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Cold therapy is a healing remedy for orthopedic injuries. It involves application of cold temperature on injured sites to speed up the recovery process. A cold therapy unit is a machine that helps the transfer of cold temperatures on injuries. Ice packs and frozen pea bags are also used to deliver cold therapy but in less efficient manners.Cold Therapy for Surgical RecoveryCold therapy forms an important component of rehabilitation programs after orthopedic surgeries. It helps the muscles, tissues, joints, and ligaments heal faster by aiding the body’s natural healing process. Cold therapy impedes nerve impulses, which reduces blood supply to surgical wounds. The process helps to reduce inflammation, which minimizes the pain after surgeries.When pain lessens, patients can focus properly on their physical therapy. They can also start with their physical therapy work sooner than expected due to better range of motions in the joints and reduced pain. Cold therapy can also heal tissues in the surgical sites faster when used along with any other treatment such as ointment application. Cold therapy not only reduces post-operative pain but also aids other processes in the rehabilitation program.Cold therapy also eliminates the need for medicines by reducing pain significantly with only a few healing sessions. It reduces the dependency risk of pain relievers and prevents further health problems in the future.The Right Way to Use Cold Therapy for Post-Surgical RecoveryYou can use ice packs for cold therapy, but it is not the best way to speed up post-surgical recovery. To maximize the benefits of cold therapy, it is best to use ice machines that are designed for this purpose. A cold therapy unit or machine (ice machines) is a device that can deliver healing to surgical wounds in the most efficient manner.When you use a cold therapy unit, you eliminate infection and burn risks on the treatment area. Unlike ice packs that can drip water onto your surgical wounds and cause infections; using a cold therapy unit poses no such hazard. The healing pad in the machine helps deliver cold therapy through a circulation system consisting of a tank, pump, and the connecting hose. The ridges in the pad ensure that there are no burn injury risks when applying cold therapy through machines. These pads are made with patented Iso-Tube technology to provide cold therapy for maximum healing in a short amount of time.Brands like IsoComforter manufacturers cold therapy units that are portable and easy to use. You don’t need to keep replenishing ice in the tank often. You can also buy IsoComforter machines with multipurpose pads to heal different kinds of orthopedic surgeries. You can use IsoComforter cold therapy units after shoulder, knee, back, hip, and foot surgeries. You can also use these machines to heal muscle soreness that can result from intense workouts, sports training, excessive fatigue, and simple injuries.When used properly, cold therapy can speed surgical recovery in profound ways.

Steve, 68, had just retired. It had been his second attempt at retiring. The first was when he was 65, but his wife was still working, so he found it difficult to adjust to retired life. When his wife retired 3 years later, Steve thought he would be just fine.

But then he had difficulty maintaining an erection. His doctor diagnosed him with erectile dysfunction with no known cause. He was given no medical treatment.

Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is a medical diagnosis for any condition where the man is unable to obtain or maintain an erection. WebMD estimated that 18 million U.S. men are affected each year. It is more common in older men but is now being seen in men as young as teenagers. The causes are usually medical drugs, alcohol usage, fatigue or a hormonal imbalance or heart condition. There are medical drugs and prosthetics to assist the man. In Steve’s case, he refused both because he didn’t like taking medical drugs and didn’t want surgery.

“It was bound to happen at my age,” he said during his initial office visit. “But if there is anything you can do I’d be most grateful.”

We proceeded to discuss all the intricacies of his sexuality. He would obtain a strong erection, but about half-way though intercourse he would lose the firmness and would be unable to become erect again. He usually awoke with the erection and tried sex in the morning; they didn’t try any other time of day. He didn’t masturbate. He and his wife tried different positions but the result was the same.

“My wife is okay with it, but I’m not,” he said with embarrassment. He stated his wife didn’t desire sex, so Steve felt his wife didn’t care if he was having difficulty. Steve saw it as a flaw in his manhood.

When did it all start? Right after he retired.

The suddenness of the onset of the ED and his retiring had to be more than coincidence. He was able to have a normal erection before then, so his retiring had to be a factor.

Steve had worked for the city doing inspections at restaurants for most of his adult life. He worked 40 hours per week. When asked to describe his work day, he sat higher in his chair and spoke with pride. He stated he would miss the social interaction and knowing he did a good job at work.

He also stated he would grow old now and have “old age” problems like a heart attack. He felt any activity would cause a heart attack. He also stated he felt he was “put out to pasture” as he was no longer useful.

“Being useful” was mentioned a lot during the interview. This means it is important to the problem Steve was having.

Since retiring, he has been spending more time working with farm animals (they had a hobby farm) and he has been taking a painting class. His wife has been catching up on her reading; she wasn’t yet “adjusting to being retired”. On occasion they went out to eat, but for the most part they stayed at home. No vacations or travel was planned.

Steve wondered if his wife’s disinterest in sex might’ve been the reason for the ED, but when we discussed it, that really hadn’t changed since they were married.

When looking at a new condition, you need to look at what has changed, not what has been the same for a long time. Steve’s wife’s disinterest in sex was not new. What was new was the retirement.

The common theme between intercourse and work is performance. Loss of work means loss of performance…and the ability to perform sexually in Steve’s case. He was no longer useful at a job, something he felt was a “man’s job”. Part of being a man was being able to get an erection.

I recommended the remedy Argentum nitricum. A common key to metal remedies is the person believing there is a fault within themselves, a weakness.Key features for Argentum nitricum:

Sudden laxness of penis
Incomplete erection
Frequent urination (a concomitant)
Anxiety about his heart, that he would have a heart attack
Anxiety related to performance

Steve was reluctant to think there was an emotional or mental reason behind the ED. Most people do not like to believe something emotional or mental can be causing any physical problem they might have. Our society tends to push for physical reasons to be the cause of physical problems, and emotional reasons to only affect behavior.

I asked Steve to try the remedy anyway and to let me know if it didn’t work.

He tried the remedy and found it helped. When he stopped taking it; his problem returned. Still, Steve didn’t want to think his ED had anything to do with “performance”.

About 3 months later Steve took on a summer job. His ED was no longer an issue. When the job was done in the fall, the ED returned. Steve now realized there was a connection.

Steve continued to take the Argentum nitricum as needed, but once he had made the connection between performance and his ED, he was able to overcome a lot of the mental impact from his not working. After a year of using the homeopathic remedy 2-3 times, Steve stated he no longer has problems maintaining an erection.

Best wishes,

Dr. Ronda Behnke

Disclaimer: The information provided by Dr. Ronda Behnke is for educational purposes only. It is important that you not make health decisions or stop any medication without first consulting your personal physician or health care provider.