I'm on the Medical Merry-Go-Round

[Lisa Guliani]

Hi to Everybody from Cherokee Land....
An update for you since the move from PA. :

Yesterday, we went to see a medicine woman/herbalist lady, who's good friends with Guardian.
We told her all the symptoms and my diagnoses and she wants to try some tinctures on me.
She used a combination of very pure essential oils on my feet yesterday and we watched my feet turn color. The feet are still hurting pretty bad.
She also made a mixture of cayenne and ginger and sprinkled it inside a pair of socks. I wore the socks for several hours and finally had to take them off because my feet were burning so bad, they felt like they were on fire. The burning got so bad, I couldn't tolerate keeping the socks on, so I finally removed them. My feet were very red and burning hot. The burning persisted through the night, even though my feet were bare. I couldn't keep them under the blanket last night because the blanket intensified the burning. I tolerated the socks as long as I could, but my feet felt like they were literally on fire. I just put the socks on again, and am hoping this is helping. It feels bad, is all I can say. Guardian says it may be helping me, so I'm willing to try it, but I wanted to mention it to you, because all this stuff is new to me. I guess this herbalist lady is a shaman.

My feet are still burning this morning, but to a lesser degree. I put the socks back on, since I'm supposed to do this, but I'm not looking forward to experiencing the same thing as yesterday. We'll see. I hope it's helping.

She also had me drink this tincture she made with cayenne and I think ginger was in that too, and I had to chase it with rice milk because of the cayenne.
That wasn't bad, as spicy stuff doesn't bother me.
I'm supposed to drink that tincture twice a day.

She also suggests I drink this super tonic stuff that Guardian has used in the past. In fact, she swears by it. It was made by a Cherokee woman and it looks like diluted poop. It smells strongly of vinegar and there's alot of apple cider vinegar in it, along with 6 or 7 other ingredients, including habanero peppers. I could smell it before I even drank it. This stuff is NASTY business!! I drank some and had to chase it three times with the rice milk, it is so damn hot. I can still taste it in my mouth and for a while, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep it down. It's GROSS. But, Guardian says she drank this stuff for three months and it kills everything: fungus, bacteria, mold, whatever.
I'll be happy if it doesn't eat through the lining of my stomach. She says it eats through plastic cups.
So I drank it - and I hope I did the right thing, but I'm trying the things being suggested to me.

Not looking forward to having to do it again, though. And I had reservations about drinking even a little bit of rice milk, but water doesn't put out the fire in my mouth, so it had to be some kind of milk. I do not tolerate drinking regular cow's milk and can't stand it. so she suggested the rice milk. I only drank a little bit of it, just to try and kill the fire and awful awful taste of that stuff.

Most of the stuff I brought here is now in storage, so we're going to go through there again tomorrow and dig out the blanket and the bin with all the supplements.
I've had to do some walking here, which is difficult, as my feet hurt when I bear weight on them and it's really painful to wear shoes and socks for any length of time due to the contact sensitivity.

Yes, I have been going to bed at night around 11 or so, just like Guardian, and trying to get my sleep cycle back to normal. The pain in my hip/pelvis/groin has kept me from sleeping so well, and often keeps me from sleeping at all. She says she wants to do this raindrop thing on my back ( I guess it involves using some kind of essential oils) and if I remember correctly, she wants to do this once a week. Since I was raised by the Italian side of the family, I claim no familiarity with the ways of the Cherokee, or their methods of healing. I was never allowed to get to know my Indian relatives growing up, because my mother hated them.

It is really beautiful here and I got to go inside the cabin in which I'll be living. It's AWESOME!!!
The people living in it haven't moved out yet, as they are waiting for the closing on their new place, which is supposed to happen on April 4th or 5th.
Then, Guardian wants to replace the fluorescent lights in that cabin before I move in there.
It is right across from her house and it has a wonderful long porch and lots of windows. It's really cool looking on the inside.
Such a pretty place to live. I feel very lucky to be able to be here.

Guardian and I are getting along great. Our dogs are getting along great too and I'm happy that Goose has made a new friend. We're feeding him a raw diet and he seems to be liking that.

