Heating and Cooling Pads

[faceinthecrowd]

I use a washcloth soaked in hot water and let it sit on my groin. It seemed to work at first, but unfortunately, even when more urine does come out, now the sensation still doesn't go away. Yarggg... prostatitis is a real kick in stones, ain't it?

[Mike]

Try a cool gel pack to sit on I used that when mine was bad don't need it these days though, it did help when things where bad. The ones athletes use. If thats a bad idea please say anybody didn't seem to hurt me but I'm not a doctor so ... Hospitals (Well UK ones) have good gel packs that can be heated (microwave) and cooled (fridge or ice) can't seem to find them in the shops maybe if someone knows a link for anyone wanting to do this they could post it? I just asked a doc or nurse for them.

[webslave]

Make Your Own Heating / Cooling Pads
(These work a treat for me. Good for warming up cold feet in a cold bed too. The text below is by a woman, you can probably tell )

Sometimes called "bed buddies" or "stress busters", these nifty little pads can be tossed in the microwave and used as heating pads for sore, aching or tense muscles, or tossed in the freezer and used as cooling pads!

The Insides
You can fill the pad with dry rice, corn, bird seed, millet or a combination of all of these.

Add spices, herbs and/or essential oils - when heated the pad will smell wonderful. A combination of allspice, ground cloves, ginger and nutmeg makes a nice Christmas smell. The combination of herbs below are purported to soothe a headache:

Dried lavender, Marjoram, Betony, Rose petals, Cloves, Rosemary

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add a few drops of essential oil if desired. Cover and leave for a day or two, stirring occasionally to distribute the herbs.

The Outsides

Quicky pads can be made by using an old tube sock and sewing up the ends.

Other materials:

An old towel or washcloth
Flannel (cut up an old flannel shirt or nightgown if you have one)
Muslin

Simply cut the material into retangle pieces, 2-3 times longer than the width. Fold lengthwise and sew up the sides. Spoon in the mixture and sew the top end closed.

If you'll be giving these as gifts, you might want to go one extra step and make an outer pouch that's pretty, and washable. An outer pouch also helps protect the skin from excess heat or cold. Follow the same basic instructions as above, but make the outer pouch just a little larger than the inner. On one end you might want to include a strip of velcro to close the pouch and hold the inner pad in place.

Added embellishments might include a loop of material or ribbon on both ends to use as a handle, a strip of satin ribbon folded over the edges for trim, or a embroidered design. Just remember, whatever decoration you use should be soft, not scratchy or hard.

To Use

Simply pop the pad in the microwave and nuke for 2-3 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of your pad). To use as a cooling pad, place in the refrigerator or freezer.

Caution!

One of our readers wrote in with a cautionary note about heating pads catching fire from smoldering on the inside. This may occur when the water content of the filling is dried out and burned from many re-heatings. One possible solution is to place a cup of water in the microwave when heating the pads, to keep the interior moist. Another solution would simply be to replace the filling after so many heatings.

Update

The best filling is flax seed.

Why Flax Seed?

Flax seeds are great for retaining heat or cold. Flax-filled heated pillows provide a gentle, moist heat, which promotes healing, while their therapeutic weight is gentle and conforms to the body.

Flax seeds are flower seeds rather than grain (such as rice). They contain 30-40% oil, which remains inside the seed to be warmed again and again. Most grain products loose their ability to retain heat as the water cooks out of them over time.

When heated, flax seed pillows retain half their heat after an hour. Under the covers, the pillow will still be warm hours later.

Flax seed pillows may also be chilled for a calming and soothing cold pack. Use to cool a sunburn, fever, hot flashes or inflammation, or place on the neck or wrists to cool down on a hot day.

[Mike]

you might want to go one extra step and make an outer pouch that's pretty, and washable.

You can buy this type I've got one of these also, prefer the gel though myself softer for sitting on IMO. I prefer cold though not hot.