Does Icy Hot Reduce Inflammation?
Over 20% of our population suffers from pain and Inflammation 5%-7% of Americans experience chronic inflammatory diseases which creates sustained pain. Therefore, the question of does icy hot reduce inflammation is important and relates further to does it reduce pain?
As inflammatory diseases become more common, anti-inflammatory drugs and products become more popular. Icy Hot is one of the most popular lines of anti-inflammatory products, though many people aren’t clear about how it fights inflammation. Here’s what you must know about Icy Hot and inflammation.
The Science of Inflammation
To understand if Icy Hot reduces inflammation, you must first understand how inflammation works. Inflammation is your immune system’s response to pathogens, cellular damage, and dangerous chemicals. It allows your body to heal and fight off infections, though it can create pain and discomfort while you are experiencing it.
Your body starts the inflammation response with surface cells. These cells can detect if you are encountering harmful stimuli and activate inflammatory pathways. The pathways allow white blood cells, chemicals, and other immune agents to respond to the stimuli and release markers. Markers can create inflammation and identify places where immune cells should respond to germs and injuries.
Small amounts of inflammation are natural and show your body is working correctly. However, chronic inflammation can create significant problems, especially if you experience it in your joints, muscles, and organs. Your body may continue to send out white blood cells to the inflamed areas, and these cells can attack healthy tissues.
The Basics of Icy Hot
Icy Hot products include creams, sprays, and sticks. The active ingredients vary from product to product, but most contain a combination of menthol, methyl salicylate, and capsaicin. The former two ingredients have a cooling effect, while the latter has a warming effect. These effects can soothe your skin and relieve your pain for up to 12 hours.
Menthol and methyl salicylate do not lower your body temperature. Menthol activates a protein in your skin called TRPM8, which lets your body detect changes in the temperature around you. When the protein notices that the temperature is dropping, it adjusts its shape to allow calcium to enter your nerves. The calcium then makes your nerves feel cold, though the temperature may not change significantly.
Methyl salicylate irritates your skin and blocks pain signals in that part of the body. This lets you feel less pain, though the pain signals and inflammatory response may be ongoing. Capsaicin also irritates skin cells and blocks the pain signals you would otherwise experience.
Icy Hot and Inflammation
In essence, Icy Hot products distract your mind from the pain signals your body makes. Icy Hot products do not significantly affect the inflammation process. While menthol can affect TRPM8, TRPM8 is only one protein your body makes while experiencing inflammation. Icy Hot does not work on your inflammatory pathways or speed up your immune response.
If you are experiencing short-term inflammation, Icy Hot can provide temporary relief. It is suitable for muscle strains and sprains you develop after participating in sports or intense exercise. It can also help with general pain you experience for no apparent reason.
However, Icy Hot is not suitable for chronic pain. It can alleviate discomfort for a few hours, but your pain will return. If you have a spinal or bone condition, you may experience no relief from Icy Hot, as the products do not penetrate deep enough to affect the nerves near your bones.
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How to Use Icy Hot
Icy Hot products work best when you follow the instructions on their labels carefully. You only need a thin layer of cream or spray to feel the effects, though you must massage it into your skin until you have absorbed it. Do not place any product over a cut or scrape, as you risk aggravating your skin.
You may need a few minutes to experience the cooling effect of Icy Hot, especially if you are experiencing significant pain. Do not apply another cream or pain-relieving product until Icy Hot kicks in. The effects may last several hours but fade quickly if your pain is severe. If you want relief for longer periods, you can wear an Icy Hot patch for up to eight hours.
Related: CBD for Muscle Recovery
How to Fight Inflammation and Chronic Pain
You should use Icy Hot alongside other products for inflammatory and chronic pain relief. You can also adjust how you eat, sleep, and exercise to avoid problems.
Use CBD Products
A 2019 study analyzing CBD found that it can interact with oxygen levels and inflammatory pathways, relieving pain and inflammation in the body. CBD does not affect your immune system, so you will continue to fight off infections and heal from wounds while taking it. It can work for acute and chronic pain, including pain from cancer and arthritis.
You can consume CBD while taking standard Icy Hot products. You can also take an Icy Hot cream that has CBD in it. Icy Hot creams usually contain full-spectrum CBD, which has all of the compounds found in cannabis plants, amplifying the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabidiol. They can also contains aloe vera, tea tree oil, and white camphor oil, which can soothe pain and moisturize your skin. You can use a CBD sports lotion before, during, or after exercise.
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Adopt an Anti-inflammatory Diet
Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that can reduce the harmful effects of inflammation while enhancing your immune system. Omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce inflammation and symptoms of autoimmune diseases. Conversely, processed foods and red meats can irritate your stomach and raise your blood pressure, worsening inflammation.
Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens. You can find omega-3 fatty acids in seafood, eggs, walnuts, and kidney beans. You can eat small amounts of white meat, but you should try consuming non-animal protein sources like tofu and lentils. One great and simple way to increase Omega-3 is to take a Krill Oil softgel (ex. NOW Krill-1000) every day with a meal.
Some spices have anti-inflammatory effects as well. Organic turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that can reduce inflammation. You can add turmeric to soups, sauces, rice, and grain bowls. You can also take turmeric for inflammation, swallowing pills or drinking it in tea.
Related: Natural Remedies for Old Age
Get More Sleep
Sleep deprivation can affect your immune responses, making inflammation worse. Sleep inconsistency can also worsen your inflammation, so you need to get at least eight consecutive hours of deep sleep every night.
If you have trouble falling asleep, you can perform a winddown activity to ease your brain into resting. Reading a book or performing yoga can relax your mind in time for bed. You should also create a good bedroom free from artificial lights and loud sounds, though you can use white noise to fall asleep. You can also eat CBD gummies that create a calming and soothing effect that can help you sleep for longer.
Related: How to Increase Deep Sleep