The lady also suggested I order this tincture for thyroid that I guess originated from Edgar Cayce. It's called atomidine - EC iodine supplement.
She told me she was going to research some more on treating my health issues and then come up with a plan by this weekend.
I wanted to ask you about this atomidine stuff and what you think I should do - take that or not?
I'm interested in any forum feedback on this tincture.

Anyway, I love it out here. I called the Code Enforcement lady the day before yesterday and requested that they do an inspection of the apartment I just vacated, as we arranged I'd do the week before leaving. I wanted to be out of there for this inspection, since she couldn't come into the place without having the landlord and rental company's permission, which means they would also be present.
I didn't want to have to deal with them ganging up on me, so I waited till I moved out to request it. The lady called me back and told me she was doing the inspection yesterday afternoon at 3:30 and will let me know what happens. I asked for a copy of the inspection report.

And that is about where we're at thus far.
Taking it one day at a time and appreciating this place and hanging out with Guardian so much...
Thank you all for everything you've done for me and I hope you're all doing well, wherever you are.

 

[anart]

I don't think there's any real danger in trying herbal remedies and the cayenne is a great vasodilator, but I do think it's extremely important for you to take personal responsibility for your healing - meaning that you should know exactly why you're doing what you're doing and taking what you're taking. It's your body and it's your responsibility, so it's really important that you understand what you're ingesting and why. That's just my take, though, and I'm not a physician or healer, and others probably have more/better input.

 

[Lisa Guliani]

Yes, you're right and I'm trying to learn more about what it is I'm taking.
I just read this on the atomidine for the thyroid problem. The link is here: http://www.amaluxherbal.com/affiliated/atomidine_in_the_edgar_cayce_readings.htm

" Glands

Atomidine was a specific in the readings for glandular deficiencies and imbalances and related disorders. It becomes apparent by implication - and sometimes by statement as well ­that the glands were involved in some manner, either directly or indirectly, in every instance where internal dosage was recommended. A general reading on Atomidine asserted that it could be used not only as a curative but as a preventive as well, particularly for any disorder of the glands or of the tissues of the body. It was further stated that Atomidine would have a purifying and stimulating influence on the entire gland­ular system.

For glandular incoordination and for treatment of the glands in general, dosage was sometimes to be given once daily and frequently twice daily - upon arising and before retiring. In either instance, an average amount to be given each time was one to five drops of Atomidine in half a glass of water for three to five days alternated with two-day rest periods. An­other type of cycle involved beginning with one drop daily at each dosage, increasing one drop each day until the fifth day, when five drops at each dosage were taken. After a two-day rest period this cycle could be repeated, beginning again with one drop.

Iodine was seen as particularly crucial to the functioning of the thyroid gland. Atomidine was therefore recommended specifically to help regulate the activity of this gland, and to aid in the correction of related problems, such as goitre and baldness. A typical dosage to stimulate the thyroid gland was one or two drops of Atomidine in half a glass of water taken on arising for five days at a time, followed by a five-day rest period. This series can be repeated at least three times, subsequently followed by a longer rest period. The entire cycle can then be repeated from the beginning if necessary. Similar cycles were given for goitre and baldness, although larger dosages might be indicated in some cases of goitre. Cayce found that this treatment regimen would improve the finger and toe nails in addition to stimulating hair growth."

 

[history]

I don't think there's any real danger in trying herbal remedies and the cayenne is a great vasodilator, but I do think it's extremely important for you to take personal responsibility for your healing - meaning that you should know exactly why you're doing what you're doing and taking what you're taking. It's your body and it's your responsibility, so it's really important that you understand what you're ingesting and why. That's just my take, though, and I'm not a physician or healer, and others probably have more/better input.

May I just briefly chime in here and say I agree with anart here and also add that I have a home very near Cherokee Nation and have spent a considerable amount of time on the lands and with several native healers from the area and like with any healers, there are some good, some very good, and some not so good or not good at all? Trust yourself and your body to know the difference and, IMHO, if it hurts too much, there's your message.

 

[jasstnhawk]

I am so glad to hear that you finally made it to 'Cherokee Land'! :D Hopefully getting out of your dank and dark basement apartment, and into a warmer climate with lots of sunlight will be exactly what you need to reinvigorate the process of your recovery.

As far as any remedies go, I agree with anart and history .... be accountable/knowledgeable, and trust yourself and listen to your body.

Hang in there and to you, Lisa ...

