ICED! The Illusionary Treatment Option - Second Edition by Gary Reinl

Author:Gary Reinl [Reinl, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2014-10-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

The Cold Truth about Ice Gurus

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“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they

fight you, then you win.” —Mahatma Gandhi

While I remain skeptical of the suggestion, it is possible that the “ice gurus” are honest and sincere in their (continued) professed beliefs as to the legitimacy of their products and protocols. And, while I find this exceedingly hard to believe, people in the icing profession may well be totally unaware of the basic physiological effects of their products. I would think that people in a field as narrow as icing would know virtually everything about it, but maybe I simply expect too much.

Perhaps they remain (intentionally) ignorant and are totally unaware that making injured tissue cold unequivocally and indisputably delays the healing process, prevents or significantly delays lymphatic drainage, and often ultimately causes further damage. They may just be responding to the market demand for such products, and, in the process, inadvertently preying on a wholly unsuspecting public. I suppose that it’s even possible that none of them know the truth, that none of them know that they are selling snake oil, which is defined as “something that is claimed to be a solution to a medical problem, but is not effective.”

However, regardless of their culpability, and just like the snake oil salesmen of yesteryear that roamed the American Frontier, they push a method (icing), which is entirely unregulated by law or the medical profession, on an innocent public. And, ironically, if ice were a regulated over-the-counter (OTC) medical product, it would likely never get cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Why? Well, to get cleared for such use, manufacturers need to prove, among other things, effectiveness and safety (e.g. that their products do not cause harm).

Ice would miserably fail the effectiveness test, as there are literally no peer-reviewed studies that prove any such effect. And the contradictions, precautions, and warnings (for example, frostbite, increased muscle damage, etc.) needed to comply with the “do no harm” portion of the clearance process would almost certainly push ice into obscurity as a prescription-only product.

Fortunately for the ice gurus, the medical profession is not about to attempt to regulate the use of ice. Besides the fact that such a feat would be nearly impossible since virtually everyone maintains direct, unrestricted access to ice, physicians are far too busy managing other medical issues to focus on frozen snake oil.

Anyway, as the story goes, the original “snake oil” was derived from a topical preparation made from the Chinese Water Snake and used by Chinese laborers to treat joint pain. The preparation was promoted in North America by travelling salesmen, who often used accomplices in the audience to proclaim the benefits of the preparation. Interestingly, however, most “snake oil” sold in the U.S. had nothing whatsoever to do with snakes. Alas, the original snake oil salesmen didn’t even really sell snake oil!

At least the ice gurus use ice, or, at a minimum, something that feels cold. I guess, in

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