advisable to go slow at first to make sure the iced area is not stressing from too quick a thaw out or from use in general.
In other words, there are some afflictions that will heal after being iced, that ought not to be used at all for some period of time that you will be better able to judge. And there are some afflictions once iced, are good to go. It is important for you to rightly determine how much rest your affliction needs.
One couple suffers from damaged rotator cuffs and they have learned to raise their arms on their bed like you would were you pointing to the sky, and then they apply the ice to the bunched up rotator cuff muscles for a much better effect than if they tried to ice those muscles with their arms lying at their side.
Most Americans have refrigerators at home and even at work, but for those of you who do not have such a convenience, a little wisdom regarding ice storage will help you get more mileage out of it. Coolers come in all sizes and shapes and can be helpful. What you really need to consider before buying a cooler, is just how much ice do you plan to store and possibly carry. Ice melts upon contact with the air even inside a cooler, so if the cooler is just for ice; you want to figure how much air space your ice will be exposed to. Newspapers or a cloth helps insulate ice from the air. Melted water is warmer than ice, so you will want to keep all melted ice poured out as much as possible. Show diligence in storing your ice and your money will remain in your wallet where it belongs.
They both like to ice their necks on occasion where they have wonderful success, but be careful to avoid icing the brain. There may be a time to ice the brain, if there is swelling there; but to ice the brain inadvertently while icing the neck is not wise. The brain is very sensitive to ice. Much more so than other parts of the body.
A fellow hit his finger with a hammer trying to pound a nail and let out a scream. That finger would be no good for weeks under ordinary circumstances and the pain was excruciating. He ran inside the house, stuck his finger in a bowl of ice and water and held it there for about fifteen minutes; and to his surprise the pain ceased. And upon closer examination of his finger, he noticed it had not swollen. He had iced just in time. He wrapped it to insulate it against becoming wounded by contact with anything else. And he continued to ice the wounded finger several times throughout the day, then he rewrapped it. The next morning, the finger was a little bit sore, but hardly noticeable. On the third day, it was fine. All in all, he had suffered little where someone else would have lost the use of the finger for a couple of weeks and would have suffered much pain.
Ice is good for lower back pain, neck pain, hernias, foot pain, and much much more. A lot of people are too proud to hear about ice. They have tried it the wrong way and do not know how wonderfully it can work. One fellow walked around bent over for two to three weeks from lower back pain and swelling. Those lower joints would not allow him to stand straight up. Upon hearing that ice would work wonders for him, his hands refused to work. He made his affliction harder on himself.
There is a couple who both suffer from lower back pain, and when they do; they lie on their stomach on their bed and one administers ice to the other though you can do it by yourself. They trade off back rubs before applying ice and adhere to the instructions in this document and are greatly relieved of lower back distress. The application of ice to the upper back is a little bit more difficult to pinpoint, but the man has had great success in relieving distress there too.
&nbs A fellow has a skin rash that pops up on his rear at times, especially during hot weather or if he sits on some material that irritates him there. He holds ice directly on the inflamed rash and has had good success in stopping that rash which became cronic years ago through poor hygiene and scratching his feet infected with atheletes feet fungus then transferring the fungus to his rear by scratching there too. So sometimes, it is necessary for him to apply both ice then anti-fungus cream after the flesh is dried.
Another place an older fellow has reported success is in his wrists. What is the fancy term medical people give for painful wrists? There are surgical operations for the wrists and wrist wraps, but he has found ice much more effective and practical. He applies the ice pack to the top of his wrists, then to both sides. Three sides in all, and he is careful to avoid using those fragile muscles in his wrists until after they thraw out. So, he saves the wrists last in icing the body. Then he closes his eyes and rests until the wrists are ready.
Some of the muscle strains such as the arch to the heel are helped by ice, but they are not soon ready for the weight of the body like other muscles; and may need days or even weeks of rest for them to heel. An older slightly overweight woman thought ice and light use at home would work for arch to heel pain in her one foot and discovered after several vacations from work that the foot would not heal unless she iced it and stayed off it altogether. Old age was catching up with her and she needed to adjust her thinking. The body does not heal as fast when we are older as it does for the younger. She has also had terrific results from proper dieting and icing her vericose veins to where that vegetation on her legs has pretty much returned to a more normal start.
Well, there you have it. It's a NO PAIN, NO GAIN thing. And once you become an ice addict, you will be amazed at how difficult it is to tell anyone else of what you have learned. Many will look at you as though you were slightly mad while others will promise to try ice without pursuing the conversation any further. Their lack of knowledge of how to apply it will deceive them again, and they will soon forget your recommendation.
How about you? Are you going to give ice a chance to work wonders for you? May God Almighty guide you by his Light. Amen