 

[1984]

The lady also suggested I order this tincture for thyroid that I guess originated from Edgar Cayce. It's called atomidine - EC iodine supplement.
She told me she was going to research some more on treating my health issues and then come up with a plan by this weekend.
I wanted to ask you about this atomidine stuff and what you think I should do - take that or not?
I'm interested in any forum feedback on this tincture.

I'm not familiar with atomidine (and am not a dr. or naturopath) but I can share what I experienced with iodine supplementation due to recent 'diagnosed hypothyroidism'. Last November during routine annual blood work, my thyroid TSH came up at 6.07 and the dr. (of course) wanted to put me on synthroid for hypothyroidism. I filled the prescription (to appease the dr. for reason forthcoming), and knowing what has already been discussed here and in my own research, did not take it but did some additional investigation on iodine supplementation for treatment.

Based on my findings, I started using a tincture of iodine and kelp, took more than the 'recommended' 1 drop per day, increasing it to about 20 drops per day. In addition to that, I also took an organic kelp supplement that I had already been taking (brand is Oregon's Wild Harvest 600mg Organic Kelp thallus [ascophyllum nodosum]) once a day.

8 weeks later I had my blood tested again and the THS was at 3.4. The dr. of course was impressed that the synthroid worked so well and tried to keep me on it. I told him that I had been supplementing with iodine since I wasn't sure that I wanted to begin a lifetime of synthroid. He a rather stoic look came across his face and he said that 'we can't suggest our patients try iodine but I know it does work'... He suggested I continue the iodine (!) and check my blood again in 6 months. This was a regular MD, not a naturopath (health insurance doesn't pay for them! :))

And, a side note, when I went to my female dr (regular MD) a week or so ago for my annual women's check-up, she said that even at a 6.07 she would not have prescribed synthroid and would have suggested iodine, etc. prior to even prescribing me synthroid meds! So, it appears even the MD's know that stuff is horrible.

Again, this is just something that seemed to work for me - as Anart suggested, this is your body and you need to take personal responsibility for your healing. Just putting this out there as a possible avenue for you to pursue.

 

[Lisa Guliani]

Thank you! Just getting out of that mold motel feels better. Guardian and I are trying to learn as much as we can and we're watching closely to monitor the effects of what I'm taking. Cold does trigger the vasospasms of my vessels, so it's a fine line trying to keep my feet and hands from getting really cold or alternatively, really hot, and being able to tolerate wearing the socks and shoes for long periods of time with the contact sensitivity and the subsequent burning sensation. I just keep putting socks on and then taking them off when my feet hurt too much to keep them on. It's harder to do everything with gloves on all the time, so I generally don't wear gloves in the house, but when they get cold, I shove them under a blanket.
We're still experiencing some cold weather here, but the house is very warm inside, so this helps me alot. My hands are generally chilly, but not painful. If I could only get my feet to be more like my hands, I'd be doing alright...

 

[Palinurus]

All I can say at the moment is: very smart move! ;)

Wish you all the best and very prosperous healing in these new circumstances.

 

[Lisa Guliani]

Okay, I have been doing some more reading on the curative properties of cayenne. This link has a very interesting interview done with Dr. Richard SCHULZE, a medical herbalist. The lady who gave me the cayenne tincture yesterday talked to me about this guy Shulze and his treatment methods using cayenne and ginger, which is what I ingested. And while she didn't specifically tell me that I would be experiencing major heat/burning from the tincture, Schulze does. so maybe it is perfectly normal that I experienced this - if there was some rush of bloodflow to the sick areas of my body. I don't really know but am willing to continue using it for a while longer to see what might happen.
Reading this encouraged and intrigued me a bit.

Curing With Cayenne
_http://www.whale.to/a/cayenne.html

 

[Lilou]

This is a good link to read in regards to curing hypothyroidism naturally. http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/211-how-to-cure-hypothyroidism-naturally.html

Before taking atomidine, I would suggest doing the topical iodine test first.

