There are many medicinal and nonmedicinal  ways to treat  the aches and pains that we encounter throughout our life.The most common treatments start with common sense.  Resting the involved joint or muscle. And using heat and cold to reduce pain and and relieve stiffness.

 Heat is useful for treating muscle pain by promoting blood circulation, which both nourishes and detoxifies muscle fibers. Cold, does just the opposite by soothing excited nerve cells and reduces swelling in an inflamed joint by decreasing blood flow. No two people react the same to the effects of heat and cold. The key is finding out which source works best for you and the answer to this question may well be to alternate them, 5 minutes at a time.

The nice thing about rice socks is that they do not get hotter with use as does a heating pad nor do they get colder with use as with a dry ice pack. Rice socks can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer for immediate use as a source of cold therapy. They can easily be heated in a microwave for near immediate use as a source of heat therapy. Neither the hot or cold sock should be placed on bare skin and never for more than 20 minutes at a time.

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE LAVENDER HEATED SOCK BAG

HELPFUL HINTS: Choose LONG SOCKS with TIGHT WEAVE such as athletic socks--long enough to be able to tie a knot in one end and thickness to keep hot ingredients from getting to close to your skin.  Need 2 socks: 1 to be filled and the other for cover. Use  NATURAL FILLERS of one type only such as whole dried corn kernels, beans, flaxseed, barley or white rice (NOT INSTANT RICE) for even heating.  LAVENDER added to filler mixtue enhances the aroma released during the heating process.  AVOID OVERHEATING of sockbag to avoid stale odor.

PROCEDURE:

1.  Mix lavender and filler of choice in bowl.

2.  Fill one sock ½ to ¾ full with rice.Leaving enough room for a knot at the top,

3. Tie a knot at the top of the sock or secure with a strong band of string.   Not so tight that        you have a difficult time changing the filler in the future.

INSTRUCTIONS TO USE:

1. In a microwave, heat the inner filled bag at a high temperature for 1 MIN.

Intervals. The first time you heat the bag, allow it to get hot enough to release steam. Continue heating at one minute intervals until all of the steam has been released. Keep track of how long it takes for your filled heating sock to get warm to hot. This will be your guide as to how long it takes to heat your personal hot sock. DO NOT OVERHEAT SOCK IN THE MICROWAVE—natural filler can become hot enough to burn from the heat.

2. When the sock filling is hot enough, remove it from the microwave and cover the filled sock with the other sock and position the hot sock where you need the warmth. ENJOY!!

LAVENDER SOCK BAGS CAN ALSO BE MADE AS COLD SOCK BAGS. The process of making the sock is the same. Simply put the sock in the freezer for desired coldness. Squeeze the bag intermittently to evenly disperse the coolness.

Apply outer wrap and place on body part as needed to decrease swelling and inflammation.