Hot or cold? Ice packs and heating pads are inexpensive, powerful and medication-free ways to alleviate aches and pains. I'm a fan. But I'm often confused as to which I should reach for. And so I tooled around and here's what I found:
13 facts about ice and heat therapies.
1. If it's an injury or a pain that came on suddenly (like a bump or a bruise) you might want to reach for ice.
2. Cold works by reducing swelling and numbing the nerves to relieve pain.
3. Ice works best if you apply it right away. An injury you received more than a day ago may not respond.
4. Ideally you should press a cold pack on your skin and keep it there for 10 to 20 minutes. Then remove it and let your skin recover for an hour or two. Prolonged exposure to ice can damage your skin.
5. If instead of an ice pack you're using ice cubes, be sure to wrap them in a towel. Do not place a baggy of ice directly on your skin!
6. It's also a cheap beauty treatment. Ice can quickly reduce under-eye puffiness.
7. If it's a recurring ache – the back ache you always wake up with or the stiff neck that regularly appears after too much screen time – try heat therapy.
8. Heat works by enhancing the blood flow and loosening tight muscles.
9. Do not use heat on swelling! You'll be hurting, not helping. Reach for a cold pack instead.
10. If you are feeling bloated or constipated, it might help to apply a heating pad to your abdomen. The heat can help relax abdominal muscles.
11. In my long-ago teen days, I found warm compresses helped with menstrual cramps.
12. Similarly, when I was suffering from kidney stone pain, I found relief in a warm tub.
13. Dry, itchy eyes can benefit from heat because it stimulates tear production.
Remember, though, I'm just a curious gal with access to the internet. Do your own research and check with your own healthcare providers.
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
