What makes ComfortPak® products so special?

In today’s fast paced world, people rarely take the opportunity to nurture themselves and allow for their body to heal properly.  The unique channel design in each ComfortPak® product distributes the grain (flax) evenly throughout the product allowing the product to stay in place while you relax. 

Materials and Design for the ComfortPak® line of products:

Materials

• What is the main reason for using Flax in our products in terms of Effectiveness, Longevity and Deliverability of hot and cold therapy?

The flaxseed is a small seed that has a tough outer coating. It is flat, oval and pointed at one end. A thousand seeds weigh less than an ounce, depending on variety and growing conditions.
The combined seeds in a ComfortPak® form a silky smooth product that conforms to the contours of the body.
Different varieties of seed range in colour from light to dark reddish brown or yellow. We use brown flax because yellow flax has a thinner coat and is more susceptible to damage.
The seed is covered with a tough coating (mucilage or “glue”) that gives it a high shine and causes the seed to become sticky when wet. This mucilage absorbs moisture from the air.

The inside of the flaxseed contains approximately 45% oil and 55% alpha-linolenic acid.
When a ComfortPak® product is heated in the microwave, the oil in the flax seed heats up but doesn’t come out of the seed (unless it is extremely overheated). This radiates heat through the fabric and onto the body part that is targeted. Because the flaxseeds are so small, there are very few air spaces between them so they effectively distribute the heat or cold.

Through the developmental process other materials were investigated.
 Flaxseed was compared to oats, wheat and rice which are cereal grains.  Cereal grains have a very high starch content and a low oil content. That is why they don’t hold the heat or the cold as well as flaxseed. Cereal grains are also more susceptible to insects as they provide a better meal for them. Stored flax seed is not troubled by storage insects as frequently as cereal grains. If the grain is cool and dry, insects will generally not thrive. Flaxseed can be stored safely at moisture levels of 10% or lower.
Wheat gives off more of an odour than flax, rice or oats.
 Oats tend to have an outer straw-like cover that can burn easily.
 Wheat, rice, oats and cherry pits are bulkier than flaxseed so there are more air spaces between the seeds. As a result the heat and cold dissipates faster. Also, they are not as comfortable on the body.
Wheat and oats are more allergenic than flaxseed or rice.
Cherry pits which is another material commonly used are very bulky and smelly additionally, they do not retain heat very well.

• Why are buckwheat hulls added to some of the ComfortPak products?

Buckwheat hulls are added to provide bulk to the products.
For example, the NeckPak would be too heavy on the neck if it contained flaxseed only. Buckwheat hulls do not hold the heat or cold very well but they do stand up to heating in the microwave. Additionally, they conform well to the body. Buckwheat is considered to be a fruit, not a cereal grain (not as allergenic as cereal grains). The buckwheat meal is separated from the hull in a mechanical mill. The hulls are vacuumed and sifted to remove dust and twigs. Hulls are very hard and do not provide an easy meal for insects.

• Why is the cloth important in the ability to deliver hot and cold?

The 65%/35% polyester blend broadcloth that we use doesn’t wrinkle as much as a 100% cotton. We have developed a product that can withstand the test of time. To do this, we required a cloth that is sturdy but not rough to the touch. The cloth used in ComfortPak® products is thin enough to allow the heat and cold to transfer to the body part that it is being used on. Some fabrics that are used on other products are too rough to be comfortable against the skin. Others are too heavy to allow enough heat/cold penetration. Some materials give off a very synthetic smell when heated.

All of these factors were considered when determining the materials to develop our products.

Design

The size of the product is extremely important in the effectiveness of a product such as this.  For proper therapy of specific body parts such as shoulder, back and knee, the product must be large enough to include all the muscles that are involved in the affected area.  As well, the ComfortPak® must be large enough to be hands-free.

• Channelling or ergonomic design, why is it important relative to proper muscle coverage and hands free usage?

There is better heat/cold coverage (more even distribution) when the grains cannot all flow to one side or end of the product. With our channelling design and structure of our products, the individual  can move around if required while using the products. They are not required  to sit and hold them in place making the product much more convenient to use!