Saturday, April 20, 2013

Vancouver Sun Run 2013

The Vancouver Sun run is tomorrow. Don't forget to keep those muscles warm before and after the race. Cold muscle get injured, warm muscles are supple and can absorb the pressures of the race.
A lot of runners use our Sports Therapy Wrap as a pre and post muscle maintenance regime.
This pack can be used hot or cold.
Good luck tomorrow and don't forget to support our Boston marathon friends

Monday, April 15, 2013

Mothers Day Gifts Vancouver BC

Mother’s Day is a very special day for us,we have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be thankful for and to…our Mothers.
Each year we put together a selection of our Warm Buddy products to help you give your Mom a gift she will love and deserve.
Mother’s Day gifts are warm and cuddly or warm and stress relieving,all will give years of comfort.
Remember to give enough time for the delivery of the gift.
Home spa kit

Local Vancouver residents can collect from our Vancouver location, ( West end Vancouver) just call to arrange a pick up time. 604-322-9370.
Or if we mail in Vancouver, you will receive it next business day. We offer free gift wrapping and a card with your wishes.
Or Toll free 1-866-322-9370 if ordering from outside Vancouver
here are our shipping times.

This is one of many gift items we have

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Moving day

Yesterday was moving day and you knew it was going to be a typical moving day, it wasn't just raining we have 40mm of rain.
As Tod Bertuzi says, it is what it is.
Yesterday and today was unpacking and I had a visit by Patricia and Billie, as a 2 year old Billie was having difficulty in processing grandpa has moved and is now 2 minutes walk from their house, I believe after a few visits she will understand.
So today was unpacking 80 or so boxes and by 5 pm the last box was unpacked and flat packed for my neighbor to use for their move.
Tomorrow I think I will take a 3 hour walk around the sea wall, it has been at least 5 years since I have done this, when I lived in the westend I used to do this walk about 3 times a week...
Our web site has been updated with the new address and we still invite pick ups from local customers.
Maybe I will see you on the seawall tomorrow.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Back pain in early pregnancy

Our Body wrap is one of our most popular lower back pain relief heating pads for back pain in early pregnancy,
the design and popularity have been unchanged (apart from the fabric covers) since it’s design in 1995.

Back pain in early pregnancy microwavable heating pad

Use Hot or Cold

Just pop the body wrap in the microwave or freezer and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of the microwavable heating pad
( heat last 1 hour or longer) The Body wrap will last for years.
Heating pads are good for lower back pain relief therapy.
Heating pads for fast lower back pain relief when you want it most to treat sore muscles.

Another useful application for our Body wrap:

Hair salons offer this heat wrap to customers as a warmer while they are having their hair styled,
this is one of many other applications you can use a heat pack. it will deliver the ultimate pain relief and comfort.

Treat sore muscle lower back pain in early pregnancy:

Here is a heart felt story from Kristina

@ swankmama which will resonate with anyone going through lower back pain in early pregnancy.
Being pregnant the secondtime around has pretty much been the same as when I was pregnant with my son: fast, easy and free of any morning sickness or nausea. The only thing that I didn’t have with my first pregnancy that I now have with this one is lower back pain. It comes and goes but the turning point was when I strained my back on our recent Disneyland vacation. I could hardly move and yet my son still wanted to be picked up constantly during our trip.That’s where Wildflowers Aromatherapy & Gifts came in to the rescue! Wildflowers is a Vancouver based eco-conscious company run by Peter and Patricia and serving customers worldwide. They carry a full line of Warm Buddy products which provide back pain, neck & shoulder pain and stress & tension relief. Filled with natural milled rice, Warm Buddy heating pads and wraps are aromatherapy scented with pure lavender flowers and essential oils making it a relaxing and soothing experience for your body. Wildflowers also prides themselves on buying all locally made products to share with the world.To heat up your Warm Buddy, you simply put it in the microwave for the required time {my Warm Buddy Body Wrap takes 2-3 minutes – I’ve been warming it up at just under 3 minutes} and it will retain its heat for hours. I love that I can use it on my back as soon as I take it out of the microwave since the heat has been distributed evenly and it’s not super hot to the touch. Usually, I wake up a few times a night for a bathroom break {another pregnancy “symptom”} and my Warm Buddy is still warm! The website says that it will retain its heat for 1 hour or longer and it seems like mine is on the longer side. In addition to heating up your Warm Buddy, you can also throw it in your freezer {in a Ziploc bag} to reduce inflammation and relieve lower back pain related to sprains, bumps and bruises, inflamed muscles, etc.
When my lower back pain was at it’s worse, all I could think about during the day was coming home, putting my heated Warm Buddy Body Wrap on my back and waking up virtually pain free. I found that it helped alleviate the pain during the night so I could sleep better and the pain wouldn’t return until halfway through the next day. I would highly recommend Wildflowers and their Warm Buddy Body Wrap as a natural, pain relief alternative to taking pain medication to relieve the pain. In addition, the Body Wrap comes with a washable cover that can be hand or machine washed.
Thank you Wildflowers you are a life saver.