[quote author=healthwyze]
•Iodine: The thyroid needs iodine to function properly, and lots of people now suffer from iodine deficiencies. To test yourself, place some Iodine (we use 2%) on your stomach. Make a dot the size of a silver dollar (or twice the size of a British 50p). If it disappears within 12 hours, then you are iodine deficient. Keep adding iodine in this way, until it no longer disappears in a 12-hour period. This works due to the fact that the body absorbs iodine at the rate at which it is needed. Do not use povidone-iodine and do not orally consume iodine. This is especially an important precaution for those with Hashimoto's.
[/quote]

Atomidine is very potent - 1 drop provides roughly 6 times the daily minimum requirement. According to Cayce, it is more active and less irritating to the system than other forms of iodine, but I would first make sure you are iodine deficient. I actually have a bottle of atomidine here, but have never used it. I bought it from Baar.com, just because they sold it and I'd never seen it elsewhere.

If you'd like, I will drop ship you some 2% iodine - I was going to order some anyway, because my mom is having some symptoms of hypothyroidism (her hair is falling out).

Also, at this link to Healthwyze, they recommend Tyrosine for low thyroid. DO NOT take this. Tyrosine is a precursor to catecholamine, which will stimulate the sympathetic nervous system(SNS) ie) increase pain. Tyrosine is mainly present in red meat, red wine, and sharp cheese. So you may want to lean towards fowl till we can sort this out. This book also says to avoid nitrates in processed meats, for the same reason, if I remember correctly.

I have been so busy at work lately, working crazy hours, when I really want to devote time to this book on RSD. As for the pain you feel from the cayenne - that is to be expected. I read an excerpt on Amazon, it says that if you can tolerate the initial pain you have with application of capsaicin (the active ingredient in cayenne), it will eventually cause desensitization by decreasing substance P, involved in transmission of pain in SNS.

The pain pathways activated in RSD cause a whole cascade of things, including depression, and if the pain continues unabated, it could cause a heart attack! I don't know about the concoction you are drinking - so just be careful Lisa. I do think you should consider one of the pain management docs who specialize in RSD to conduct thermography, to pinpoint which nerve ganglion are involved. Since you already have referred pain (to hip and groin) I would not let this continue for too long.

I will also order a book (written by a patient with the disease) and drop ship it to you. She has had the whole gamit of treatment - what worked for her and what didn't. In easy to read language! There are also several forums online that discuss RSD, which may or may not give any helpful info.

Please pm me your new address so I can send the iodine and book to you. Thanks. Sending you strength!

 

[WhiteBear]

I'm so glad you're out of The Cave, Lisa :) Get yourself better soon!

 

[Lilou]

http://www.caringmedical.com/media_articles/RSD_REFLEX_SYMPATHETIC_DYSTROPHY_2.htm

This link is a pretty good summary of how RSD develops from a simple injury. This is from a facility that specializes in Prolotherapy. I only recently learned about Prolotherapy while researching treatments for my mom’s deteriorated shoulder. The “shoulder specialist” I took her to “poo-pooed” the idea that “prolo” would do any good. But I disagree. It makes sense!

I found a doc who does this near my home at the ACAM.org site. They also do Neural Therapy. Here’s an excerpt about that:

[quote author=http://www.davidnebbelingdo.com/1658056.html]
Neural Therapy
Often times Neural Therapy is used in conjunction with Reconstructive Therapy. Neural Therapy is an injection technique known to provide instant relief of pain, increased motion, and return of function for problems that are untreatable by other methods.
How does Neural Therapy repair nerves?
Neural means "of the nerves." Nerves work by having a normal nerve flow, which monitors and controls all the body's parts. Muscles move because of nerve flow to them. The heart beats because of nerve flow controlling it. All of the special senses and internal organs work due to the control of the nerves. This nerve flow is critical to the sensation, function, and movements of the entire body.
When nerves become damaged through surgery, injury, falls, burns, and so forth, this vital nerve flow is broken. The broken nerve flow is like a short circuit in your house wiring. Pain, lack of motion, loss of function, poor endurance, and many other body control malfunctions result from the broken nerve flow and remain until the nerve flow is restored.
Everyone knows that local anesthetics block pain. The new information is that local anesthetics can restore normal nerve flow. When the nerve flow is restored, the function and energy are instantly corrected. The pain and other sensory problems also instantly improve or resolve.
The nerve flow is restored by the exact placement of local anesthetic into and around the precise nerves involved. The injections are done with a very thin needle.

