The World’s Best Ice Pack

There are many ways to ice an injured body part. If you are using a bag of frozen peas or corn, then you are still living in the Stone Age. I wish to give you the key ingredients and instructions to properly make and use the world’s best ice pack. Get ready pickleball players, this is priceless information:

Most joints require complete coverage by a cold source to effectively reduce localized blood flow(inflammation) and block sensory nerve impulses(pain) from being sent to the brain. For this purpose, a gallon freezer(not storage) bag works quite nicely. Please do not use the bags with the little zipper on the top, because they usually leak. Use the ones that pinch together(i.e. red and blue on each side). Add 4.25 cups of water and 1.75 cups of 70% rubbing alcohol to the gallon bag. Remove as much air as possible and then seal the bag. Place the sealed bag into a second bag, and remove it’s air and seal. The double bagging technique reduces the risk of the first bag from getting punctured with subsequent leaking. Place the sealed bags inside your freezer, as flat as possible to allow proper formation and maximum exposure to the cold air. The initial time to freeze the pack is 8-10 hours, depending on the setting of your freezer.

Once the ice pack has cured, it can be removed for use. The water/rubbing alcohol mixture will harden but will not become completely solid. The ice pack can easily be molded around a joint or onto another body part. The freezing point of rubbing alcohol is much colder than water, so this ice pack will be so cold that you will have trouble handing it with your bare hands. Do not apply the ice pack directly to skin. There should always be a thin barrier between the two. I prefer placing the ice pack inside a pillow case and wrapping it around the affected area. Application time should be 20 minutes maximum, especially if the coldness is felt immediately thru the correct thin barrier. I must caution that applying this ice pack for too long can cause damage to the skin, so please follow the above listed instructions.

The ice pack can be applied every two hours or more. It is most effective after performing a physical activity and just before bedtime. It is important to return the cold pack to the freezer immediately following the 20 minutes of treatment to allow it to refreeze quickly. If you wish to make a smaller ice pack, simply use the same percentage(approximately 2.5 to 1) of water to rubbing alcohol. The ice pack should remain effective up to the expiration date printed on the rubbing alcohol bottle or longer.

There you have it; the world’s best ice pack. Enjoy using it, and throw the used peas and corn away for goodness sake! Happy Pickling!

Isn’t that the best? Feel free to comment below AND don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE at the top right 🙂