  • Why use Tylenol or Motrin, Advil, Nuprin — Ibuprofen or any other over the counter pain medication.
  • When all our Warm Buddy products are all drug FREE and used for natural pain relief.
Back pain in early pregnancy video

Cramp relief – Cramps during period


Cramps during period – fast pain relief

Treating Primary Dysmenorrhoea Using Heat Therapy
The most effective and probably the oldest ways of treating menstrual cramps is to simply lie down on a flat surface with your legs elevated and apply some heat to the lower abdomen. Microwave heat pads and wheat bags can also be used for this therapy. The warmth works by relaxing the muscles which helps to ease the pain from menstrual cramps. Items such as wheat bags, microwave heat pads, and hot bottles can prove to be inexpensive, holistic and a great way to relieve menstrual cramps.
Warm moist heat for pain relief


Here are our cheerful fabric selections with the embroidered text.
“Be Happy” (Chocolate Swirl), “Love” (Cream Swirl), “Relax (Sage Swirl)”, and “Joy” (Aqua Swirl),”Peace” embroidery. Leopard fur and violet does not have an embroidery.
Moist heat, aromatherapy and acupressure make these designer heat wraps the perfect natural alternative for the relief of aches,cramps,pms pain and stress.
PMS pain relief tips:
Rest the heating pad on your lower abdominal area or on your lower back, wherever you feel the most discomfort from PMS. You can also use two heating pads at the same time, one on your back and one on your stomach for PMS relief.
Keep the heating pad on through the night to help you to have a comfortable night’s sleep and to prevent cramping in the morning. Some heating pads come with straps to keep the heating pad in place while you’re sleeping or resting.
Handy size for travel. An easy to use hot water bottle alternative.
Contains natural milled rice and our signature anti-stress aromatherapy blend. Warm in microwave 2 -3 minutes, or cool in freezer.
Size: 23cm(9”) x 23cm(9”) x 5cm(2”) (Warm Buddy Code (5016)

Warm Buddy and Autism

How Warm Buddy Animals help Autism
We have been contacted by several schools teaching autistic children and complimented on how our Warm up animals bring comfort and peace to their children.
Large warm up puppy

Here is a comment from a school with Autistic and special needs children and how they are benefiting from having Warm Buddies:
“We have started using Warm Buddies on our transitional care unit with our children who as a result
of neurological trauma have difficulty staying warm on their own. The Warm Buddies are personalized
for each child with their own “collar”. It is important that our kids feel like they are in a home like
environment vs an impersonal medical setting. The Warm Buddies look and feel as if they are cuddling
up with their favorite stuffed animal however we know it is so much more than that, they are a modality
that is helping our kids stay happy and healthy”. Childserve USA
ChildServe USA
Let us know if you have found ways that our warm up animals have helped you or someone you know.
Remember everybody needs a Warm Buddy

Back pain relief solutions

Are you looking for a back pain relief solution that doesn't entail the use of over the counter pain killers.
Then just maybe you should try a non invasive solution.

Heat Therapy

What heat is for

Heat is primarily for muscle pain, and for stress relief. Warm Buddy heat packs and heat wraps offer a warm moist penetrating heat, that penetrate the muscle tissue and relieve aches and pains fast  and without the need of any over the counter pain medication.
The trick is knowing what muscle pain is. Muscle causes much more pain than most people are aware of. Some kinds of muscle pain are obvious enough — like the pain you get after the first ski trip of the season, or charlie horses in the night — but these are relatively isolated and obvious examples. Also, heat isn’t especially useful for them. Charlie horses are pretty fast, and for most people a rare problem, thankfully. And that post-exercise muscle soreness is virtually immune to any kind of therapy.
But muscle knots …
When you say that you have “knots in your muscles,” you are actually talking about trigger points. A trigger point is a small patch of contracted, stagnant, swampy muscle tissue. Instead of the whole muscle being in spasm, just a little piece of it is in spasm.
Our most popular heat wrap

If you’d like to detour and learn much more about trigger points, see
Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A guide to the science of muscle pain, with reviews of every possible self-treatment and therapy option, even for the most difficult cases.

