How to make your own Heat/Cold Therapy Pads

Hello Everyone,

One of the things I learned during my Pain Management sessions was "How to make your own heat and cold therapy pads."

I know there are many of us that cannot work or have limited budgets, so here is this tip:

Ingredients:

* Thick material (this project calls for 18",but you can make the heating pad any size you want.

* Sewing machine or needle and thread

* Flax seed or wheat

* Essential oil (if you want to add it for aromatherapy), not required.

Directions:

Buy or use strong material like cotton, strong silk or cotton woven material, or canvas. Make sure the material has no give to it. You do not want it to stretch. Please remember it needs to be real thick so when the wheat is heated (and it gets pretty hot) that you don't burn yourself.

1). Cut a square about 18" each side and fold it in half so it's inside out. It will be oblong shape.

2). Stitch down one short side and the long side. A sewing machine works best as you need short stitches close together, so the wheat doesn't come out.

3). If you stitch by hand go over it again to make sure the stitches are tight.

4). Turn it the right way in so the seam is on the inside.

5). Use the Flax seed or Wheat, it needs to be the whole kernel.

6). You should fill the bag about 1/2 way, then stitch the one side that is left, sealing it tight.

7). If you decide to use essential oils, sprinkle on the material for aromatherapy.

8). You will need to microwave it about two minutes. I have had a couple of microwaves, and they seem to heat differently. So please test it out a few minutes at a time to see how much time you need it in your microwave. Just be very careful not to overheat.

It can also be placed in the refrigerator or freezer if the cold therapy is better for you. I personally prefer heat.

This step is not necessary, but you might want to try it:

Try to divide the bag into sections. Maybe in 4- put in 1/4 of your seeds then stitch the bag 1/4 of the way up, drop in another 1/4 of the seeds and stitch those in, repeating for the rest, so you will have 4 compartments full of seeds, instead of one big one. This is keep your seeds fairly distributed throughout your hand made heating pad.

You can try making these in different sizes and shapes. You might want to make a horseshoe shape for your neck, or a small pillow to hold while you sleep, big square for your back, etc. The key is to make sure you have enough seeds to fill 1/2 of the bag. It takes about 1lb for an 18 inch bag.

Why spend money buying these products, when you can make them yourself. They also make nice gifts. I hope you enjoy yours.

I hope and pray this information helps someone today! Have a pain and fatigue free day:)

Fibro Viv