Wheat bags

Wheat bags are great pain soothers but can be dangerous if overheated!

Big wheat bag - 60 x 18 cm

Heat for up to 3 minutes in the microwave oven, depending on its wattage. For instance, in a 700W microwave oven, heat the wheat bag for 2 minutes. When heating, always put a small glass with water next to the bag in order to  prevent the wheat from drying out.

Medium wheat bag - 45 x 15 cm

Heat for up to 2 minutes in the microwave oven, depending on its wattage. For instance, in a 700W microwave oven, heat the wheat bag for 1.5 minutes. When heating, always put a small glass with water next to the bag in order to  prevent the wheat from drying out.

Wheat bags are great pain soothers but can be dangerous if overheated!

Big wheat bag - 60 x 18 cm

The wheat bag can be heated in an electric conventional oven too. You have to take extreme care because the conventional oven doesn't automatically turn off as a microwave oven. Place the wheat bag in a cooking dish with lid or wrap it in an aluminium foil, put it in the middle of the oven and heat it at 140 degrees Celsius (or 120 degrees Celsius for a fan forced oven) for 12 to 15 minutes. Permanently supervise the oven and recommend you to keep checking the wheat bag and maybe rearrange it to ensure it heats up uniformly.

Medium wheat bag - 45 x 15 cm

The wheat bag can be heated in an electric conventional oven too. You have to take extreme care because the conventional oven doesn't automatically turn off as a microwave oven. Place the wheat bag in a cooking dish with lid or wrap it in an aluminium foil, put it in the middle of the oven and heat it at 140 degrees Celsius (or 120 degrees Celsius for a fan forced oven) for 8 to 10 minutes. Permanently supervise the oven and I recommend you to keep checking the wheat bag and maybe rearrange it to ensure it heats up uniformly. 

Yes! When using as an ice pack, place the wheat bag in a plastic bag before placing in the freezer. 

You only heat it for up to 3 minutes in the microwave oven or freeze it in the freezer and it is ready to be used on your neck, shoulders, back or any other sore part of your body. 

• soothes your aches, pains and sore muscle

• relaxes your tensed neck and shoulders

• gives relief for strains and sprains.

The wheat bag can be used hot or cold depending on the type of your pain. As a general rule, when you have an acute pain due to a sport injury you have to apply cold packs, especially if swelling and inflammation are present. When you have chronic pains due to stiff muscles you apply hot packs.

Read more about heat therapy and cold therapy below. 

• Clever design: Green satiN therapeutic wheat bags are segmented in three sections to allow for even distribution of wheat.

• Natural and beautiful: They are made of 100% cotton and good quality wheat. They come in great colours that can satisfy any taste.

• Large: The standard dimensions of my wheat bags are 60x18cm, larger than many others on the market, allowing for a good coverage of your shoulders and neck, but also along your spine.

The use of a wheat bag as heat therapy is:

• inexpensive - initial investment in a hot pack is low and if you do take care of it by placing a glass with water in the microwave oven or by making sure you don't overheat it, you can have it for a long time (even years)

• easy: home or away, you only need a microwave oven or a conventional oven

• natural: no need to use painkillers sometimes. One study shows that continuous low-level heat wrap therapy was superior to both acetaminophen and ibuprofen for treating low back pain

• quick: the first 15 minutes of heat application are the most beneficial

• comfortable: wheat bags mould to any area of your body

• effective: wheat has great insulation qualities due to its cellular structure, meaning it can absorb and then distribute heat or cold gradually.

Thermotherapy is the application of a type of heat generating method to your body for relief or health maintenance. This makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, but it also provides pain relief and heals muscle injuries as the production of stress hormones gets regulated and the cell metabolism gets stimulated.   t

The heat therapy is one of the most effective methods for treating different pains and aches you feel in your body, plus sore, tight and stiff muscles and joints.

Heat therapy can replace or complement a wide variety of health related issues you seek OTC drugs for, such as: bursitis, myalgia, arthritis, tendinitis, neck and back pain, fibromyalgia, contractures, sore and tight muscles, muscle spasms and stiffness, menstrual cramps, rheumatoid arthritis, headaches, migraines, sports injuries (after ice therapy is no longer helpful), skin infection (supports immune system response by reducing pathogen number). 

There are situations for which heat treatment should not be used:

• bleeding disorders

• circulation problems

• no sensation in affected area

• immediately following an acute injury

• suffer from heart, lung, kidney disease

• during process of increasing inflammation

• pregnancy (ask your doctor or midwife).

Pain relief - Thermotherapy works by increasing the temperature of the skin which causes vasodilation. This allows for more blood flow, bringing essential oxygen and nutrients to the tissues faster.  

Heat acts as a pain reliever by successfully stimulating the specialized pain receptors within your skin. Also, heat treatment can stimulate sensory receptors to relieve pain by reducing the transmission of pain signals to your brain.

Muscle relaxant - Heat also functions as a muscle relaxant. Thermotherapy facilitates the stretching of soft tissues, thus alleviating stiffness and enhancing flexibility.

Heat therapy also helps when it comes to relaxing and loosening the tissue surrounding the area being treated.  The ligaments, tendons and muscles can then move more easily which further reduces the chances of injury. 

This is why it is recommended to use a wheat bag to relieve stiffness and improve flexibility in arthritic cases or just before exercising.

When heat is applied after an exercise session it can help prevent pain and future discomfort. 

No. The first documented use of heat treatment dates back to 400 BC with Hippocrates. In 500 BC, the Greek physician Parmenides believed that if he could create fever, he could cure all illness.

Heat has always been used in various forms for therapy: sunlight, heated sand, cereals and water were initially used as an effective means of therapy for ailments and pain. 

The cold therapy is a method of treatment for injuries which involves cooling the injured tissues. 

The cold therapy can reduce swelling and decrease tissue damage, blood clot formation, inflammation, muscle spasms and pain. It also enhances the flow of nutrients, aids the removal of metabolites (waste products), increases strength and promotes healing.  Usually the application of an ice pack or a cold wheat bag after an injury can help you a lot. You can also use frozen peas, cold gels and sprays, ice water immersion and ice massage. 

• Ice - Apply ice for up to 10 minutes as soon after the injury as possible to reduce swelling. Repeat every 2 hours during the first 2 days. Keep the ice on no longer than 10 minutes as the body then reacts by increasing blood flow to warm the area and therefore exacerbating the swelling. Do not apply ice directly to the skin - use a wet flannel or even better use a cold wheat bag, just taken out of the freezer.

• Compression - After ice, apply a compression bandage to help minimise the swelling to the tissues.

• Elevation - Elevate the injured part to help limit blood flow and prevent use of muscles to injured part.

• Rest -  Avoid moving the injured part as much as possible to allow the healing of damaged tissues.

This cold application is repeated regularly throughout the first 48 to 72 hours of an injury. After this time, alternating between hot and cold, or using hot only is recommended. 

• When you are sensitive to ice - you will feel pain.

• In the chest region as in some instances this may cause a reaction in the muscles, bringing about angina pain, possibly from the constriction of coronary arteries.

• Always check skin sensitivity before applying ice - if you cannot feel touch before applying ice it may indicate other problems such as nerve impingement.

• When you have high blood pressure as vasoconstriction will increase the pressure within the vessels.

• easy to use: just keep it in the freezer all the time to have it ready

• comfortable: it moulds to your body

• natural and safe: made of wheat and cotton fabric

• cheap comparing to other devices

• versatile: you can heat it and apply it warm after the first days of injury