Category: review

9 Helpful Gifts for Your Disabled Loved One

Posted on by Grayson

'9 Helpful Gifts for Your Disabled Loved One' written against a wooden background with wrapped presents

While I normally don’t talk about what gifts are helpful for those of us living with disabilities or chronic illnesses, I wanted to break with tradition this year and share some of my favorite gadgets and gizmos.

What changed my mind? Well, I’ve spent the last few weeks taking care of one of my guinea pigs. He’s been dealing with inflammation, pain, and an infection since the week of Halloween. If I could, I would love to get anything and everything that would be able to help him get lower pain levels.

This post contains affiliate links. That means I may monetarily benefit from you purchasing anything on this list. That said, payment for affiliates never comes at your expense. I also would not be promoting anything I didn’t personally appreciate, agree with, or review.

 

Benepod

Benepod is a new type of contrast therapy device which utilizes both hot and cold simultaneously to fight pain. By applying both hot and cold at the same time to a particular point on your body, the Benepod engages your bodies natural healing abilities by introducing a sensation known as the thermal grill illusion.

This device is used with a USB-C cable and must be plugged into a power source during use.

The research for the Benepod started back in the 1990s, meaning the company has been working hard at improving the device design to bring us the best possible one.

You can read my review or snag the Benepod on Amazon.

 

lotion bottle

Fay Farm CBD Rejuvenation Lotion

This lotion contains CBD, essential oils, and even magnesium. It leaves the skin happy and healthy without the greasy feeling a lot of powerful lotions can leave behind.

You can read my review and snag this in 2 oz or 8 oz.

 

 

Tens Unit screen lit up blue

Tech Care Pro TENS Unit

I’ve tried a number of TENS units, and this is the best one I’ve found for my own pain. The unit itself is light, compact, and easy to use. While it doesn’t have a pause button, it is powerful and I’ve never had to use it on medium levels at all.

You can read my review and snag your own on Amazon.

 

Oska Pulse with box, charging cable, and strap

Oska

The Oska Pulse has the cutest name backstory involving helping a koala recover from injury.

The research is there that Oska works – they have a ton of journal articles and research on their site for your perusal. It’s much more a device for preventing pain than treating immediate pain.

You can read my review and SAVE big! For the rest of the year, Oska is on sale for $344 if you use the code NSSD here.

 

Image result for quell

Quell

While my review was on their first edition, the new model is 50% smaller. It’s comparable to the size of a credit card now, making it less obvious that you’re wearing something on your leg. It has more power and more intuitive – it can adjust power on its own depending on your body positioning.

You can read my review. The code HOLIDAY30 saves you $30 off the Quell starter kit for the rest of 2018 here.

 

axon optics box with glasses case

Axon Optics

I would not be alive if it weren’t for my Axon Optics and, no, that’s not an exaggeration.

My migraines were so awful over the last year that I was in a really bad place. My glasses were one the one thing that helped me get through my day. They help filter out some layers of light which have been shown to cause or worsen migraines. While these may not work for everyone, they’re a must – especially for those of us who stare at screens all day.

You can read my review and snag yours on Amazon.

 

selfie of K with short black/brown/purple hair sticking up; they have on a brown paisley Vog mask

Vogmask

Thanks to Kenzie, I got my first Vogmask. As I’ve started to remove allergens from my life due to MCAS, it’s become incredibly important for me to have a mask on me at all times. The Vogmask is compact, easy-to-carry in my bag or pocket, and look snazzy.

You can get yours from Amazon.

 

FaSoLa Portable Weekly 7 Days Pills Organizer Case Round Medicine for Travel Drug Holder

FaSoLa Pill Organizer

I love this round pill organizer! I put all of my emergency medications in them – and, yes, I have seven now. It’s compact enough to fit in my bag, but big enough to hold what I need. Plus, you push the button and the circle advances to the next compartment.

You can snag this on Amazon or at Walgreens.

 

Books

I love reading. While I haven’t read all of these books, they’re all sitting on my bookshelf waiting for when I have more time.

