I have lots of neck pain and like to fill a cotton athletic sock with uncooked rice-then tie a knot at the end. I heat it in the microwave for two or three minutes. It molds to any area and always brings sweet relief, my daughter even asks if I need my sock sometimes when she sees me rubbing my neck. just be careful about the temp. as it can get quite warm. I've used the same sock for years.

My family relies on 100% cotton sock (no elastic, no lycra) filled with the least expensive white rice in grocery store. I have bought Buster Brown all cotton white or natural sock, women's size large, and fill just so that a knot can be tied in end of sock with some extra hanging off.

The first few times you microwave-heat the sock, it will be moist. With repetitive heating, the rice loses more and more of its moisture (and I used to think dry rice had no moisture, but believe it or not, it does!).

You need to figure out the length of time you need to heat your rice sock, so it's hot enough but not burning. Remember that the center heats first in a microwave, so it's a good thing to keep checking the sock, and shaking it, and feeling its center. I find that our family's 3/4th full Buster Brown socks heat up on fullsize microwave on high power in 220 seconds.

After awhile, you will notice a color change of the sock (if it's nearly white to start)= browning, and a different odor when you heat it. This indicates it's time to change the rice, as it's become too dry and is slightly burning each time you reheat. Depending how often you are using it, and reheating it, will determine when you need to dump out the old rice, thoroughly wash the sock, and add new dry rice.

It's so fantastic. We have been thinking of trying out various grains, instead of rice. Plain white rice has a mild but distinctive aroma when heated. Some folks might prefer another grain. Keep your family's food/grain allergies and sensitivities in mind, too. Rice is often acceptable to many who have food allergies; however, each person is different.

It is a great great solution to getting heat on your aches and pains, and you can take it along when you travel, because most places have microwaves you can use to heat it up in. One other thing, we place the rice sock in a pyrex bowl when we heat it up. We store the sock in the same bowl inbetween times, lightly covered with paper, or wax paper to keep it dust-free.

By the way "diabetic socks" often are without any elastics or rubber; however, make sure the sock you get are chemical free as some so-called all-natural cotton socks are treated with formaldehyde. A piece of cotton sewn or tied into shape would work just fine, too, but we like the knitted nature of the sock, as it seems to fit the neck and shoulders very well. Good luck! I think you will like this idea.

I have a cherry stone pillow that I have used for years. It still works great. I think I got it off eBay, it's red and square. Just pop it in the microwave. Love it.

Has anyone used something other than the microwave to heat their rice sock or warm pack? I used to have a rice sock that we loved, but we got rid of our microwave and now I am not sure how to heat it. Would it be possible to put it in the oven?

Some of the places you, Debra, pointed me to in response to my original queery have instructions for using a conventional oven, or at least, my recollection says they do.

Debra, Just a thought on your question about using a conventional oven to heat up a rice sock. This is the thing, a microwave heats things from the center outward, so that is why it is successful heating up the rice inside the "sock" and not burning the sock itself. Conventional ovens heat from the outside in, so that the sock will heat up first and may start to burn before your rice on the inside heats up. Although it is more time consuming, you could heat the rice separately in the oven in an ovensafe dish like pyrex, or metal pan for those people who use metal (nonstick, of course), then pour it into a sock. You would have to have set up a safe pouring system, like a wide-mouth heat-proof funnel, so you didn't burn yourself pouring that hot rice. Actually, anything to hold that sock open as your pour in the rice. Spouted pyrex measuring cups can be used in the oven to heat rice, and maybe would be good to pour the rice into sock. Everything will be hot, so watch out! For anyone who has ever used a hot water bottle, it is the same idea, as with that you'd heat the water first and pour into the small hole of the hot water bottle (note: hot water bottles are usually latex, and a no-no for many people including my family= quite odorous when hot).

We have microwaved rice in a sock for years. We've burnt our fair share of rice and socks as I often get too enthusiastic with trying to get it as hot as possible. After several pungent experiences with the kitchen filling with the stink of burning rice, my daughter switched us over to epsom salts in a fabric bag of flannel that she heats in the oven at 200 degrees for twenty minutes on a baking sheet.

She prefers how it feels but I miss the scent of warm rice. Plus, the rice radiates a small amount of moisture, which I prefer and she dislikes. So each to their own, eh?

The only real drawback to epsom salts is that you must purchase them from somewhere safe as they absorb scents easily. Drugstore epsom salts are invariably full of perfume. Rice, on the other hand, is more often scent free. It just burns more easily. Kosher salt would be similar in composition to epsom salts and, sitting in the food aisle, is less prone to compromise than anything drugstore related. This has only just occurred to me so now I'll have to give it a try.

What I do know is that we haven't burnt anything since we switched over to the oven. That's a positive no matter what you stick in your bag to heat.

Love all these ideas (salt, rice, 100% cotton sock.) I wonder how a convection oven would be? Even better from what I read, a Jet Stream Oven? It heats quickly like a microwave but won't change food (even browns chicken). Would it be friendly to the environment? I am considering one except that I am concerned that there may be plastic materials heating up also. Someday maybe all nonstick and plastic parts will have replacement parts available in glass, ceramic, and etc. (Sigh!)

Has anyone used something other than the microwave to heat their aromatherapic heating pad. Would it be possible to put it in the oven? I hav one of these with aroma of pure essential oils.
Ana

I just tried the heating in the oven thing and I would not recommend this to anyone. The fabric caught fire within a few short minutes

The best things to put in the bags or socks are whole kernel field corn (smells like popcorn when it's hot and holds heat twice as long as rice) I have also used cherry pits which is nice for when you want to wash them, never molds or rots if wet. I have also started recently using unrefined oats with a pinch of rosemary to rid the smell of the oatmeal.

All have worked amazing and I have been able to sell hundreds of these

After reading this blog I searched natural heating pads and was interested to read, that you could warm your bag by heating for a half hour in the crockpot!

Keep up the good work, Debra!

dont use a microwave either... just read a site that said: "Just heat the oven to 350 degrees and wrap the herbal heat pack in tin foil. Place in oven and heat for approximately 15 minutes." That should fix the 'fire' problem so going to try it out. Thanks for all the helpful comments.

1-20-09

Hello,

For people with neck and shoulder ache/pain I use the neck crescent shaped wraps sold in major stores that you heat in the micro but I only heat it for 2-3 minutes and even then I have to wrap a hand towel around it because it's too hot.

For Debra's comment about rice filled socks which one member heated in the microwave, the question was could you heat it in the oven.

Perhaps a quicker idea to try is to put the rice in a dry frying pan and heat it on top of the stove like you would heat nuts and seeds for recipes. Watch carefully so it doesn't get too hot and then put the rice in the sock.

For earaches we grew up putting table salt in a dry frying pan and heated the salt for a couple of minutes depending on how high you put the heat. We then put the hot (not too hot or you'll get burned) salt into a dry washcloth and put an elastic band tightly around it. Place the salt pack against your ear and the heat will help soothe the earache.

I have researched this product for body aches and pain and I'm getting one for myself and my daughter who has chronic arm pain.
This was advertized on TV.

www.lightrelief.com

LucyEbony

someone commented about heating oven to 350 degrees for heating up a bag .....ideal temp is about 120--125 degrees to touch the skin without burnin so a way lower temp of oven would be way more sensible n avoid likely fire hazards as reported by many