Status: 01/03/2023 11:04
Hot water bottle, cherry stone pillow, electric blanket and heating pad help with abdominal pain, muscle tension and arthritis. The activation of the heat receptors masks the pain receptors and promotes blood circulation.
Heat can sometimes be more effective than medication and even replace pain relievers. Heat also improves sleep. It has also been scientifically proven that you can fall asleep better with warm feet candies.
To fall asleep, your body temperature must drop by one degree Celsius. However, if the vessels in the hands and feet are narrow because they are cold, blood cannot flow there and carry away the heat. At the same time, you release more adrenaline because it’s stressful not being able to fall asleep. Too many stress hormones also prevent a good night’s sleep. In addition to thick socks, there are other ways to keep warm.
Hot water bottle for stomach pain
A hot water bottle is still a guarantee for warming up cold feet. It is commercially available for less than ten euros. Filled with warm water, it is also a proven home remedy for abdominal pain: the activation of the heat receptors masks the pain receptors. And the heat relaxes myofascial tissue: In the abdomen, individual organs are suspended in tiny fascial sacs. The heat relaxes them and thus the organs can relax as well. But be careful: the hot water bottle must not be too full, it must be tightly closed and the rubber must not be in direct contact with the skin in order not to overheat it.
Microwave cherry stone pillows against strain
A wheat pillow (from five euros) provides healing heat longer than a hot water bottle. There are different types of fillings, which have different degrees of hardness and are sometimes enriched with medicinal herbs such as lavender:
- cherry pits
- Cereals (e.g. millet or spelled)
- Rap together
When heated in the microwave or oven, the beans release heat longer than hot water. This helps with strong muscle tension, for example, because a grain pillow promotes blood circulation. In the arteries, an increased exchange of oxygen takes place, which in turn stimulates the metabolism and the metabolic end products are broken down better. Natural regeneration can be accelerated with heat and this relieves tension. Use caution when heating cherry stone pillows in the microwave. If the cushions get hot, there is a risk of burns when used.
Electric blankets and heating pads: Not recommended for extended use
An electric blanket or heating pad (from 30 euros) should warm you evenly for up to two hours and then switch off on its own. For example, people whose arthritis is aggravated by exposure to cold may benefit from a warming electric heat source. Experts advise everyone else not to use constant heat at the push of a button: Lying out for hours in the heat can cause fascial tissue to ruffle, like washing a wool sweater that’s too hot. And the felted fabric can no longer penetrate heat. Those affected then warm up more and more with an electric blanket because they want to feel the heat. This can lead to burns on the skin.
Physiotherapy: red light, hot roller, mud and mud wraps
Three sources of heat are mainly used in physiotherapy: red light, hot roller and mud.
- Unlike other sources of heat it penetrates Red light even in the deepest skin layers up to the joints. Infrared rays and electromagnetic waves create dry heat deep within the tissue. This increases wound healing and can reduce inflammation. Red light is especially suitable for rheumatoid arthritis and strains. It also helps with tense pains in muscles and connective tissue because it stimulates the metabolism, increases blood flow to the tissue and promotes regeneration. However, you should be careful if there are skin changes, sensory disturbances or inflammation, so red light is not helpful.
- for one hot role towels are dipped in boiling water and briefly pressed to the sore parts of the body. The hot roller works particularly well for muscle tension, especially in the shoulder and neck area. But the hot roller is also an excellent treatment method for muscle fiber strains and tears that are more than eight hours old.
- with Mud or mud packs particularly severe muscle stiffening and chronic rheumatic pain can be treated well. For this purpose, heat carriers filled with paraffin and mineral mud are heated to 60 degrees, because they retain heat for a particularly long time. Be careful with mud or moor packs that you can heat in the microwave at home: they can be dangerous if, for example, you experience abnormal sensations after a stroke, diabetes mellitus, heart disease or blood pressure problems. Those affected therefore do not feel reliably when the pack is too hot and can suffer severe burns. In addition, too long a use of mud or mud packs can cause the vessels to dilate and the muscles to relax, but the blood circulates throughout the body and those affected have circulatory problems when standing up. If you are alone at home, it can be dangerous.
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