  • Invisible: How Young Women with Serious Health Issues Navigate Work, Relationships, and the Pressure to Seem Just Fine | Amazon
  • Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain | Amazon
  • Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain without Turning into One by Karen Duffy | Amazon
  • When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests by Leana Wen & Joshua Kosowsky review | Amazon
  • Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery | Amazon
  • Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpor | Amazon
  • A Disability History of the United States by Kim E Nielsen | Amazon
  • The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability by Miriam Kaufman, Cory Silverberg, and Fran Odette | Amazon

Of course, gift cards and quality time are always appreciated, too.

Looking for more chronically helpful gifts? Check out this list I curated on Amazon!

photo of the benepod, the usb cable, and the adapter against a rainbow heart covered pouch against a wooden table; teal overlay with white text: " benepod review - not standing still's disease "

Benepod Review

Posted on by Grayson

The makers of the Benepod sent mine to me for free in exchange for my feedback and honest review.

Spring is always a rough time for me. The constant barrage of storms brings intense joint pain, especially around my knees. Thankfully, this year, I have the Benepod.

the benepod box with instructions, usb cord, and adapter

You may remember Lady Gaga sharing how she alternates hot and cold quickly for her chronic pain. That’s what this product does, albeit on a smaller scale.

underside of benepod showing a light ring of red around the outside and large circle of blue on the inside

The underside of the device has a red ring that heads up as well as a blue circle that cools down when plugged in. This leads to Thermal Grill Stimulus – something that can’t fully be explained yet. While we don’t know why it works, it can help mask or ease someone’s pain.

One of the coolest parts of using the Benepod is that there is no medication to take or topicals to apply. We really don’t have to worry about side effects like with other pain treatments. I don’t have to resort to extra NSAIDs that upset my IBS or the few muscle relaxers I have that make me woozy.

To use it, you plug the device in. A green blinking light will go solid once the device is ready to use. It’s good for twenty minutes which doesn’t sound like a long time but somehow is. If you want more time, you simply unplug the device, plug it back in, and wait for your solid green light.

It is a little small, so moving it can get a little cumbersome for my crippy arthritis hands. Thankfully, Saringer is already working on things like a strap to hold the device in place to make it even more accessible.

This doesn’t completely get rid of my pain. To be honest, I don’t think there’s any one thing out there that would. What Benepod does, though, is take my pain from a seven or eight out of ten to somewhere between three and five. As much as I loathe those medieval pain scales, they’re at least good to show progress in pain reduction.

With how many storms we’re having lately, I’ve been heavily relying on the Benepod to help me get through the nights. There aren’t many things I feel the need to always have close by, but this is one of them for sure.

Do I have to be near an outlet?

No! The fact this uses a USB cord makes it super easy to use a portable charger to power the pod. The cord is so long, too, that I’m easily able to use it in bed while plugged into a USB hub.

Is this affordable?

Look, I’ve reviewed some things that cost several hundred dollars. I’m happy to say this only costs $99! You can snag it on Amazon, too, which means you could use gift cards and get it quickly.

Is it worth it?

Completely. There are nights that I struggle to sleep because my knee pain is so bad. When I make time to use the Benepod before bed, I actually get a few hours of restful sleep.

black glasses folded up next to a silver laptop with a blue overlay and white text on the left side: " Promethease Can Get You More From Your 23andMe Data " and " Not Standing Still's Disease "

Promethease Can Get You More From Your 23andMe Data

Posted on by Grayson

A while back, I took the 23andMe plunge. While there are always concerns about how data gets handled, I enjoyed the process. I still log in a few times a month to participate in research questions. Still, I wondered if I could get more out of the data they processed. Enter Promethease.

Using SNPedia, Promethease gives you the good, the bad, and the neutral data around your genetics. It’s fairly cheap at around $10 to start and they’re always having freebies – like, right now through May 10th, you can get your report for free.

Once I saw they were offering another freebie, I jumped at the chance to put in my 23andMe data.

It only took about 15 minutes for them to process the raw data from 23andMe. After going through the report, I feel like I have some potential directions for my neuroWTF. Where I really spent time was in the uncool section of my report – the bad.

What I found is that I’m at higher risk for diseases including RA (LOLOLOL), Alzheimer’s (up to 11% more likely), Crohn’s Disease, and Ankylosing Spondylitis. I learned that I have a slow metabolism, especially for steroids, hormones, and protein. I also have a lower response to inhaled steroids… AKA having to use my inhaler a few times to get relief makes a lot more sense.

