|
|
| Medicine Information |
 |
|
|
The Power of Ice
Using ice to treat injuries is one of the oldest methods of pain control. Proven to be safe and effective at reducing swelling, relieving pain and decreasing muscle spasms, ice therapy is an easy self-care technique that anyone can administer. Every mother knows to put ice on a bruised knee after a soccer game or on a teething toddler's tender gums. But do you really know how ice works? Cold therapy, also known as cryotherapy, works on the principle of heat exchange. This occurs when you place a cooler object in direct contact with an object of warmer temperature, such as ice against skin. The cooler object will absorb the heat of the warmer object. Why is this important when it comes to cold therapy? After an injury, blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells are damaged. The cells around the injury increase their metabolism in an effort to consume more oxygen. When all of the oxygen is used up, the cells die. Also, the damaged blood vessels cannot remove waste. Blood cells and fluid seep into spaces around the muscle, resulting in swelling and bruising. When ice is applied, it lowers the temperature of the damaged tissue through heat exchange and constricts local blood vessels. This slows metabolism and the consumption of oxygen, therefore reducing the rate of cell damage and decreasing fluid build-up. Ice can also numb nerve endings. This stops the transfer of impulses to the brain that register as pain. Most therapists and doctors advise not to use heat right after an injury, as this will have the opposite effect of ice. Heat increases blood flow and relaxes muscles. It's good for easing tight muscles, but will only increase the pain and swelling of an injury by accelerating metabolism. When it comes to cooling devices, different effects will result due to the device's ability to exchange heat. Crushed ice packs do a better job at cooling the body than chemical or gel packs, because they last longer and are able to draw four times the amount of heat out of tissue. The important difference is that ice packs undergo phase change, allowing them to last longer at an even temperature, creating a more effective treatment. Most chemical or one-time-use packs and gel packs do not undergo phase change. They quickly loose their ability to transfer heat, limiting their effectiveness to reduce swelling. Their short duration of cold is not long enough to produce numbness, also reducing their ability to relieve pain. Cold therapy should always be used as soon as possible after an injury occurs and continued for the following 48 hours at 15 to 20 minute intervals. Remember if you hurt yourself, you need to ice! This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment or consultation. Always consult with your physician in the event of a serious injury. About The Author Louise Roach is the editor of an on-line health and fitness newsletter. She has been instrumental in the research, testing and development of SnowPack, a patented cold therapy that exhibits the same qualities as ice. Her injury prevention and treatment articles have been published on running, walking and fitness websites. For more information visit: http://www.snowpackusa.com or NewsFlash SnowPack at: http://home.netcom.com/~newsflash. Louise Roach can be reached at: info@snowpackusa.com
Medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
Alternative Medicine Cold-Eeze Side Effects Lawyer: Zinc Destroys Sense of Smell! Cold-Eeze is a homeopathic solution to the common cold. It is a zinc-based solution that can be taken as a tablet or a nasal spray. Limited studies have found that the nasal spray reduces the duration of the common cold to less than three days, down from an average nine days. These amazing results have lead thousands of Americans to try this new medication, with terrible results. Serevent Side Effects Put Serevent in Top 5 Most Dangerous Drugs Serevent is an asthma inhalation medication, a bronchodilator, that relaxes the muscles in airways. It is preventative and not effective when taken during an asthma attack. Five Secrets of High Blood Pressure Treatment Thirty percent of human population has a high blood pressure and everyone has a 90% risk to acquire it during the rest of the life. As a result, half of all human deaths are due to the major complications of high blood pressure, mainly stroke and heart attack. Hemorrhoids Treatment - A Variety of Options A variety of options exist for hemorrhoid treatment including surgery, herbal remedies, and hemorrhoid creams that provide temporary relief of symptoms. While prevention is the best hemorrhoid cure, treatment of hemorrhoids is critical to avoid more serious complications. Be Informed About The Medications You Take The recent withdrawal of the