For further information about Non-Surgical Joint Reconstructive Therapy, references, and over 100 case histories, read Dr. Faber's books Pain, Pain Go Away and Instant Pain Relief. You can also go to www.milwaukeepainclinic.com for more information and case histories.

[/quote]

It is important (based on what I’ve read so far) that this process be arrested before atrophy sets in – which causes irreversible damage to the affected limb. Apparently, this RSD has stages : 1) is the acute injury, where sympathetic dysfunction starts 2) it becomes chronic (or in your case, it flared up again) and it becomes sympathetic dystrophy 3) it becomes sympathetic atrophy and the limb becomes useless/beyond repair.

 

[Lilou]

I searched thru three Edgar Cayce books I have – there is a short excerpt on Raynaud’s – Cayce had recommended treatments with Wet Cell Appliance to regenerate the nerves. This appliance was used with a normal charge and daily alternating solutions of gold chloride, silver nitrate, and spirits of camphor attached to specific areas of the spine . I suppose where ever the nerve dysfunction was affected. After the treatment, massage was given over the entire body using mix of mineral oil, olive oil, peanut oil, lanolin, pine needle oil and sassafras oil. Along with this, prayer and mediatation was advised.

The only other cases I could find that would help to restore nerve function and coordination were listed under “atrophy”. Again, Cayce frequently listed Wet Cell and on occasion, Radio-Active Appliance (similar to radio waves, not radioactive).

_http://www.baar.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HS100&Store_Code=001&search=radio+active+appliance&searchoffset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high=

_http://www.baar.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=199&Store_Code=001&search=Wet+Cell+Appliance&searchoffset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high=

Baar also sells the gold chloride and other solutions. So maybe something like this is worthwhile? Keep us posted on what the healer recommends. But do keep in mind, you need to interrupt that pain somehow and quickly. Take care. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.

 

[Laura]

One caution that needs to be kept in mind: cayenne pepper is a nightshade and for many, many people, is highly inflammatory. One pinch of cayenne or chilis or any other kind of peppers other than black pepper, in a pot of soup or stew, and I am in pain for a week. Sherry Rogers writes about it extensively.

I remember when I was trying that "master cleanse" that a whole lot of people were swearing by which consisted of maple syrup and cayenne, and I was just getting sicker and sicker. It wasn't until I cut out all nightshades and carbs (and gluten and casein) that all the pain AND autoimmune reactions, including dental problems, stopped.

Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, sweet and hot peppers (but not black pepper), and chili-based spices (including paprika) all come from plants which are members of the nightshade family.Nightshades can be problematic for many people due to their lectin, saponin and/or capsaicin content.They tend to be even more problematic for those with autoimmune disease and of all the foods restricted in the autoimmune protocol, are probably the least likely to be successfully reintroduced, especially tomatoes and chilies.

Nightshades contain lectins.Actually, all plants (and even animals) contain some lectins, a class of sugar-binding proteins with many biological roles, including protecting plants (especially the seeds of the plant) against predation.Not all lectins are problematic (I have an entire post in the works explaining why the lectins in wheat can be such an issue but the lectins in blueberries aren’t).The lectins which we avoid in the paleo diet are the ones with the ability to increase intestinal permeability Read more... http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/the-whys-behind-autoimmune-protocol.html

And:

The nightshades are members of an enormous family of plants called Solanaceae, represent a huge family of plants. The ones that concern us in the Western diet mainly include tomatoes, potatoes (not sweet potatoes or yams), eggplant and peppers—this means all peppers including chili peppers, habenero, cayenne pepper and paprika (not peppercorns, see sidebar). Paprika is a sneaky one, showing up in lots of flavoring mixes and often under “spices” on ingredient labels. Other nightshades include goji berries (the new darling of the antioxidant crowd), ashwagandha (an adaptogenic herb from Ayurvedic medicine), Cape gooseberries (not normal gooseberries), ground cherries and garden huckleberries (not blueberries)....

Well, if you suffer from inflammation, joint pain and cracking, avoiding nightshades will lessen your pain, whether or not the nightshades are the true source of the pain. Are you sensitive to weather changes? This can be an indication of nightshade sensitivity. Muscle pain and tightness, morning stiffness, poor healing, arthritis, insomnia and gall bladder problems—these can all be caused by nightshades. ...

