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Heat Doesn’t Just Keep You Warm,
It Provides Health Benefits Too!

When you think of heat you might think of the cozy feeling you experience underneath blankets, but what about the effect of heat on your body’s health? What kind of difference can heat make for those of us with diabetes experiencing poor blood flow?  What about those of us undergoing chemotherapy treatments?  What about those of us experiencing daily stress? Many flexible heating elements may aid in tissue function, help release cell toxins, increase blood flow and help enhance the effectiveness of disease treatments.

It is already common practice to use heat for pain relief in patients with arthritis and other muscle and joint problems. Products, such as medical heated chairs and blanket warmers, are becoming common therapy tools in hospitals, treatment centers, physical therapy offices and more. They work well to compliment many existing treatments that require patients to sit still for prolonged periods of time or treatments that require medication via intravenous (I.V.) fluids.

Today doctors have been recommending the use of heat treatment to achieve a variety of goals including increasing blood flow and releasing cell toxins. This treatment also aids in tissue function, helping your body recover from day-to-day and extraneous stresses. Heat therapies are also used to promote relaxation and relieve pain so often electric blanket warmer bags are used to heat blankets for use in recovery rooms to keep patients warm after surgery.

Because heat works to increase blood flow and oxygen supply to cells, there is exciting new research being done to take a closer look at its effects. In fact early research has suggested the use of heat during treatments such as radiation, dialysis or chemotherapy may actually help increase the effectiveness of the treatments.

The benefits of heat for diabetics are also plentiful. Because blood flow is a chronic issue, particularly in extremities, medical-grade blanket warmers can be used to heat up patient blankets which when used can vasodilate, or open veins, allowing blood better flow.

Cancer patients are often subjected to uncomfortable chemotherapy treatments and because medical-grade heated chairs aid blood flow, some research suggests treatment may be aided. In addition, heat’s calming effect offers some pain relief during these long treatments.  Also, the I.V. fluid that is being injected is often at room temperature 68°-70°F compared to a typical normal body temperature of 98.3°F keeping patients warm and comfortable.

Imagine what this simple treatment can do for stress! The consumer market is saturated with heated products from in-home heated blankets, to heated vehicle seats and more. Quality products in this market can offer similar pain relief and allow sore muscles to unwind. Consumers seeking ways to improve their health and feel better can turn first to heat therapy instead of the medicine counter.

 

About Check Healthcare

Check Healthcare is a division of Check Corporation, a privately held company founded in 1993 that designs, manufactures and markets flexible heating elements for a variety of applications. Check Healthcare produces flexible heating elements for medical use including heat and massage. To learn more about how innovative heat therapies are impacting patient care visit:  http://www.checkhealthcare.com/Patient-Information. For more information about Check Healthcare visit: http://www.checkhealthcare.com/