How to Make Rice Therapy Bags

How to make rice therapy bags

I’ve been experiencing some pretty horrible headaches recently. They have been  absolutely painful and lasting for days at a time. I tried some different painkillers but none of them were working very well.  I contemplated going to the doctor but to be honest with you I didn’t feel like a doctor would be able to do much for me except prescribe a stronger pain medication and give me advice for dealing with headaches that I can look up myself on the Internet.

I’m pretty certain my headaches were caused by stress, and the fact that there was renovations going on at my workplace. Pounding hammers and breathing in dust all day is a recipe for disaster. I turned to Facebook. Yes, good old reliable Facebook and asked my friends and family as well as my followers on my blog and jewelry shop page for some advice with dealing with headaches naturally.

One tip from reader Robin, was to get some of those herbal rice bags and place them in the freezer, then place them at the base of your head and forehead when you feel a headache coming on. The cold rice helps to reduce the blood flow and get rid of that “throbbing” feeling. I searched for  some therapy bags online but then I realized,  all I need is rice in a bag. Why not make my own? So I did and it’s super fast and easy to make your own hot/cold rice therapy bags with some basic supplies you probably already have.

Supplies

1 pair of socks
1 bag of rice. A 5lb bag should be enough. Don’t use minute rice if you are planning on microwaving the therapy bag
Essential oil (optional)
Glue gun and/ or needle and thread.

Directions

I decided to treat myself to a new pair of sock for this project. You could use a used pair of socks you already have lying around the house but I didn’t really want my old dirty socks near my face. $3 for 3 pairs of socks. I think I can handle that price! Fill one sock with rice. If you like you can add essential oil like lavender to the rice. It smells wonderful. Then either tie the end in a knot really tight or glue and sew the end shut! Easy-peasy.

For the eye pillow I made myself I cut the sock into two pieces filled the center with rice and sewed the end shut.

You can store the rice bags in the freezer until you feel pain coming on and then quickly whip them out when you need them.  If you like them heated just place them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. the rice holds the cold and heat quite well.

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I also made two smaller rice packs for my feet. When I feel a headache coming on I can microwave the foot packs and place them in my slippers and apply the cool packs to my neck and forehead. This will help draw the blood away from my head and down to the rest of my body. I have been using the packs for several days in addition to some of the other suggestions from my friends and family.

Here are some of the other tips I received to help deal with painful headaches

* Get a massage. A tense neck and shoulders can cause headaches.
* Sleep with proper neck support. Place a rolled up towel under your neck for support
*  Drink peppermint tea
* Take a hot shower and let the hot water fall on your head
* Keep a journal of your headache pain recording things that may be triggers like certain foods or weather changes to see if you notice patterns.

How do you deal with headaches?