Beautifully Clean: Ahhhh, comfort!

by Therese Bowen

Freshlife Personal Care Coach

Despite being gifted with a few more precious moments of daylight from the powers that be, we are still entrenched in the combat zone of Old Man Winter. Cold weather sends us home in the evening craving warmth and comfort. Though the wish to feel cozy and nurtured may bind our collective soul’s desire, we may not all feel that way for the same reason. Whether you overdid it at the gym, store stress and tension in your neck, suffer from sinus headaches or just feel cold and achy on cold winter nights, you can feel relief within 2 minutes without popping any pills.

How, you ask? By placing an Herbal Concepts comfort pack into the microwave. Filled with heat retaining flaxseeds and aromatherapy herbs, these comfort packs come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to ease away your aches, pains and tension. Herbs such as lavender, peppermint, cinnamon, white willow and valerian root contain properties to manage discomfort. Many are anti-spasmodic and each one promotes relaxation and tranquility.

There are large packs that cover your whole back and small narrow packs to relieve wrist tension from typing on a keyboard all day. There are lower lumbar packs with a waist strap and styles designed to cover the neck and shoulder area. We even carry a sinus mask. Nothing feels better than settling back with a heated comfort pack. Even if you aren’t in any pain, taking a heated pack to bed with you and absorbing its warmth for an hour before you go to sleep is a great way to beat the winter cold.

Do take care not to overheat these comfort packs. The idea is to have heat slowly penetrate to sore muscles, not to make the surface of the skin hot. Heating for more than 3 minutes at a time could cause burns.

It is also important to note that heat should not be used in certain circumstances such as when the lower back is swollen or bruised. Heat is also not suitable or advised in the following cases:

• Dermatitis

• Deep vein thrombosis

• Diabetes

• Open wounds

• Severe cognitive impairment

Please seek the advice of your physician if you suffer from any of the above listed conditions before you proceed with the use of these therapeutic packs.

In general, if the area is swollen or bruised, it is better to apply ice or a cold pack to reduce the inflammation. If those situations apply to you, you can put your comfort pack into a ziplock bag and store it in your freezer. It then becomes an ice pack alternative.

Using a spritzer bottle to lightly mist the comfort pack will give you the benefit of moist heat. The most effective way to use moist heat therapy is by applying a short treatment at a higher temperature, allowing the body to return to a normal temperature and then repeating the process.

I encourage you to give these comfort packs a try. The benefits you can receive from this versatile therapy can truly make a difference in pain management. Your grandma knew the value of a hot water bottle and an ice bag. Think of these as the modern day version of grandma’s remedies all tied up in one.