Icy Hot: Frostbite Prevention

[rock-ice]

Lightbulb moment: Could Icy Hot or the like help prevent frostbite by warming and consequently increasing circulation in extremities?

 

Just a thought...

[Bronco]

just don't get it anywhere near the crotch of your action suit.

[fern]

is Icy Hot like tiger balm or something? those creams that feel hot even though there is no actual energy source. Or is it like a shake'n'warm chemical heat pack?

[jaee]

I imagine this works in the same way alcohol dilates capilaries. This would probably provide some short term benefits. However, the benefits of vasodilation need to be weighed against the danger of hypothermia. If you dump a bunch of heat thru your hands and feet you will obviously cool your core more quickly.

 

Plus, after you take your first leak, I doubt you'd be worried about the way your hands are feeling.

 

Take a 1/2 pint of hooch instead and do your crotch a favor.

[iain]

the former (fern's question).

 

[ 09-10-2002, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: iain ]

[fern]

I am not a doctor or medical know-it-all.

 

<engage random word generator>

 

I think its a long spectrum from minor cold responses like goose-bumps and numb fingers through to the serious problems of hypothermia and frostbite. I think that if your core is warm, your head is warm and you have well insulated hands and feet yet you still have cold fingers or toes then maybe you can trick your body into warming the extremities up. I have heard of people doing tabasco shots with some success which I guess is the oral equivalent of Icy Hot.

 

But if your extremities are cold because the energy (heat) loss to the environment is greater than your body can replace through metabolism+circulation you aren't going to fix that by smearing yourself with snake-oil. You need to find a way to fix the energy deficit - eg warmer equipment, more food, chemical heaters, stay home in front of fire.

 

<disengage random word generator>

[jules]

Read the next post:

 

[ 09-11-2002, 09:38 PM: Message edited by: jules ]

[jules]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jules:

Originally posted by fern:

[QB]is Icy Hot like tiger balm or something? those creams that feel hot even though there is no actual energy source.

 

Yes, that is what it's like. I tested some stuff from the office (yeah, yeah, I work for REI, OK) called "Toast," and I had "Performance Toast" ("Warmup & 2nd day soreness" - mild warmth, less than a hand warmer packet), "Menthol Toast" ("Intense warmup and specific injury recovery" - pretty damn hot, more than a hand warmer packet right against your skin), and "Screamin Toast" ("Specific injury recovery" - they forgot to tell you how to recover from the BURNS!!!!!) I still have the emotional and physical scars.

 

[ 09-11-2002, 09:40 PM: Message edited by: jules ]

[Nerd]

I'm not a doctor, this is speculation only. Icy Hot could be a treatment plan after you have frost bite. Methy Silicate breaks down into Aspirin once in the body, which dilates the blood vessels.  One of the treatments post frost bite exposure is to slowly warm the affected area with water and/or heat pad, take aspirin to increase blood flow and to apply a non steroidal anti inflammatory cream as well as an oxygen therapy that you would have to get at a hospital.  Doctors probably don't advise Icy Hot because it could cause more pain and irritation if the skin is starting to blister, however, it seems despite pain it would have the intended effect of dilating the blood vessels and getting the blood supply and oxygen to the tissue before it dies.  I'm not a doctor though.  It also seems by dilating the blood vessels and increasing blood flow, Icy Hot could reduce your chances of getting frost bite in the first place, however, I'm not sure how that would affect your core temperature.  Frost bite is your body losing an extremity to keep you from hypothermia and death. 

Edited April 28, 2018 by Nerd