In Chinese medicine, pain is diagnosed as qi and blood stagnation. There is something in the body or tissue that is causing a blockage of the free flow of qi and blood in the channel(s). Some examples are muscular knots, broken bones, sprained ligaments etc. So the cause of the pain is important in that it tells the practitioner what structures are potentially damaged and which channels are impacted. But the diagnosis and treatment plan will always be the same. If the qi and blood is stagnant, we must move the qi and blood. This medicine is so simple yet so profound!
Chinese Medicine practitioners are strong believers that icing injuries, whether they are chronic or acute is actually detrimental to the healing process. More research is on our side. Here is an article that explains the shift in the long-known and practiced R.I.C.E. theory: https://www.verywellfit.com/when-to-ice-3120707.
Again, from TCM’s perspective, the flow of qi and blood is the key to good health and a pain-free existence. Imagine a a flowing river within your body or several flowing rivers following different pathways throughout your body. What would happen to the rivers if you put a rock in them? It would divert or inhibit the flow. This is a good visual for what happens when there is an injury. The point of injury is the rock. Now, imagine if you froze part of that river. The flow would not be restored, it would be slowed further or halted altogether. We use needles to remove the rock. And we prefer warmth to quicken and restore the flow.
Society promotes the use of ice for everything, it seems. I can’t tell you how many patients I’ve seen that tell me they are icing multiple times a day for 15+ minutes each time. This is literally damaging to the tissue itself and only providing temporary numbing pain relief.
I get it, when you twist your ankle and it swells up and is hot to the touch, ice seems like the perfect antidote. But the heat and the inflammation is part of the healing process. Acupuncture stimulates the immune system to go into action as it sees the needles as a foreign invader. These microtraumas created by the needles bring the white blood cells to the area to help the body along in it’s effort to flush it out and heal. So, the next time you sustain an injury, do yourself a favor and avoid using ice and go get some acupuncture instead.
Iris Martin is a Licensed Acupuncturist in Pasadena, California specializing in pain management and fertility. She loves sharing her passion for natural approaches to health and wellness through her online articles and at her clinic at 501 S. Arroyo Parkway. Call 408-780-0443 to book an appointment.