Friday, 24 July 2009

• Soothe Your Aches & Pains...with RICE! (The Food)

  
  

  Here's a picture of them I found on the internet. They look better than my dingy 4 years old sock!

  You’re probably thinking “how is rice going to help with aches & pains?!” Easy…put it in a sock! I was introduced to this in by a teacher while taking Massage Therapy courses in college. I don’t know who came up with it first, nor did I invent it, I’m just sharing this wonderful thing. I’ve been using the SAME sock for 4 years so it saves money, plus making it wont cost you anything except 2 minutes of your time. Here’s why it’s good to use:

  -It’s reusable. You can heat up the sock continuously & it wont bust like a gel pack. I do this a lot during my menstrual period because I get cramps in my stomach, back, legs & I need relief all over. Motrin sometimes just wont cut it.

  -No more spending money. I haven’t brought a heating pad in years or those heat packs they made to put in your underwear to ease cramps. They were overpriced anyway & didn't last long enough. That 8 hour claim was a crock.

  -It’s safer. It comes out the microwave piping hot but it’ll cool off on its own, so it’s safe to doze off & sleep (providing you use a good cover to prevent a burn). You cant do that with a heating pad. A lot of people suffer from burns from leaving a pad on too long.
  

  -No smell or chemical burns! I hate when I use a cream or gel that gives off heat to soothe cramps or sore muscles but you had to take a shower later unless you want that to be your new perfume. And sometimes a cream’s ingredient concentration may be too strong & you end up with rashes or burns.

  -Portable & flexible. It’ll mold around your ankle & stay there & since there’s no cords, you wont trip or take up an outlet.

  -Durability. I made my first & only rice sock 4 years ago & I’ve been using it ever since.
  

  -Quick to heat up. It’ll be hot & ready for use in 2 minutes or less in a microwave. Heating pads take a good 10-15 to reach it’s peak.

  Here’s how you make it. All you need are 2 things:

  -A long cotton sock, the kind that goes up to the calf. Stick to 100% cotton. Since you’ll be heating it up, you don’t want to nuke something that may burn or explode in the microwave. If you have miss mates this is a good way to use it!

  -UNCOOKED Rice (do I really need to say why?). Any rice will do. Although if you have expensive rice you eat in the house, go to the 99 cents or dollar store & get some cheap rice. I used Uncle Ben’s & my mom went nuts because I used good rice. LOL

  Fill up the sock but don’t overflow it. Leave enough of the sock empty so you can tie, sew or knot it off. I knotted mine so I can have a handle to pick it up with because it will be really hot coming out the microwave.
  

  Everyone’s microwave is different but I usually heat mine up for 1-2 minutes. After you take it out, use a hand towel or dishrag to cover it & place it on the area that needs heat. Some people may or may not need to do this but for liability reasons I’m putting this in. I usually just put it on top of my t-shirt for my cramps then when it cools a bit so I can put it directly on my skin, I move it around.
  

  And just so it wont sit idle if you don’t need it for pains, I found some other great uses for it:

  -Paperweight

  -Bed warmer (it’s bad enough when it’s cold outside. I HATE getting in a cold bed too at night

  -Shoe warmer

  -Lotion heater (wrap the hot sock around you lotion bottle & wait a few minutes. Don’t scoff, have you seen how much an electric lotion warmer costs?!)

  Have you ever heard of a rice sock? Do you use one?

   

  • 11:21 AM
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