I've struggled with debilitating period symptoms for as long as I can remember. My all-day nausea and intense cramps often reach stay home from work level. I've tried everything to find relief—like extra-strength Tylenol, stick-on heating patches, and CBD creams. Needless to say, I'm always game to try the newest thing. Enter: Heat Healer's newly-launched Body Belt.
You may recognize the brand's name from its insanely popular Infrared Sauna Blanket (which counts Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker, and many other celebs as fans). And, if I had to guess, its latest heat therapy innovation is set to be just as popular. "We took the traditional and outdated heating pad and created a first-of-its-kind experience," explains co-founder Lauren Dovey.
It's true; the belt offers much more than your usual heating pad, featuring everything from LED technology to various crystals. Ahead, learn more about how it works and how it helped me during that special time of the month.
How It Works
"Heat Healer was born after my healing journey with polycystic ovary syndrome," Dovey explains. Cramping is a common symptom of the condition, so it's no surprise Dovey wanted to create a product that targeted this issue. The co-founder spent three years working on the Body Belt to ensure it was the most effective solution she could make.
"We had just released the sauna blanket, and I wanted something that could provide similar benefits, such as reducing period pain and PMS symptoms and post-workout recovery, without having to commit to the full sauna session," she adds.
The Body Belt features the brand's patented Triple Threat Technology, a trio of therapies focused on enhancing the body's natural recovery process. It combines infrared heat, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy, and red light therapy. Infrared heat, or radiated heat, has been shown to reduce pain and muscle tension (particularly chronic low back pain) and improve blood circulation. Similarly, PEMF therapy has been shown to help improve pain, stiffness, and physical function. "Maximum infrared emissivity and PEMF blocking technology directly target areas of the body that need relief," Dovey notes.
The third component, red light therapy, is commonly utilized in LED face masks. "Red light therapy uses low wavelength red light to improve your skin's appearance by stimulating collagen and increasing fibroblast production," she notes. By increasing circulation, it also helps to reduce inflammation.
How To Use It
Dovey designed the Body Belt to be easy to incorporate into your routine. You can use it once a month or every day if you choose. The device will lay comfortable on most areas—including your abdominals, lower back, shoulders, spine, neck, buttocks, knees, thighs, and calves. It even includes an extension strap to ensure it works for all body types and angles.
Using the belt is pretty intuitive. Once you plug it into the wall, you can use the remote to adjust the temperature (there are nine settings to choose from) and timer (which goes up to 60 minutes). The brand suggests starting at a heat setting of seven to gauge your tolerance. I ramped it up to nine, and it wasn't overwhelmingly hot (my cat even laid up on it when left unattended). You can store it in the included travel bag when you're not using it.
My Review
When Dovey says this is a heating pad reinvented, it truly is. Crystals are another unique element of the Body Belt's design. "The belt energetically distributes heat among 44 filled pockets of premium jade, tourmaline, clear quartz, amber, amethyst crystals and negative-ion producing clay beads," explains Dovey. The belt is a little heavy and did feel a bit bulky (thanks to the weight of the crystals), but once I secured the big velcro patch, it stayed comfortably in place. I also liked that you could wrap the belt tightly, which added a little pressure.
Like your run-of-the-mill heating pads, the Body Belt heats up almost immediately. However, this one has 360 heat coverage, which I love (especially now that it's getting cooler). In addition to cramps in my lower abdomen, I tend to get lower back pain. So, it's nice to have a warming sensation all around. Overall, the full-coverage heating experience helped alleviate some of my usual cramps and achiness. I think using a higher heat setting made a difference.
Bottom line: I think the Body Belt is a revolutionary invention. I've never used anything that combines three scientifically proven technologies to target pain and inflammation. It is a very multifunctional device, and every design detail feels intentional. Even though it is $228, I would recommend it to anyone with chronic pain.