One of the most interesting things was to learn that I’m likely a carrier for phenylketonuria – a condition that is fairly similar to some of the reactions I have to phenylalanine-containing products. I can’t do diet sodas, sugar-free anything, or even chew most gum.

What I really appreciated was linking these issues to studies around specific genetics. I am 4.6 times more likely to have Ankylosing Spondylitis, for example. The piece that shares this and which genetic component(s) were tested for it has links to the research providing the hypothesis around that figure.

In short, they give you likelihoods and the reading to dive into should you want to learn more. It’s a great tool for engaged patients. It doesn’t seem to matter where you got the data initially (23andMe, Ancestry, etc.) as long as you have the raw data or can grant Promethease access to it.

And, for those concerned about your data? You can download all the information and it’s wiped from their site after a little over a month.

The one negative is that the data is tedious to go through. I had nearly 400 items in the negative category, and a lot of those were repeats. I wish there was an easy way to fold everything up to see various conditions and your increased risk per published paper.

This was way faster than getting the tests actually done, and it’s really nice to have all this raw data. It’s absolutely a service anyone interested in digging more into their genetics should try out.

What do you think? Have you tried Promethease yet?

Review: THYNC Relax Pro #THYNCrelax

Posted on by Grayson
a photo of the THYNC box (black rectangular box with a white slash in the middle) against a light blue sheet; photo has been darkened and colors other than B&W aren't distinguishable; black text at top middle "Not Standing Still's Disease" and at bottom middle "Review: THYNC Relax Pro"
 
I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
When I got the chance to try the THYNC Relax Pro, I nearly jumped for joy! I had been looking at it already and was very interested in giving it a try. It’s tricky to make things work when you’re not working more than freelancing, though.
Earlier this year, I learned about how the FDA doesn’t really regulate medical devices. It’s a scary thing to think about. The nice part about THYNC is that they’ve done studies themselves. In fact, this device has undergone testing over the last FIVE YEARS. Throughout that time, it’s been proven to be both safe and effective.
All the testing makes sense when you learn that neuroscientists from universities like MIT, Stanford, and Harvard created THYNC. Check out some of the positive press they’ve gotten:

How does THYNC work?

THYNC box opened against a light blue sheet; cover is black with a white slash in the middle; next level has a white manual and the golden kinda-triangular THYNC device; bottom level has a soft carrying case packets with the gel pads for use
THYNC comes with the kinda-triangular THYNC device itself, this nifty connector that clicks into the device, and gel pads that go between the connector and your skin. Once you put it all together, it looks like this:
two pics together; on the left, the front of the device with a black tab coming out from the bottom attached to a gel pad, and you can also see my 'believe' tattoo with the L replaced with a blue awareness ribbon; on the right, the back of the device showing the connector attached to the THYNC and both gel pads; in both pics, I'm holding the device and the background is a royal blue Doctor Who Tardis fleece blanket
You then open up the app, make sure the two connect via Bluetooth, and select your mode. There are two modes – deep relax and deep sleep.
Deep Relax
This mode should be used for at least 10 minutes at a time. It’s great to use once daily or whenever you’re feeling stressed. This is a very light vibration.
Deep Sleep
This mode should be used for at least 15 minutes at a time as you’re nearing bedtime. When you start to get sleepy, take it off. This vibration feels a little harder to me, though that could be because of my personal adjustment needs.
Regardless of mode, the app keeps track and will provide you with trivia on stress and sleeping habits.
What’s the verdict?
 
Remember as you read this that your mileage may vary. My body isn’t your body, and my experiences may not be yours.
 
