Review *AcuLife Therapod*

I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive a free AcuLife Therapod for the purpose of using it and subsequently completing a review about it. Although I received this product for free, that does not influence my review and opinions of the product in any way.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let me tell you about the Therapod, which is a 2-in-1 moist heat and cold therapy product. Yes, if you sprain your ankle, you can put cold therapy on it to keep the swelling and inflammation down, and if you have a pulled muscle, you can use this same product for heat therapy. It's basically an ice pack and a heating pad put together!

Here's how it works.
If you need heat therapy, when you would normally go grab your corded heating pad, you simply remove the gel pack from the Therapod. Then you place the Therapod in a microwave safe dish, and put it in the microwave for about a minute and a half. You'll want to let it sit for a minute after heating it up, because it can be too hot.

If you need cold therapy, rather than grabbing a bulky and uncomfortable ice pack, grab the Therapod. You insert the gel pack in the Therapod and put it in the freezer for three or more hours. Then, you've got yourself an ice pack.

What makes this item so great, in my opinion, is it is hands-free. It has an adjustable strap which holds it in place wherever you need it. You're not limited to how far the cord will reach on your heating pad, and you're not stuck holding a bulky ice pack to an injured area. If you have stiff and sore muscles, the strap holds the Therapod in place while you continue to freely function.

Maybe I'm the only one who has ever had this problem, but I once had serious back pain and spent a LOT of time lying on a heating pad (because that was the only way to keep the heating pad pressed against my back). Well, of course, I didn't stay completely still. I would move, turn, fidget, re-adjust my body, etc. This caused the heating pad to end up ruined. It got all squished up and out-of-shape, and I ended up having to throw it away, because I was afraid I had messed up the wires in it. The Therapod moves with your body - you aren't moving against it.

After being on an extended holiday break from work, I ended up with a very severely sore muscle under my shoulder blade when I returned to work. It was from being hunched over a desk for several hours, to which my body had become unaccustomed. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the pain in this muscle was actually causing me to be nauseated. I came home, followed the directions for heating the Therapod in the microwave, and strapped it over my shoulder so it would cover the extremely sore muscle. Not only did it provide much needed heat therapy, it was so much better than a heating pad, because I was able to receive that heat while I performed my normal evening chores. I wasn't stuck lying on the couch on the heating pad as I normally would be. AND, the major bonus was that even though I was still moving around and completing tasks, after using the Therapod, the pain in that muscle subsided. True story!

Another thing that is awesome about this product is you can comfortably use it for headaches and migraines, to which I am, unfortunately, victim. When I have a migraine, having a hard ice pack or bag of ice lying on my head just makes me feel more uncomfortable, and cold washcloths do not stay cold for more than a few minutes. The Therapod has a gel pack for cold therapy, and when you place it on your forehead, it comfortably covers your eyes and forehead from temple to temple, and it lasts a lot longer than a few minutes.

The only cons I have about this product are:
You are only supposed to use this product for around 20 minutes. Sometimes, I need longer treatment.
While the adjustable strap is a dream, because it makes the product hands-free, it would be awesome if the product were a bit larger to cover more area.

A few warnings about the Therapod:
Excess weight on the gel pack may cause it to rupture or leak.
Do not sit on or sleep with the product.
Do NOT use the Therapod if you have diabetes, circulatory problems, or sensitive skin.
Do NOT use the Therapod as a hot pack for the eyes.

Let me tell ya - since I have Fibromyalgia, and Hubs does physical labor for a living in addition to farming, the Therapod will get a LOT of use in our household. If you want to find out more about how the AcuLife Therapod treats all stages of the healing process, you can visit Health Enterprises, or simply click on the image at the top of this post.

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