Trigger points are likely to be the most common cause of undiagnosed and unexplained aches and pains, especially stubborn or recurrent headaches, neck cricks and backaches. It is a much more common cause of pain than the more widely reported repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), nerve pain, or herniated disks. Trigger points also complicate essentially all other injuries: they usually appear in response to other kinds of pain and dysfunction, and then often begin to overshadow the original problem.
And heat is a good therapy for trigger points.
Here is some more info on heat therapy 
****It is always important to consult your medical adviser before starting any form of heat therapy****

All Warm Buddy products including heat wraps - heat packs and warm up animals are official Health Canada  approved medical deices for pain relief and stress.
Best Wishes
WA+G


Why Warm Buddy heat packs & heat wraps are superior for pain & stress relief
Drug Free(dom) Warm Buddy Gel Packs Flax Seed Hot water bottle Electric heat pad Oat grain
Heat Retention Best Too hot Poor Poor Good Poor
After smell None None yes None None yes
Moist heat *yes None None None None None
Scalding No Yes No Yes Yes No
Electro magnetic field (EMF) No No No No *yes No
Washable yes No No Yes No No
Caution! None Stiff & hard to mould to body Fire hazard if over heated Leaking Over heating Can overheat and catch fire
*Electric blankets create a magnetic field that penetrates about 6-7 inches into the body. Thus it is not surprising that an epidemiological study has linked electric blankets with miscarriages and childhood leukemia...more info
* Moist heat is used primarily for old and chronic injuries. It helps to loosen and relax sore muscles, tendons and ligaments, as well as increase blood flow to bring more red blood cells to the injury to facilitate healing.

Weekend Warriors

Whether you are training for a marathon or trying to do your weekend chores around the house this weekend.
Remember to keep your muscle warm as they will injure quickly if cold and subjected to abnormal stresses, like picking up heavy objects or stretching muscles when cold.
Or dare I say not acting your age!
Even weekend warriors can get a muscle injury
Have a safe and stress free weekend

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Back Pain

Back pain

The best back pain relief microwave heating pad, relieved fast with our Sports therapy heat wrap.
Extra large size, weight and penetrating moist heat provides  pain relief and comfort for those who suffer
with  muscle spasms , shoulder pain and sore muscles that require fast natural pain management.
Sports therapy wrap for all back pain relief










Muscle spasm in the lower back can create sensations that may range from mild discomfort to excruciating lower back pain. Heat therapy can help relieve pain from the muscle spasm and related tightness in the lower back. Sports Therapy wrap can be used for hot or cold therapy for all  muscle pain.

Why use heat for pain relief..see here

Stress Relief


The sports therapy wrap can be used hot or cold and the comfort of the heating pad will ease tight muscles that can be causing the stress and  muscle spasms.

Relieve back pain & Sore Muscles

Many back pain problems result from strains and over-exertions, creating tension in the back muscles and soft tissues around the lower spine. As a result, this restricts proper circulation and sends pain signals to the brain.

For athletes or weekend warriors with sports injuries,pulled or aching muscles here is some information on the importance of keeping muscles warm before warm ups or stretches, the sports therapy wrap will help reduce the muscle injuries.

Recent studies have found that heat wrap therapy proved to be more effective
back pain relief than oral pain medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

Physiotherapy in sport

Heat packs are used in physiotherapy for sport injuries to decrease muscle spasms, which relax the muscles and allow for a deeper heat penetration into the muscle tissue. Heat therapy also allows for increased blood flow to an injured area, resulting in faster healing times and welcome muscle pain relief.

Specifications

Dimensions Here are the Dimensions: 10'' W (26 cm) 26'' L (66 cm)
Weight Sports Therapy wrap weight: 4.5lbs (2kg)
Contains natural grains Lavender, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Rosemary and Clove
Washable Surface wash cover with damp sponge
Reusable Yes
Warm Buddy Code 5010
The belt is a 2'' wide elastic belt with velcro on either end. In it's natural state it is 33.5'' long and when fully stretched it is 53'' long.

