Wednesday Post

Now Congress  party wants to portray that they also believe in Lord Ram. Yesterday Priyanka Gandhi Vadra  said  that   Lord Ram was a part of every Indian and she was hopeful that the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony would serve as a  “marker” of national unity, brotherhood and cultural harmony. She further added that for ages Lord Ram’s character served as a source of unity.  Lord Ram belongs to everyone’s welfare. That is why he is called “Maryada Purshottam”.. Her statement has came at the time, when the even is seen as promotion for BJP/RSS, and exclusion of all other parties. Her statement is seen as Congress’s effort not only to show support for construction of Ram Temple but also claim its own part in it. Her statement has not been liked by Congress’s ally  IUML in Kerala. What a turn around by the oldest political party whose leaders earlier had said in court Ram is a fictitious mythological character and has no relevance in Indian history. Now many of the congressmen  have come out openly in support of Ram Temple. The former Chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamalnath has send 11 silver bricks for this event.

Now coming to my other topic of the day- Using ICE PACKS and HOT BAGS is one of the most common, as well as inexpensive and yet effective way to get relief from joint pains. However not many people are sure which is best for the kind of pain, or what to use and when to use the same.

When to use

Heat helps to improve blood circulation thus relaxing the muscles and providing soothing to the aching joints. Heat also provide nutrients to muscles and loosens up the body. However, cold is most useful for acute pains as it restricts the blood vessel and slowing down the circulation, cold also helps in reducing the swelling and numbs the nerve thus reducing the pain. Cold therapy generally help people with rheumatold arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, spondylitis etc.

Hence, especially for people who suffer from normal arthritis or osteoarthritis, these two therapies can actually help a lot. Many people experiment with both to see which provides better relief. Generally it is said that heat therapy works best in the morning and cold therapy in evening.

Heat therapy options

Here are few ways in which heat treatment options for pain relief:

• A warm water shower can help ease stiffness in the muscles, especially if your muscles are stiff in the morning.
• If you have luxury of bath tub, please free to soak in it for a relief from aching joints and muscles.
• Use heating pads or hot water bottles or even portable electric pads. The electric heating pad are available in most of the medical shops. These should be used as instructions, for about 20 minutes at a time, with a cloth buffer in between, to protect over hewating of skin.
• One could also use reusable moist/gel pads that are available and can be used for both heat and cold treatments. These can be frozen or heated in a microwave dipped in boiling water.
• You could even use steamed towels to wrap the affected area.
• If your hand fingers or feet that are troubling, just soak them in hot water for a while.

Please note that people who have existing medical conditions loke diabetes, dermatitis, vascular disease, heart disease, hyper tension, deep vein thrombosis etc, should use this treatment when it is prescribed by the doctors.

Cold therapy options

• The simplest way to use cold therapy is to put a few pieces of ice in a cotton cloth and wrap it to make an ice cap and apply to the affected area, for 20 minutes.
• The cold gel pack, as mentioned above, can be used refrigerated as is, for cold therapy. Just remove it from fridge and use it on the affected area. If finding it as too cold then wrap in cotton cloth and then use.
• You could choose to soak the joints in ice cold water, if you need relief from swelling and pain.

People having pre existing disease like diabetes, sensory disorders or poor circulation should not use such treatment unless prescribed by concerned doctors.

Watch out

In either of the cases, if you do not get relief or condition worsens, please stop the therapy. Especially if swelling increases, it is best to consult doctor immediately. Cold therapy if not used properly or used excessively can cause nerve damage. Hence it is best to follow instructions or not to use it more than 20 minutes at a time. Also if you feel continued numbness after the use then consult the doctor.

Hope above information will be helpful.

Waiting for your views/comments/feed backs.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

5^th Aug 2020.