You’re sore from your workout. You’re hurting from chronic aches and pains. Maybe you went too hard playing back yard football with the kids and now you’re paying for it. Whatever the source of your achy muscles and joints, you want relief. If you’re looking for a solution besides OTC internal analgesics, external analgesics may be what you need. Also known as topical pain relievers, these products are applied on the skin directly at the source of the pain, rather than going through the digestive system and liver to be disseminated through the body. There are many great reasons to use external analgesics and we’re going to cover them, as well as some of the cons, so you can make the most educated decision possible when looking to relieve your pains and discomforts.
Despite being generally accepted as safe, ingesting internal analgesics can have negative effects on the body, especially the liver. The FDA has some good tips on avoiding liver damage, which include not taking the medication if you consume over a certain amount of alcohol daily and following proper dosage amounts. More powerful ingested pain relievers can have very addictive properties, unfortunately contributing to the opioid epidemic. For these reasons, and others like them, external analgesics are preferred. Zim’s MaxFreeze is non-habit forming and is not digested. Instead, it is applied directly to the source of the pain, outside of the skin.
Along this same line, because external analgesics are applied directly to the location of the pain, they act very quickly. Ingested medications must be processed in the body before being sent out all over. External analgesics are put right on the source and work fast. No pain-relief is wasted on areas that don’t need it. Zim’s offers three convenient means of application: continuous spray for fast, convenient application, roll-on stick for no mess application, and gel for total coverage and absorption.
The biggest downside to many external analgesics is that they have a strong, not-always-pleasant, scent. This usually comes from the primary active ingredient, which could be menthol or salicylate. Zim’s MaxFreeze has a quick vanishing scent, so you can apply it to your sore spots then get on with your day.
