Skip to main content

What should I use, heat or ice?

What do you do if you are in pain ice or heat? This is a question that I get asked frequently. The number one rule is if you've injured something and it hurts, ice it. When you injure yourself blood rushes to the injured spot to promote healing. When you ice you not only numb the area so you don't feel the pain, but also cause the blood that is pooled there to leave. When you take the ice off fresh blood will come back to the area. The rule of thumb when icing is 15 minutes, or less, if the area becomes numb.

If you are stiff and sore and just are not sure if you should ice or heat, alternate heat and ice three times, end in ice. If your muscles are tight heat is best. Remember that moist heat is better as water is a good conduit. Hot showers, sea salt baths ( the sea salt will help bring out toxins from your body), moist heat packs that you can put in the microwave or even a wet wash cloth heated in the microwave.

When you are injured you should also pay attention to what you eat. Sugar, alcohol, red meat and dairy can all cause inflammation. Your body will heal quicker if you eat a healthy diet. Think whole foods, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, not foods that are processed. Your body will not have to work as hard to break these down and can expend more energy into healing your injury.

In Health Cynthia Karvonen LMP

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Health Benefits of Stretching

Have you done your stretches?” You probably hear this question all the time from your chiropractor. But why is stretching so important to your health? It all has to do with proper alignment in the musculoskeletal system. The Musculoskeletal System Your skeleton is a collection of over 200 bones that give your body its shape and structure. In between adjacent bones you have joints, or articulation, and holding the joints together, are ligaments. These are the main components of the system that gives your body support, protects your vital organs, and allows for the foundation around which movement occurs. The skeletal system is a static structure on its own. However, when you add muscles you create a dynamic, functional musculoskeletal system capable of performing work, maintaining an upright posture, transporting your body from one place to another, and allowing for personal expression using language and gestures. With few exceptions (like the movement of the eye or tongue), a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Are You Getting Enough Vitamind or Vitamin K

  Did you know that muscle aches and pains are related to low vitamin D levels. The so called sunshine vitamin is long dismissed as being important mainly for strong bones. Also it is now being recognized as a key player throughout the body, including the immune system.   Along with vitamin D, vitamin K helps with reversing bone loss and boosts the immune system.  Vitamin K enhances the benefit of calcium and helps with osteoporosis.  It can also protect from such things as tooth decay and cardiovascular diseases. Deal of the Month  Have you liked us on Facebook? 1) Go to www.facebook.com/doyleclinic 2) "Like" our page, Print the screen 3) Bring in the printout to get 25% off Vitamin D & VitaminK Have you already liked our page?  Mention it at the front Desk when you check out, we have a list of everyone prior to 11/1/11
Post a Comment
Read more

Core Stabilization – Foundation of a Healthy Lower Back

  We often hear our doctors, therapists and trainers discuss core stabilization and how integral it is for the function and health of our bodies, especially for our lower backs. But what is it? And why is it considered so important?   Core stabilization refers to your ability to keep your core structure (torso, abdomen and spine) relatively stable as the appendicular skeleton (legs, arms and connecting structures) is recruited to do physical work like walking, running, throwing and lifting.   Consider what would happen if you did not possess core stability. Every time you wanted to move – bringing either an arm or a leg away from your midline to perform a task – your body would be pulled in that direction and you would fall over. If you did not fall, you would most likely strain the holding elements of your joints (i.e. the ligaments) instead, once the load became too great. Not a good scenario. What are the essential components of core stability?   When mo...
Post a Comment
Read more