Moving this month

 Billies memories

We are on the move again, this time we are moving back to the West end of Vancouver close to where we used to be 5 years ago.
I needed to be closer to my daughter Patricia and my darling granddaughter Billie 25 months young
Billie Rose
.
So this week I have been taking photos of our area as a reminder to Billie of our walks her memories and her many "Firsts" in her life
Doggy with red bow

Stuffed white dog on porch

Doggy on pole

Grandpa and Billie walking on air

Where grandpa would let me run free like the wind

My slide

My swing

My playground where grandpa and I would run up & down the half pipe

My ship I was the captain of

My community garden

Grandpas house where I would sleep after my adventures with him

Neck and shoulder pain relief

Neck pain and stress relief shoulder wrap

 Shoulder and neck pain relief


The best shoulder pain heated neck wrap, also used for stress and tension relief.
Shoulder - neck pain & stress relief heat wrap - Warm moist penetrtaing heat.
People who suffer from a pain in the neck rely on our shoulder wrap to ease these aches and pains naturally


Shoulder - neck pain & stress relief heat wrap - Warm moist heat

 

 


The ultimate shoulder wrap! A perfect combination of moist heat,
aromatherapy and acupressure relaxes shoulder, neck and upper back muscles and shoulder pain.

Why use heat for pain relief..see here

Use for work or at home


Wear it around the house, at work if you have a crick in the neck while using the computer or driving to work, perfect to reduce stress and get those knots out of your neck, shoulder and your lower neck.

Approved medical device

This is an approved medical device to help relieve pain in the neck, pains and stress.

This all natural stress relief wrap penetrates deep into muscles to dissolve stress and soothe aches, moist heat therapy  can even help diminish tension headaches.




 

Fast stiff neck pain relief

Warm Buddy

Warm Buddy products

Warm Buddy Company creates products that promote relaxation and provide natural relief from aches, pains and stress. We have been following this philosophy since 1995, while creating our world famous aromatherapy heat wraps, heat packs, eye pillows and the original warm up plush animals.

Warm Buddy rejuvenating heat therapy products have become recognized for their superior quality and long heat holding ability. Warm Buddy heat wraps and heat packs are safe, easy to use and highly effective. Simply heat in the microwave or cool in the freezer as desired.
Warm Buddy products


All Warm Buddy heat therapy products are proudly made in Canada.

The Warm Buddy Body Wrap is world famous for its high quality plush covers, natural ingredients, aromatherpy, long lasting heat and washable covers. It has a universal design that can conform to any part of the body. Makes a great hot water bottle alternative!

An Ultra Shoulder Wrap offers the perfect combination of moist heat, aromatherapy and acupressure. It is popular with massage therapists and spa practioners to relax clients and ease aches, pains and stress.

The Anti-Stress Shoulder Wrap will help relax tense shoulders, with it's moist heat, acupressure and anti-stress blend of essential oils. The U-shaped design stays firmly in place making it a great gift for computer users, or to use on clients at the spa or salon. Available in a variety of trendy and elegant colours.

Aromatherapy Eye Pillows and Sleep Masks will enhance a variety of spa treatments such as massages, promote restful sleep and aid in relaxation exercises like meditation and yoga. Can be used hot, cold or at room temperature. Perfect for travel, soothing headaches and treating puffy eyes. Covers are available in the finest designer fabrics.

Our Sports Therapy Wrap is prefered by therapists because of its extra large size (10" X 26"), weight and penetrating moist heat. An adjustable belt helps to hold the wrap firmly in place. The perfect gift for men!

back pain relief solutions

 

Recent studies have found that heat wrap therapy proved to be more effective at treating lower back pain than oral pain medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen.


Warming Slippers and Warming Socks are perfect for relaxing tired or sore feet and enhancing pedicure treatments. They come with a removable inner heat pack that can be warmed in the microwave or cooled in the freezer.

Warm Buddy Company has a complete line of accessory products to enhance and recharge the aromatherapy of our heat wraps.

Our luxurious spa robes are used in the finest spas because they offer durability, light-weight feel and incredible softness. They can be machine washed, and are available in a variety of sizes and colour options. Custom logos are available for larger orders.

