Why do we need right and reasonable levels of pain, fever and inflammation in our bodies? Why do we need them to recover from an external stressor? There is a real reason behind pain, fever or inflammation in our bodies. Indiscriminate use of Steroids and Anti-Inflammatory drugs is harmful. Take them only when needed. Take a doctor/medical expert’s advise before using steroids/NSAIDs for controlling Covid or any other infections.
Just because ice may feel good & take pain away / limit inflammation in the short term does NOT mean you are fixing the problem! Ask any medical professional what the three phases of healing are and they’ll all tell you the same thing: inflammation, repair and remodel. Inflammation is the first stage of the healing process no matter the location or severity of the injury in the body. If this is a normal response to injury, why do we want to prevent it?
When injury occurs (such as a sprained ankle) inflammatory cells called white blood cells naturally rush to the site of pain to kick start the healing process. Specifically, tiny cells called neutrophils are deployed to destroy bacteria (if there is an open wound) and others called macrophages come to remove the damaged tissue cells caused by the initial trauma. Macrophages are like Pac-Man swarming in and chomping down and consuming all the tiny dots (in this case the cells that died off due to the initial trauma). At the same time these cells also release an anabolic hormone called Insulin-like growth Factor (IGF-1) into the surrounding area that sparks the next phase of the healing process, muscle repair and regeneration.
*Do read the Disclaimer