Heat Therapy

How Does Heat Actually Help You?

Heat has always felt good to me but little did I know there were actual benefits to it other than bringing comfort. 

Applying heat to your joints and muscles causes the stimulation of your sensory receptors to block the pain signals to the brain. This is great news for chronic pain sufferers. Here's what the heat actually accomplishes:

• Increases tissue elasticity. This means it reduces your resting muscle tension thereby relaxing knots. 
• Deep heat increases the blood flow to the painful area by dilating the vessels, increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the area along with carrying nutrients and proteins.The result? You heal more quickly. 
• Heat speeds up your natural metabolic rate, meaning there is more energy available to correct the injury faster.
• For those suffering with chronic pain such as fibromyalgia or arthritis, heat can stimulate specialized pain receptors in your skin. This decreases the frequency of pain messages sent to the brain. The sensation of heat competes with the pain signals and the brain cannot completely concentrate on one signal at a time. It's called the "Gate Theory." Non-painful input closes the "gate" on painful input which prevents pain from traveling to the nervous system. This is similar to how a TENS unit works. The brain can only handle so much input.
• It helps relax and loosen the tissue surrounding the sore area. The ligaments and tendons become more able to move and stretch, reducing further chance of injury.  
• Stress relief. Sometimes we have tight muscles that are just chronically that way. There are varying degrees of tightness, from just simply feeling tight or clenched, all the way to the charlie-horse. Having a nice warm heat bag with some lavender scent or other scent you find relaxing can help reduce stress. 
• Synergy. All these actions work together to provide comforting relief of aches and pains, promote healing and causing reduction or inhibition of pain.

Physical therapists and physicians say that the first 15 minutes during which heat is applied to the affected area is the most beneficial. Unlike cold therapy, the application of heat isn't restricted to the first 48 hours after injury since a new injury causes .{However, follow your doctor's order to apply ice for the first 48 hours or so after the injury or alternate heat and ice!} Heat can be used any time for acute or chronic pain. (Of if you just want to get warmed up or have cold feet in bed!)

If you experience stiffness or pain that feels better with heat, take a warm bath or shower. Alternatively, a microwave heat pack could be an investment you'll appreciate for years. Let's face it, you can't live your life in the bathtub. Heating pads are nice but you're stuck by a plug. And you're exposing yourself to large amounts of EMF (electromagnetic fields) (the same kind caused by power lines) which heating pads, being right next to your skin, are pumping deep into your organs. A heat pack is portable and can be taken anywhere there's a microwave. It's a non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical form of pain relief.