Our signature blends of pure essential oils are all you will need to keep your Warm Buddy heat wrap's aromatherapy at it's best. Anti Stress Bath Salts contain pure essential oils and a combination of Dead Sea and Epsom Salts to create the most rejuvenating and relaxing bath ever.

The Warm Buddy Company created the original warm-up plush stuffed animals. Each of our Warm Buddies comes with a removable inner pack that can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer. These inner packs contain all natural ingredients and provide natural relief from aches, pains and stress.

Warmbuddies help comfort children and adults to sleep at night. Our Warm Buddy family includes: Beary Bear, Wooly the Sheep, Puppies, Pandas, Penguins, Moosey and Froggie. The perfect gift for ages 3-100. Warm Buddy warm-up plush animals are proudly made in Canada with imported covers.

Our warm-up plush animals have been awarded the prestigious PTPA (Parent Tested Parent Approved) Seal of Approval for excellence in parenting products. Warm Buddies won the award based on exceptional "value, functionality, quality and appeal of the product." To read more about the PTPA award visit our in the news section.

The Warm Buddy Company is proud to donate a portion of sales from our Bear Mitts, Small Beary, Large Beary and Pandas to allow Bears Matter (a non-profit organization) to help bears in need around the world. For more information or to get involved please visit bearsmatter.com

We at Wildflowers Aromatherapy and Gifts are proud to have been associated with warm buddy since 2000 



















































Attack of Danger Bay 12


 Coast Longboarding presents "Danger Bay XII"

This May day weekend May 17th - 22nd
Why not take a trip to Madeira park on the Sunshine coast and take in the worlds largest Longboard race.
Here is how you get to Danger Bay 12, where to stay and a lot mor useful information

Coast Longboarding

Carnage corner

Bricin has been running this race since 2001.

 When it started there were only 10 racers, now it is capped at 300 and they come from all over the world, Australia to the UK.

 Bricin is from the sunshine coast and continues to support the local youth.
No elitism,no barriers,if you could not afford the entry fee he would find a way to pay it for you.
It is now recognized as one of the worlds greatest Longboarding events and Bricin still pays for those who have the skills but not the money to enter.
We have been proud to have been on board as a friend  and sponsor, with Bricin from day one, we are proud of his achievements and his ethical and moral standards. (Spelling is still a work in progress)

We will continue to support Coast Longboarding for years to come.
Longboarders have been using our Heat Packs to help ease all their aches and pains.
Longboard racers can get muscle aches also

One of the main reasons we have supports Bricin, apart from being family,we saw a good fit for our heat packs and heat wraps to ease longboarders aches and pains, we know first hand how much Bricin used our packs to heal his hurts. So don't suffer,try a product that is tried and tested by some of the greatest coast longboarders in the world.
As you will see from the video below there are a lot of aching bodies after these races

Here is a map on how to get to Madeira park  Pender Harbour BC.
Will post more in depth details next week on how to get to danger bay including GPS coordinates and transit details,ferry costs etc.

WA+G 


 

 

Warm up animals

Our Warm up animals are for the child in all of us ages 1 to 103
all our warm up animals have reusable inner heat packs that can also be used cold.
Our latest animal is our Large Panda
Large panda


















Still our most popular animal is our large warm up puppy
Large Puppy


















Plus we have many more Warm Buddy animals

Therapy for cancer

Cancer skin stimulation

The use of heat to stimulate the skin after cancer treatment or Chemotherapy is extremely therapeutic.
Skin stimulation using heat therapy

Skin stimulation

In this series of techniques, pressure, warmth, or cold is used on the skin, while the feeling of pain is lessened or blocked. Massage, pressure, vibration, heat, cold, and menthol preparations can also be used to stimulate the skin. These techniques also change the flow of blood to the area that is stimulated. Sometimes skin stimulation will get rid of pain or lessen pain during the stimulation and for hours after it is finished.
Skin stimulation is done either on or near the area of pain. You can also use skin stimulation on the side of the body opposite the pain. For example, you might stimulate the left knee to decrease the pain in the right knee. Stimulating the skin in areas away from the pain can be used to increase relaxation and may relieve pain.