The bad:
I have a bit of a prominent neck hump from my health crud and years of not having a real bed. Because of that, it wasn’t always easy to get the pads to stick well without asking for help. You should hold still when using the device, but also not be laying down, so that can be tricky as well. I have to stretch every few minutes or my neck and shoulders freeze up.
It isn’t always as easy to use as I’d like, especially knowing that it doesn’t always stay on my neck as easily as it might for others. When flying the other day, I wanted to pop this on. However, I was aware that, if I fell asleep using it or just moved the wrong way, I might lose the device. Again, this could be a just me kinda thing, but it’s something to keep in mind if you have a neck hump as well.
There are times when the vibration is a little too much if my fibromyalgia is acting up, simply because it is a vibration-based tool.
If you close out of the app, you can’t just go back into it to control the device again. You have to turn off the device and restart it. In fact, everything with the device’s power is manual, which can be tricky with a small on/off button. I hope that future versions will have the ability to start the device from the app so that it’s more accessible for those of us with hand dexterity issues.
Really, these are just things that need some tweaking – or things that would be helpful to know as you get started.
The meh:
I don’t know that the sleep mode really helped with my sleep at all. My sleep tends to be sporadic and I usually wake up in pain several times during the night. This didn’t change at all with using the THYNC, nor did I sleep longer in general after using it.
The good:
The relax mode is wonderful. I feel more relaxed and definitely more present. I suppose that’s made easier by the reminder that this is what I’m doing right now, trying to relax. It has an added benefit that the vibrations also help my neck pain somewhat (as long as I have the settings right) which definitely helps with relaxation.
I breathe more deeply and focus more intently on the things I want to do.
Overall, I’m really enjoying using the THYNC Relax Pro. I think next I’ll pair it with some of my favorite meditations from Buddhify and see what happens. We all know I need to relax more, so it can’t hurt!
Want to snag one of these for yourself?
Visit THYNC’s website! It’s currently $49 for a 30-day trial. Note that you have to use an app with this which is currently available on Android/Google and Apple devices.

 

Review: Liberty Lixir 1000 mg CBD Tincture

Posted on by Grayson
I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
Today I’ll be reviewing the Liberty Lixir Ultra 1000 mg tincture from Liberty Lotion.
This tincture is an isolate which means that it’s gone through a very rigorous process to remove anything other than CBD from the oil. Like with just about every CBD-only product, there is no THC in this.
According to the Liberty Lotion website, each pump from the bottle gives you close to 7 mg of CBD oil – 6.7 mg to be exact. They talk about how the most effective dosage is different for everyone but mention that around 3-5 pumps every 4-6 hours seem to be about the average.
What you do is pump the oil under your tongue and wait as long as you can for it to absorb. In addition to CBD oil, this contains Vitamin E and coconut oil. I don’t really like the taste of coconut oil, so I’m not always able to wait the recommended ~60 seconds. It also means I don’t necessarily love to swallow the remainder of the oil that doesn’t absorb.
I remedied this by following up the oil with a non-water beverage. The oil you swallow has to travel through your GI tract anyway and it likely won’t give too much benefit… so I’m not worried about following it with soda or anything else really.
Okay, with all that out of the way… how did this work?
Generally, when I’m dealing with a fibromyalgia flare-up like I have recently, I can’t even wear clothing. I sit in a fleece blanket on our soft couch and try to make it through the day. I’m lucky if I can shower maybe once a week, depending on how long this flare-up goes. Everything hurts from head hair to pubic hair to anything touching my skin. I’m unable to sleep so I’m up at all kinds of weird hours instead of sleeping in bed with my husband.
I really freaking hate not sleeping by T when we’re both home. It’s something that is so out of my control and something that my diseases dictate. I always worry about resentment or loneliness. For a while, I just couldn’t even try to sleep in our old bed. I would come in and read him a story or listen to a podcast and then head back to the couch once he was asleep.
After starting this tincture, though, I don’t want to go anywhere without it.
I have slept in my bed next to T every single night. I’m crying writing this because it’s been a long time since I made it through a week sleeping in our bed.
The fact that I’ve been able to sleep at all has contributed to this flare being less severe than those I usually experience.
On top of that, though, I’m being able to go do things. Maybe wearing clothes still isn’t the most comfortable, depending on the dose I’ve used, but I’m able to do it instead of breaking down in pain and crying. I’ve been able to keep lunch dates with friends and plan others because I have some semblance of a life back.
CBD, in general, is something that I love, but I have not ever tried something that impacted my life as much as Liberty Lixir.
I mean, I’m crying writing this right now. I have control over more of my life than I’ve had for years. It’s no surprise that this, then, is pretty much my favorite product I’ve ever tried – EVER.
Oh, and did I mention they also have a reward system? There are so many things you can do to earn rewards, too!
You can redeem 500 points for $10 off, 1000 for $25, and 2500 for $75.
I’ve already ordered a few of their topical products and am super excited to try them out soon! I’ll definitely report back.
Want to snag something from Liberty Lotion for yourself? If you use code ‘NSSD’ you can save 10% off your order at Liberty Lotion!
 

