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Like
nutritional supplementation, the use of balms will require
you to do your homework to gain a greater understanding of
how ingredients work together to achieve their effects.
First and foremost, you will need to understand that an
analgesic balm falls into one of two groups:
counterirritants and rubefacients. Counterirritants work by stimulating a specific area of
the body thus drawing bodily functions to deal with the
irritant rather than the pain that is occurring;
additionally, the rubbing motion helps to stimulate the
muscles and also tendons, thus providing relaxation and
decrease of pain. Rubefacients, such as liniments, work by
applying heat or coolness to an area of the body that then
will respond via relaxation.
Other rubefacients work in slightly different ways. Take
for example the tighteners that seek to take fluid away from
the joint capsule by having the compound rubbed into the
affected area and then having the spot compressed with a
wrap. It is unsure if the compound is to thank for the
positive effect or if it is the combination of massage and
compression. Then there are the sweats that seek to produce
a collection of wetness on the skin itself. To accomplish
this goal, the moisture is taking from the tissue underneath
the area that is being treated. This will effectively reduce
the swelling of legs. Add a plastic sheet to the treated
area to enhance the effect as well as an anti-inflammatory
to the sweat, and the result will be very positive. Braces
are the term used for drugs that are high in alcohol to
facilitate the shedding of fluid from the body tissues. The
use of these compounds is somewhat questionable, since
massage and wrapping can achieve better results.
Opposite the rubefacients are the counterirritants, such
as blisters. Because of the skin irritation that these
paints and pastes provide, superficial skin damage is
oftentimes seen. As a result, ligaments will tighten. Yet
because of the rest associated with this treatment, it has
become obvious that it is the rest that is achieving the
results, and not so much the use of the blisters themselves.
Poultices on the other hand are used to remove inflaming
agents by drawing out the substances from the tendons and
also ligaments that are causing the infection.
Yet perhaps most important is the fact that no amount of
balm and anointing can make up for an improper or shortened
warm up. As a matter of fact, do not fall into the trap of
seeking to heal afterward that which could have been easily
prevented in the first place. If you do decide on a balm,
make sure you understand how it works and how to apply it
correctly.
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