What you should know about skin stimulation

If you are having radiation therapy, check with your doctor or nurse before using skin stimulation. You should not put ointments, salves, menthol, or liniments on the treatment area, and you should not use heat or extreme cold on treated areas. If you are getting chemotherapy, check with your doctor before using hot or cold packs.
Cold or heat: As with any of the techniques described, you should use what works best for you. Heat often relieves sore muscles. Cold lessens the feeling of pain by numbing the painful area. You can also switch back and forth between heat and cold for added relief in some cases.
For cold, try our body wrap. You can get them here. They can be used again and stored in the freezer.
Precautions: If you start to shiver when using cold, stop right away. Do not use cold so intense or for so long that the cold itself causes more pain.
Avoid cold over any area where you are getting radiation treatments and for 6 months after it has ended.
If you are getting chemotherapy, check with your doctor before using a cold pack.
Do not use cold over any area where your circulation or sensation is poor.
Do not apply cold for more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
To use heat for pain relief, a heating pad with a moisture option is handy. You can also try gel packs heated in hot water; hot water bottles; a hot, moist towel; a regular heating pad; a hot bath or shower; or a hot tub to apply heat. You might want to try one of the heat patches you can buy at the drugstore. For aching joints, such as elbows and knees, wrap the joint in a lightweight plastic wrap (tape the plastic to itself). This retains body heat and moisture.
Precautions: Do not use a heating pad on bare skin. Do not fall asleep with the heating pad turned on. Be very careful if you are taking medicines that make you sleepy or if you do not have much feeling in the area.
Do not use heat over a new injury because heat can increase bleeding — wait at least 24 hours.
Avoid heat over any area where you are getting radiation treatments and for 6 months after treatment has ended.
Do not use heat over any area where your circulation or sensation is poor.
Do not apply heat for more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
These heat packs will last you for many comforting years.
WA+G
Check out our short video on cancer skin stimulation

Giant Pandas have arrived at Toronto Zoo

Giant Pandas have arrived

Toronto zoo now have 2 new pandas.

THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER…THE GIANT PANDAS ARE HERE, THEIR EXHIBIT OPENS MAY 18, 2013!

 


These are cute and cuddly
The Toronto Zoo is very pleased to report that giant pandas Er Shun and Da Mao are now resting comfortably after having been successfully moved into their new habitat.
The off load into their new exhibit went smoothly and we want to thank FedEx Express for the exceptional attention to detail during all points of the transport, both in the air and on the ground.
FedEx’s expertise in moving precious cargo was clearly demonstrated to everyone at the Toronto Zoo.
Both giant pandas traveled well, with Er Shun being a little nervous, but both are now resting and curious about their new surroundings.
They ate almost 200 kgs of apples and 200 kgs of bamboo during their flight.
On Friday, March 22, 2013, FedEx delivered a shipment of bamboo from the Memphis Zoo and almost immediately after being unloaded, both pandas were heartily enjoying bamboo. The Toronto Zoo will continue to receive regular shipments of bamboo from Memphis which will be transported by FedEx as part of their ongoing commitment to the giant pandas.
Er Shun and Da Mao have not met each other yet as they are being kept in separate areas during the minimum 30 day quarantine period.
They will remain separated until the Chinese Giant Panda Experts and the Toronto Zoo Keepers determine the most appropriate time for them to meet face-to-face.
Although they have not been formally introduced to each other in the same room, they can see and smell each other from across the hallway of their respective holding areas.
You won’t have to wait 30 days for our pandas they are available immediately, here is a link to our ordering page

Back pain relief

Heating pads for back pain

The benefits of using heat for pain relief


Using Heat for Pain Problems

When and how to apply heat for therapy … and when not to!

Published 2007, updated 2010
by Paul Ingraham, Vancouver, Canada
Not sure when to use ice or heat? Start with this super-short overview:
The Great Ice vs. Heat Confusion Debacle.
Please note that you should rarely (almost never) ice low back pain.
Therapeutic heating — “thermotherapy” for therapy geeks — is more useful than most people realize, because painful muscle problems are more common than most people realize. Pain caused by muscle spasm and muscular trigger points (muscle knots) is common and often severe, yet routinely mistaken for other kinds of problems. Consequently, one of the cheapest and best treatments — heat! — is routinely neglected.
Mustard plasters were widely used and probably brought about relaxation of muscle spasm through the heat generated by the plaster. Sometimes folk medicine is more sensible than ‘modern’ medicine. In any case, I suspect that the low-key, nonthreatening approach to back problems characterized by an earlier time helped to prevent the kind of long-term, disastrous courses that exist today.
John Sarno, Mind Over Back Pain: A radically new approach to the diagnosis and treatment of back pain
Everyone should understand heating the same way everyone knows how to put on a band aid. It is a cheap, drugless way of helping an amazing array of pain problems related to muscle dysfunction, especially neck and back pain. Heat will not single-handedly “cure” such problems, but it is directly therapeutic, as opposed to “just” relieving symptoms.