 

Review: Premier Biomedical CBD Patch

Posted on by Grayson
I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
Today I am reviewing a CBD pain patch from Premier Biomedical Pain Management Solutions.
In addition to CBD oil (which, for this product, is derived from hemp), the patch includes coconut oil, lecithin, aloe vera, almond oil, shea butter, and various extracts or essential oils.
The patch is latex-free which my skin appreciated! It is similar in look to a band-aid, with the actual CBD contained in a reservoir where the cottony part of the band-aid would be. The reservoir contains 48 mg of CBD oil that gets released over a longer period of time – up to 96 hours!
Via Premier Biomedical
The corners of the patch are rounded which I appreciated a lot. It made it a lot less likely to catch on my clothing or try to pull off in my sleep. It was also water resistant so I was able to shower with it on!
The first thing I noticed when opening up the pouch was the smell. It was pleasantly floral, but not too much so – probably from the eucalyptus, sage, and citrus oils. The next thing was how the CBD oil was reddish in color because of the red palm oil used.
I was really excited about trying this out. I use CBD oil a lot in lotions, so this was a good next step for me. I had a fibromyalgia flare-up and thought it would be a good time to try the patch out… That may not have been the best idea, simply because I generally don’t handle things on my skin well when I’m flaring.
That was my own fault.
Since my left shoulder and neck are my worst spots right now – and you should place the patch as close to the source of the pain as possible – I had T put this on a trigger point about halfway between the two.
My fibromyalgia pain was untouched. It hardly responds to much and, again, I should’ve picked a better time to try this patch.
That said, my neck and shoulder pain has been fairly constant over the last 13+ months. Wearing the patch over the span of a few days, though, has really helped clear it up. Even now, a few days later, the pain isn’t nearly as bad. It also isn’t as constant. It isn’t here when I wake up.
It’s so weird – good weird, obviously!
We’ve tried a lot for this pain – other patches, gels, heat, ice, massage, trigger point injections, acupuncture. Nothing has worked as well as this patch has. Acupuncture is the only thing that comes close, and that isn’t necessarily very comfortable.
The other thing is my acupuncture isn’t covered by insurance. That means we have to pay over $80 a visit for me to get that. This patch is only $20. Four patches with shipping and I’m saving a bit of money and getting better pain relief.
I definitely recommend this patch, especially because I’ve been able to be so much more active lately as a result.
Interested in snagging your own? Head over to Premier Biomedical!

 

How 23 And Me Helped Fill in the Blanks in My Ancestry

Posted on by Grayson
Growing up, I was always told I was Italian. Knowing what kinds of things I’ve been lied to about growing up, I decided I might as well try to figure that out for myself.
So, I snagged a 23 And Me kit and I’m not exactly Italian.
I knew that part of my ancestry on my mother’s side had a collection of the UK and France, but I was unaware of the Scandinavian connection – something that’s likely on my dad’s side. He didn’t know his own father and so knows little of the genetics of his side of the family.
Now I finally know more about my background without having to make guesses or rely on pesky ‘alternative facts’ I was raised on. I know what my background is and I can truly start investigating more about my family’s history, something I’ve wanted for my entire life.
I also apparently have a high number of Neanderthal variants (one of which is associated with my height). From a health standpoint, they did not find me having any carrier status of the conditions they tested, though they do not test all variants of these conditions.
I move a lot during my sleep and additionally get less deep sleep – something 23 And Me picked up on easily. And they did say that I was predisposed to weigh more.
So that’s fun.
The rest of what they tested or showed was stuff that is relevant to the present – what tastes I’m likely to prefer, eye color, freckles, etc. There are some things that weren’t exactly correct – they say I’m likely to have lighter hair or consume less caffeine, for example.
Why 23 And Me?
 
One of the things that drew me to 23 And Me over other ancestry tests was that there was the health component. There was another major reason I chose them, though – research.
They have done a lot of research on chronic illnesses from IBD to lupus and more. If and when they start to do research related to conditions I have, I’ll be able to provide them a ton of already-processed data.
If you’d like to try 23 And Me, click here to use my referral link.