Like soy, most nightshades are relative newcomers to European/Western diets. The tomato came to North America in the very early eighteenth century. It was termed the “love apple” and grown first as an ornamental. That means people grew it because it is pretty, yet they did not eat it. Why did they not eat it? They thought the tomato was poisonous. The leaves of the nightshade family are indeed overtly poisonous (livestock farmers know this well) and people avoided the fruit as well.

During a famine in 1782, Scottish highlanders complained of dropsy (an old term for edema or swelling, often associated with congestive heart failure) when they ate abundantly of potatoes.1 Russian prisoners of World War II returned with advanced cases of dropsy, which was blamed on heavy potato consumption.2 An old saying in New Hampshire in 1719 was that the white potato shortened men’s lives. ...

if a patient isn’t responding to treatment, one of the first things to consider is nightshade sensitivity— there is simply nothing else that anyone can do to help somebody in pain when nightshade sensitivity is the cause—because once they eat some nightshades again, their pain will return as it was before. Read more: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/nightshades

And:

What do you want to do if you want to see if nightshades are the root of your aches and pains?
Cut them out completely for 6 weeks and see if it improves. Just be careful that you cut all sources of nightshades from your diet!

The ones that concern us in the Western diet mainly include tomatoes, potatoes (not sweet potatoes or yams), eggplant and peppers—this means all peppers including chili peppers, habenero, cayenne pepper and paprika (not peppercorns, see sidebar). Paprika is a sneaky one, showing up in lots of flavoring mixes and often under “spices” on ingredient labels. Other nightshades include goji berries (the new darling of the antioxidant crowd), ashwagandha (an adaptogenic herb from Ayurvedic medicine), Cape gooseberries (not normal gooseberries), ground cherries and garden huckleberries (not blueberries). ...

But the real question is, why are some people more sensitive than others? Nutrient deficiencies certainly come into play. For example, if you don’t have enough magnesium, you will be more prone to calcinosis. Deficiency in vitamin D may exacerbate the problem. The speed at which one’s liver and kidneys detoxify these compounds plays a huge role, and this is dependent both on genetics and nutrition.

A key nutrient is vitamin K2—Dr. Price’s famous Activator X. I love this study on vitamin K2: The Effect of Vitamin K2 on Experimental Calcinosis. 18 They gave rats calcinosis by giving them way too much vitamin D2. D2 tends to cause calcinosis anyway. What did they find? A high dose of vitamin K2 suppressed experimental calcification of soft tissues induced by vitamin D2. So if you want to avoid problems with nightshades, be sure to eat goose liver, cheese, fatty grass-fed meats and pasture-fed butter—and take your butter oil. Read post: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2011/10/do-nightshades-cause-joint-pain.html

And so on.

 

[Foxx]

I had a thought while driving just now, Lisa, that if your feet are still cold and you were advised not to heat them with water (which sounds like probably a good idea to me), that you might be able to use these snap heating devices for a more frequent targeted heating of your feet. I doubt they would correct the underlying problem, but might help to at least avoid further complications from chronically cold feet. I've used these before (and had forgotten about them until just now) and you just snap a little button in them and it creates a reversible chain reaction (they crystallize) that creates heat. They stay hot for a while (the ebay listing says that these small ones stay hot for 30 minutes) and then you boil them and they turn to liquid again and can then be reused. I've used this specific brand:

_http://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Instant-Reusable-Hand-Warmers-by-Snap-Heat-PROUDLY-MADE-IN-THE-USA-/160997689282?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257c35c7c2

and they seemed to be of a pretty good build quality and get pretty hot (in fact, you probably don't want to use them directly on your skin, from my recollection). There are more types and options available if you search ebay for: snap heat, or view the seller's other items.

From the listing:

The small pack will generate heat for about 30 minutes and 20 minutes is the doctor recommended time frame for heat therapy. Longer heat generation can be achieved by insulating the pack.

After the heat is gone you will end up with a solid piece of salt within the medical grade vinyl pack. At your convenience, today, tomorrow or next week you drop the pack into boiling water to recharge it back to the liquid state. To recharge, bring the water to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium and drop the pack in for about ten minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the pack in the water until it cools to room temperature. It is now recharged and ready to use again.

So maybe if you have boots or shoes that you can fit them in, you can put them in there and they'll last for an hour or two.

I hope you're seeing some improvement