What heat is for

Heat is primarily for muscle pain, and for stress relief. Warm Buddy heat packs and heat wraps offer a warm moist penetrating heat, that penetrate the muscle tissue and relieve aches and pains fast  and without the need of any over the counter pain medication.
The trick is knowing what muscle pain is. Muscle causes much more pain than most people are aware of. Some kinds of muscle pain are obvious enough — like the pain you get after the first ski trip of the season, or charlie horses in the night — but these are relatively isolated and obvious examples. Also, heat isn’t especially useful for them. Charlie horses are pretty fast, and for most people a rare problem, thankfully. And that post-exercise muscle soreness is virtually immune to any kind of therapy.
But muscle knots …
When you say that you have “knots in your muscles,” you are actually talking about trigger points. A trigger point is a small patch of contracted, stagnant, swampy muscle tissue. Instead of the whole muscle being in spasm, just a little piece of it is in spasm.
If you’d like to detour and learn much more about trigger points, see
Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A guide to the science of muscle pain, with reviews of every possible self-treatment and therapy option, even for the most difficult cases.
Trigger points are likely to be the most common cause of undiagnosed and unexplained aches and pains, especially stubborn or recurrent headaches, neck cricks and backaches. It is a much more common cause of pain than the more widely reported repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), nerve pain, or herniated disks. Trigger points also complicate essentially all other injuries: they usually appear in response to other kinds of pain and dysfunction, and then often begin to overshadow the original problem.
And heat is a good therapy for trigger points.

What heat is not for

Never apply heat to a fresh injury! Really. Just don’t do it! That’s what icing is for. Ice is for injuries.
And what’s a “fresh” injury? Any time tissue has been physically damaged, it will be inflamed for a few days, give or take, depending on the seriousness of the injury. If superficial tissue is sensitive to touch, if the skin is hot and red, if there is swelling, these are all signs that your injury is still fresh, and should not be heated.
Here’s an example of what can happen when you heat an inflamed injury: When I was still in school, and my father had not yet learned to call me before asking a doctor about his aches and pains, he went to a drop-in clinic following a traumatic knee injury. The physician on duty prescribed heat! This is shockingly wrong, but the results spoke loud and clear: his knee swelled dramatically, outrageously, causing severe pain and immobility.
Bear in mind that heating is for muscle knots or trigger points and muscle spasm, but not for physically injured muscle — muscle strains, pulled muscles, torn muscles. Damaged muscle is usually inflamed, not in spasm, and trigger points are a minor factor in the aftermath of the injury. It’s usually obvious that you’ve torn muscle because there is always a very clear, nasty “oh shit” moment of trauma, where you know — instantly — that something has gone quite wrong.
However, you may be understandably confused about the difference between spasms, knots, tears, etc., especially if you have back pain, where it can and does sometimes get all mixed together. People routinely believe that their backs and necks are injured when in fact they are just suffering from trigger points. I have other articles devoted to clearing up this confusion.
If you think you have a muscle strain, but you’re not sure, a great article for helping you sort it out is Save Yourself from Muscle Strain!
If back pain is your issue and your not sure what’s causing it, get thee to Save Yourself from Low Back Pain!
Sports Therapy wrap
And the article (Almost) Never Use Ice on Low Back Pain! is specifically devoted to helping people understand why heating back pain is almost always better than icing it.

How heat works

It’s not scientifically clear exactly why heat is such a treat. However, a good guess is that there are several minor positive effects that add up to … therapy. Most of these effects are also beneficial in other ways. Not incredibly beneficial, and not even notably different from icing: for instance, a 2010 study showed quite clearly that both ice packs and hot packs were beneficial for neck and back pain, and about equally so.1 But a small therapeutic effect is still valuable even if it’s small, and there are probably situations where it works even better — after all, these were people with acute pain bad enough that they went to the hospital. They may have been a bit beyond the help of a hot pack!
Trigger points are known to be aggravated by stress (“fight or flight” hormones and neurology). As long as we aren’t overheated to begin with, being warm is a pleasant and comforting sensation. Our comfort zone is a warm place. Heat almost always relaxes you overall.

