Increased circulation?

Question

Increased circulation. Is it possible?

I was reading a book on veterinary medications regarding liniments. In my youth, I was taught that you could increase circulation to an injured area and help speed up the healing process. But below from this book says otherwise.....

"Liniments produce local skin irritation. When the skin is irritated, surface blood dilate. This brings a feeling of warmth to the area and helps to relieve muscle and joint stiffness and soreness.

Claims that liniments "increase circulation" to areas are not supported by any research. As a practical matter, increased circulation has not been demonstrated as a result of any therapy. Nor has any study been done to show that if circulation could be increased, it would somehow improve or speed up healing"

So my question is, is increased circulation possible and if so, would it have the abilities to speed up the healing process?

Answer 1

You are so 80's and you need to get over yourself!

Answer 2

It depends on what the injury is.

Generally, when an injury occurs - inflammation follows (blood vessels dilates due to release of histamines and other chemicals).

It becomes red, swollen, and painful. It helps in the healing process by bringing more blood to the area and hence more of the cells that assist in healing - including white blood cells to clean up any damage, red blood cells for more oxygen for growth of new skin/muscle, platelets to stop any bleeding, etc.

There are definitely compounds that dilate the blood vessels. In the body, Nitric oxide (NO) is normally released to cause dilation of blood vessels (e.g. when you're hot and need to release heat). Glyceryl trinitrate is one example of a compound which dilates blood vessels and acts similar to the nitric oxide. However, i don't know much about liniments - sorry.

In certain circumstances where the injury persists due to LACK of blood flow - these types of compounds will improve the healing process. Anal fissures for example (painful breaks of the skin around the a**s) can be assisted with nitrate enemas and improve blood flow - hence healing.

However, in circumstances like venous ulcers from lack of blood movement, you want pressure bandages to stop the blood from accumulating in that area. This helps in the healing process.

Therefore, it really depends on the injury, however for the most part, blood flow good for an injury, but whether you'll be able to find something specifically to rub on (as glyceryl trinitrate cannot be rubbed on and can also cause headaches), is another matter.