Thermal Relief For A Very Low Price (Natural Health Solutions Thermal Relief Pads)

Member Name: AJ26

Product:	Natural Health Solutions Thermal Relief Pads
Date:	16/04/09 (329 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, effective, good for pain relief, stays in place

Disadvantages: Have to attach to clothing and not straight onto skin

**What are they?**

They are heat pads which give up to 8 hours relief from aches and pains. The heat eases the pain by increasing blood flow to the area and relaxing sore muscles. It is especially good for stomach cramps and back pain.

The pads contain iron and activated carbon which when exposed to air react and produce heat which lasts for 8 hours giving pain relief where required.

The product comes in a cardboard box and contains two sachets which are each packed in separate sachets. To use you need to open the polyethylene wrapper and remove the paper backing exposing the sticky side. Place the pad directly on the inside of your clothing on the area where you want to apply the heat. You should not stick the pad directly onto your skin. The pads can only be used once and should be disposed of in a bin once used.

They are about 5 inches long and 4 inches wide and have a plastic backing which is the sticky side. The other side has a cotton feel to it pretty much like a sanitary towel and inside the pad are the active ingredients which create the heat.

**Where can I buy them?**

I bought my packet which contains two thermal relief pads from Poundland which has stores all over the country. Unsurprisingly enough as they came Poundland they cost a grand total of £1. Which I thought was a pretty good bargain. Similar products by other brands have cost 3 times this much in other stores.

**Safety Issues**

The pads should not be used on children under the age of 12 years old. If used with elderly people they should be used under supervision due to sensation problems. The pads should not be used if you are pregnant. If you have poor circulation, diabetes, eczema or other skin condition you should talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using.

They should not be used on the same patch of skin for more than 8 hours in a 24 hour period. They should not be used immediately after an injury as the heat will increase blood flow to the area and could cause more swelling or damage the skin. They should not be used with any other heating device i.e. a hot water bottle. They shouldn't be used alongside any other medicated creams etc such as deep heat cream or spray. They should not be used if the wearer cannot remove the patch themselves. You should not lie on the patch and if it feels too hot or the skin feels irritated you should remove the patch immediately.

**My Thoughts**

I suffer from bad period pain most months and although I take painkillers I find that the heat from a hot water bottle also helps to relieve the pain. Now it's not really convenient to go to work with a hot water strapped to your stomach so when I first came across these type of heat pads I thought they were great.

The other heat pads I have used have been ones that stick straight onto your skin and are slightly more convenient but are also more expensive. These have to stick onto your clothing so you have to decide where you are going to stick them. Now if you are using them for back pain its fairly simple just stick the pad to the inside of your top over the area of the pain. For me I always use them over my stomach so if I am working I wear them stuck to the inside of my uniform trousers.

The pad stays in place all day and I work in a hospital so I moving around a lot and helping patients get back on their feet but I have never found that the pads move at all. They are not noticeable when they are on if you have a top over the trousers.

There are only 2 downsides I have found with these pads, firstly is that the iron filings or whatever the active ingredient is tends to fall down to the bottom of the pad which means you don't get as much heat at the top of the pad and if you were wearing close fitting clothing it might be noticeable as the pad becomes thicker at the bottom.

Secondly if you are wearing something like jeans then these pads aren't so easy to use as you cant really stick them to the inside of your jeans as you need to be able to pull your zip up and down. Secondly you cant put them on the inside of your top if you want the heat low down on your stomach and unless you wear big pants that come up to your belly button its hard to use a pad like this. In this instance I think the pads that stick straight onto your skin are much better.

The heat from the pad lasts all day. I put the pad on around 8am in the morning and it is still warm when I finish work at 5pm. Now they do recommend that you do not use the pad in the same place for longer than 8 hours. My skin has had no irritation from the pads, I think these might be a better option than the ones which stick directly on the skin if you are someone who suffers from easily irritated skin.

I find that along with painkillers these pads make my period pain much more bearable and I can get on with my work and not feel so bad. At 50p a time they are a real bargain and I will definitely buy them again. They would work well if you had back or neck pain or even if you were going somewhere really cold you could pop one on your clothes to keep you warm.

Summary: Thermal Relief Pads which work really well and only cost 50p per pad.