 

Review: The Fay Farms’ Rejuvenation Lotion

Posted on by Grayson
I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
Everyone knows I’m not a sucker for natural products. Having had a lot of that pushed on me as a child in lieu of treatment proven to work has given me some trepidation on all that stuff. Still, there is so much to be said for items that help us cope.

 

For me, the CBD oil containing lotions from The Fay Farm are some of the most helpful things I’ve ever found. I’ve already reviewed a few of the products they sell – their Healing Hemp lotion and their Serenity lotion which both have CBD oil. When the opportunity came up to review their Rejuvenation lotion, I was ecstatic.

This lotion is made with organic ingredients such as Purified water, hemp oil, grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil, emulsifying wax, stearic acid, argan oil, magnesium, white sesame oil, jojoba oil, essential oils, 200 mg. CBD oil, fennel, licorice, turmeric, valerian, gluconolactone and sodium benzoate (certified organic preservative).

 

It smells fantastic. It seems to be appreciated around the house by guinea pig or human more than even the other Fay Farm lotions I have. The mixture of different oils and ingredients make this a unique smelling lotion that just cannot be recreated from any other store-bought stuff. It’s a gentle smell that I can handle even during the worst migraines. It also smells a heck of a lot better than any other thing I’ve ever put on a sunburn.

 

Oh yeah, the sunburn thing.

 

You might recall that, back at the beginning of February, I took a friendship trip to Mexico with my best friend from college. It was very lovely and full of me making decisions that didn’t necessarily keep my health in mind, like not doing enough sunscreen.

 

 

I got one of the worst sunburns I have ever had. When I got home, all I could do was sleep on the couch, wear a blanket, and lotion lotion lotion every five minutes.

 

When I pulled out my Rejuvenation lotion, I figured that this would sting my sunburn and that I would still have to apply the lotion really frequently.

 

I was so happy to be wrong! 

 

It wasn’t like using aloe vera gel where I stick to everything for days and it definitely wasn’t like greasy lotions that make me slip on the bathroom floor.

 

Rejuvenation is soft and gentle on even the most painful – and scarred – sunburned skin. It also absorbs really quickly into the skin and does an amazing job actually bringing moisture to the area.

 

This lotion saved my skin.

 

 

I’m really tan for me, especially in March in Wisconsin. I don’t have any scarring or scabbing leftover from my sunburn which, six weeks later, is usually somewhat common for me given the severity of this burn.

 

The only reason that my skin healed up as quickly and as nicely as it has is this lotion. Instead of scars, I have these gorgeous freckles like I used to have all over when I was younger.

 

Rejuvenation is definitely a part of my warm weather survival kit. Want to add it to yours? You can snag this in 2 oz or 8 oz.

 

You can visit Project CBD’s Beginner’s Guide to learn more about CBD.

 

 

Review: TechCare Pro TENS Unit

Posted on by Grayson

I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

Today, I am reviewing the TechCare Pro TENS Unit.

 

For those unfamiliar with the term, TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. This kind of stimulation can help to relieve muscle tension and pain by essentially exercising muscles using electricity. TENS units help provide that stimulation via electrodes the user places on their body. The user then controls the intensity and type of stimulation via the unit itself.

 

Having used some TENS units in the past, I really appreciated that the TechCare Pro was really light. Others I’ve had have been heavy and a little difficult to manage. It was easy to plug in the electrodes and easy to utilize those.

 

 

It comes with two differently sized kinds of electrodes – a set of tiny ones and a set of larger ones. The larger ones are about the same size that one might find in a drugstore or elsewhere. The tiny ones are smaller than I’ve seen elsewhere and that was actually pretty nice to have. I was able to use those in spots that were more difficult to get the others onto like around my collarbones.

 

One thing I found odd with this unit is that there is no start/stop/pause button. Once you turn on the device, it’s on and going. If you want to switch modes, you have to turn it off and then get back to the mode and intensity you want to utilize. That would be amazing to have on this unit as it would allow for repositioning of electrodes – or even a quick bathroom break – without turning the unit off.

