You’re no stranger to pain. It comes in many forms. Maybe you worked out just a little too hard a couple of days ago, and now your calves feel tight and painful. Perhaps you have arthritis in your knuckles, and typing can be pure agony some days. Maybe you get cluster headaches – the list goes on. Capsaicin cream uses can offer benefits that you should know about that will allow you to combat that pain and get back to actually living your life.
What Are the Most Common Capsaicin Cream Uses?
Capsaicin, the phytochemical responsible for making hot peppers hot, is used in a number of different creams, manufactured by quite a few different companies. A quick look at the health and beauty section of your local big box store will yield plenty of results. What are all of those creams good for, and how does capsaicin, the active ingredient in most of them, actually work to fight pain, though?
Let’s tackle the second question first. Capsaicin works by decreasing the amount of what’s called “substance P” in your body. Substance P is natural, and it sends pain signals from the affected area to the brain. When the amount of substance P is thinned, the pain signals to the brain are curtailed.
As you might imagine, this makes capsaicin cream uses many and quite varied. Some of the uses these creams are marketed for use include:
- Arthritis Pain: Capsaicin cream uses extend to helping alleviate the pain of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Muscle Pain: Capsaicin cream can be used to treat pulled or strained muscles in many areas of the body.
- Backache: Capsaicin cream is highly recommended for treating backaches, particularly lower back pain.
- Headaches: Cluster headaches can be treated with an application of capsaicin cream.
These are just some of the more common uses for capsaicin cream; there are others. However, you should know a thing or two about how the cream works, and what you should expect.
What to Expect When Using Capsaicin Cream
If you’re interested in benefiting from any of the capsaicin cream uses, you’ll need to understand what to expect. First, you might experience an initial increase in pain at the sight. This is largely due to the tingling or burning sensation created by capsaicin on the skin. However, it should fade quickly after the first application, and should be less each time the cream is applied.
Next, because it reduces the amount of substance P in the body, it can take several applications to see significant relief. Some patients do not see maximum relief for about two weeks after initially applying the cream.
Finally, make sure not to get the cream on any open wounds, in your eyes or mouth. Likewise, don’t let the treated area come into contact with hot water or sweat, as this may increase the tingling/burning sensation.
Capsaicin cream uses are many and growing as medical professionals find more and more uses for this phytochemical.
Source:-
https://www.hss.edu/conditions_capsaicin-pepper-creams-joint-pain.asp