prescription drugs Vioxx and Bextra have arthritis patients concerned about their health, lawyers busy with lawsuits, and Congress poring over thousands of pages of documents obtained from the manufacturer. The drugs, part of a family of medications known as COX-2 inhibitors, have recently been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes among users who take the drugs for long periods of time. These findings have more and more people starting to pay more attention to the drugs that are prescribed for them. Sinusitis: Sinus Infection Deals a Corporate KO Sinusitis and Sinus Infection Starts with a Little Sniffle Quitting Smoking: Planning To Succeed With Zyban! Step One: The Big Decision Warning! Flu Shots Can Be Dangerous To Your Health Every year about this time doctors around the world are recommending that people go in and get their annual flu shot. What most people don't know or understand is just how dangerous this could be, especially for children under the age of 12. When people call and say "My doctor is telling the family to go in and get a flu shot. Should I do it?"?I tell them they should learn about the side effects and decide for themselves?as a chiropractor and naturopathic physician I don't' have the time or energy to argue with family practitioners or family doctors who are obviously uneducated on the possible side effects or detrimental effects flu shots or vaccinations in general can have on the body. Tomorrow Well Have Rabbit Feet; Cloning I am not sure where I'm at with this subject of cloning, it sounds a bit cheesy to me; you know the old saying: something smells in Denmark. It kind of reads like this in my mind, confused mind, or maybe not so confused, maybe the world is wrong and I am right, any how it goes like this: let's kill an infant, why not, we do a million of them abortions a year that way, anyhow; now that we've legalized this, let's use some of it for fish bate. "No, no?no!" says the laboratory man (or woman), "?you've got it all wrong!" I knew that was coming. They always say that, and ten years down the road they modify. I mean, today it's absolutely right, tomorrow they say: "Well, we just did not know back then?!" In reality, we knew a million or so people knew because most likely, they were screaming it, but others were screaming louder, and no one heard. Signs of Suicide : Learn What They are and How to Deal with Them The true numbers are probably much higher because many suicides are reported as accidents or illnesses. Suicides are usually the result of a complex combination of emotional, social, and biological factors. For that reason, learning about the warning signs of suicide can be difficult yet so important. Lunesta Tolerance Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of insomnia symptoms. Although Lunesta is a quality medicine that has already helped many people cure their insomnia and get a better night's sleep, there is something you should know before your buy Lunesta. Acid Reflux Symptoms and Treatment Acid reflux (also known as GERD or heartburn) is a common condition -- Over 60 million Americans experience it at least once a month. Lipitor Side Effects Lipitor is a drug intended to help lower cholesterol. The generic name for this brand-name medication is atorvastatin. I Hurt All Over... How to Ease Away the Pain of Fibromyalgia! At one moment, a life of activity consumed with enjoyable activities like biking, golfing, going to the movies, out to dinner. Then one day, it's gone. Replaced with constant pain and fatigue. Here's the lowdown on fibromyalgia. What is Bextra? (FDA Recalled Drug) Bextra, also known as valdecoxib, is a prescribed medication used to alleviate the problems associated with arthritis and other inflammation-related conditions. The drug helps reduce the pain of swelling and fever without causing stomach irritation like aspirin. How Is Mold Like AIDS? Don't laugh. Both get a lot of coverage in the press. Mold isn't a politically sensitive issue but there are a lot of similarities. Rebound Headache - Stop The Cycle You've been getting headaches. Finally, you find some medications that are making a difference. You're headaches are almost all gone but wait they're coming back! They're getting worse! The painkillers aren't doing the job they used to do. What's going on? Can Mexican Pharmacy Purchases Be Trusted? Purchasing drugs from a Mexican pharmacy is, for the most part, a very safe and inexpensive way of getting the medical supplies that you require. Since the laws in Mexico are very different than in the US, as most drugs are readily available without a prescription (except for some controlled substances and all narcotics), purchasing drugs from a Mexican pharmacy should be a fairly painless process.
|
| home | site map | |
© 2006 www.elearn-university.org |