 

 

The button in the middle that one might assume is a pause button actually changes the modes. See, there are these kind of ‘parent-modes’ – those you see in the photo above – and each parent-mode has 2-4 modes within it. I do wish these modes were slightly more straightforward. However, it’s easy enough to switch between these modes that it really doesn’t bother me.

 

All in all, this isn’t necessarily the most intuitive device – but does it work?

 

Yes, yes it does.

 

This is one of the most comfortable and effective TENS units I’ve ever used.

 

The low-intensity levels are effective on light pain. I haven’t had to go past mid-level intensity on any of these modes in order to get relief.

 

The fact that it’s so lightweight means that it’s perfect for me. Between traveling a lot and having major fatigue issues lately, heavier units of any kind are getting more and more difficult to utilize. Heck, my television remote isn’t the easiest for me to hold lately. This is lighter than that, even.

 

The price honestly can’t be beat, either. Similar devices can be several hundred dollars, but this one costs far less.

 
You can snag your own TechCare Pro Silver TENS Unit over on Amazon.

 

Review: The Healthcare Cure

Posted on by Grayson
This is a book review of The Healthcare Cure: How Sharing Information Can Make the System Work Better by Jeff Margolis. I was not compensated in any way for this review.
 
If you’ve ever wanted to understand how the healthcare system works, systems thinking, and more, this is a book you need to pickup. The first part of the book goes over current-state and the problems we encounter in healthcare.
It’s also a great primer on the economics of healthcare, something that people tend to pay big money to better understand.
Terms are defined so that even some of the most complicated parts of healthcare are understandable. Comparisons to the auto industry, parables, and more are made.
In chapter 5, the author goes over the perspectives of all involved in healthcare – consumers, providers, employers, brokers. One could argue that this doesn’t necessarily touch everyone in healthcare and they’d be right, but this works for the author’s purpose.
After going over key terms and explaining the current-state of the system, the author begins to talk about what he sees as the cure: Integrated Healthcare Management (IHM). One reassurance Margolis gives us that we need right now is that IHM will be achievable even if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act bites the dust.
IHM helps to further what we patients want – better decision-making opportunities supported by our healthcare teams, eliminating unneeded variation in our care, and making the whole system run more smoothly.
I can tell you this is what providers and administrators want, too. The system is so broken and no one is happy with it.
What is IHM?
It’s a form of healthcare that helps to promote better health and quality of care over more care in general. By helping to eliminate the silos within the system, we will be able to better participate in our own care. With the silos gone, it also helps us access our data! And, ideally for Margolis, healthcare plans would be customizable according to what we need.
I’m not sure about that last part. Sure, it would be nice for me to not have to pay for prenatal coverage knowing that I’ll probably not have kids, but what happens if I do get pregnant then? Insurance plans generally don’t let you change quickly enough to get the right coverage. Plus, frankly, I don’t mind paying for that coverage because I know it helps cover those who do utilize those services.
Really, though, IHM helps us all to focus on the same thing – value. Right now, each piece is focused on different things.
I fear, though, that with the new administration coming in, this won’t be anywhere near the focus for our healthcare system… especially because it will eliminate overhead and unneeded spending.
Some of the personal responsibility touched on in the last chapter was… unnerving, mostly because it was ableist in nature. Yes, taking responsibility for our day-to-day health and the like will lead to better healthcare outcomes, etc, but that leaves out those of us who can’t get in front of our health fun and the like.
Sure, it helps for us to take care of ourselves, too, but we have to do that to stay alive – not for better outcomes.
All in all, I found this book to be an informative look at what is currently ailing our healthcare system and a potential for a cure. Like many other purported cures, this needs much more research and tweaking.
Favorite quotes:
“Not only are we humans unable to access our medical records when needed, there is also a tremendous degree of variation in the treatment we receive, even among people with the same conditions and similar health backgrounds. Treatment of humans… is not consistently based on ‘best practices’ (the treatment that research has shown to be most effective for a particular condition given a patient’s age, overall health and family history of disease). Studies shoe that although healthcare experts have researched and documented best practices for a wide variety of medical conditions, patients often receive treatment that is different from what is proven to be most effective.” (38)
“Hoping that other people are going to solve the healthcare crisis for us, either at a national, or individual level, is not a plan.” (195)