Warm Buddy heat pads the best for all back pain and muscle pain relief. Offer warm moist penetrating heat.
Body wrap
Overall relaxation usually reduces resting muscle tone. You can have “tight” muscles without actually being in spasm. There are many degrees of increasing muscle tone between relaxed and “spasm.” A true muscle spasm is very strong and painful, like a charlie horse. But many people live in a state of near spasm — their muscles always clenched and exhausted. This state is both uncomfortable in itself, causing the same kind of muscle discomfort that you have when you are exhausted from exercise … but without the endorphins. And of course it also aggravates trigger points. So any reduction in muscle tone is quite helpful. And the reduction in stress hormones makes it a more therapeutic (lasting) effect, as opposed to just momentary symptom relief.
Our comfort zone is a warm place. Heat almost always relaxes you overall.
Although scientists don’t really understand the physiology of why trigger points come and go, they have certainly identified why they hurt — the stagnant, swampy tissue fluids inside a trigger point are a disgusting bath for nerve endings. Heat facilitates circulation somewhat, helping to wash away metabolic waste products, and bring fresh oxygen and nutrients to the area. No one knows how strong this effect is.
As with everything about trigger points, there are many (many) variables, and consequently it is very hard to study, and everyone gets different results. But heat seems to have enough relevant benefits that many people get at least temporary, partial relief from trigger point pain by heating. And some people find it downright curative.
 

Cancer – skin stimulation:

Skin stimulation

In this series of techniques, pressure, warmth, or cold is used on the skin, while the feeling of pain is lessened or blocked. Massage, pressure, vibration, heat, cold, and menthol preparations can also be used to stimulate the skin. These techniques also change the flow of blood to the area that is stimulated. Sometimes skin stimulation will get rid of pain or lessen pain during the stimulation and for hours after it is finished.
Skin stimulation is done either on or near the area of pain. You can also use skin stimulation on the side of the body opposite the pain. For example, you might stimulate the left knee to decrease the pain in the right knee. Stimulating the skin in areas away from the pain can be used to increase relaxation and may relieve pain.
We have many customers who have gone through chemotherapy and have found our heat packs to be of great relief for their after pain, all our heat packs can be used hot or cold depending on the type of therapy required.

Warm Buddy make the best heat packs for relieving pain and stress

Warm Buddy Company creates products that promote relaxation and provide natural relief from aches, pains and stress. We have been following this philosophy since 1995, while creating our world famous aromatherapy heat wraps, heat packs, eye pillows and the original warm up plush animals.
Warm Buddy rejuvenating heat therapy products have become recognized for their superior quality and long heat holding ability. Warm Buddy heat wraps and heat packs are safe, easy to use and highly effective. Simply heat in the microwave or cool in the freezer as desired.
All Warm Buddy heat therapy products are Approved medical devices by Health Canada for the relief of aches pains and stress.
All Warm Buddy heat therapy products are proudly made in Canada.

Heat and Pain Relief


We instinctively know that heat is good for pain relief, but do we know why?
Scientists have found a molecular basis for the long-standing theory that heat, such as that from a hot-water bottle applied to the skin, provides relief from internal pains, such as stomach aches, for up to an hour.
Dr Brian King, leader of the team that carried out the research at the UCL Department of Physiology, said: “The heat doesn’t just provide comfort and have a placebo effect – it actually deactivates the pain at a molecular level in much the same way as pharmaceutical painkillers work. We have discovered how this molecular process works.”
The team found that when heat is applied to the skin near to where internal pain is felt, it switches on heat receptors located at the site of injury. These heat receptors in turn block the effect of chemical messengers that cause pain to be detected by the body.
How does heat help?
  • By increasing tissue elasticity, heat reduces your resting muscle tension and helps to relax those nasty painful knots.
  • Your pain is quickly eased via the sedation and soothing of any pain-irritated nerve endings.
  • The deep heating effect increases your blood flow to the painful area, bringing more nutrients to the injured area while flushing out the injured debris. This helps to quicken your healing rate.
  • The deep heat also promotes a speedier healing rate by stimulating your natural metabolic rate. In other words, there is more energy available to fix the injury quicker.
WA+G
Check out this video on heating pads for back pain