Don't you hate mosquito bites? How about bee or jellyfish stings? A new FDA cleared device called Therapik, is guaranteed to relieve the pain and itching associated with stings and bites -- at least that's the claim by its manufacturer.
The premise behind the device is relatively simple. According to the company, insect venom is temperature sensitive, and becomes inert if heated above a certain temperature. Therapik heats the sting site up and kills the venom without harm to the patient. According to MorePower2U, the parent company, "Therapik’s patented technology delivers heat in the precise temperature range necessary to deactivate the venom from over 20,000 different species of insects and sea creatures."
The device uses a nine volt battery and a lightbulb which is over-driven to produce the required amount of infrared heat, to heat the skin to 50*C - 60*C, which is the range where the
thermolabile (heat sensitive) venom is destroyed. By design, the unit can't damage the skin if used as directed.
Basically, to use the unit, remove a stinger if there is one, depress the botton and hold directly on the skin as long as it's tolerable, which is about 20-30 seconds.
Therapik is not effective for spider, scorpion, or snake bites, as their venom is not heat sensitive. Currently the device retails for $12.95 and is only available from the company's website, www.therapik.com. The unit comes with a one-year replacement guarantee.
SOURCE: Therapik press release
