Therapeutic compressive cushions having buckwheat hulls therein
View Patent ↗An device for and method of treating edema and related swelling which comprises compressive application of buckwheat hulls to a human or animal epidermal region. The device for and method of the present invention reduces interstitial swelling without requiring the removal of cool or heated packs while providing effective heat transfer. Buckwheat hulls, having this surprising heat transfer capability, additionally afford a unique compressive therapy. Moreover, buckwheat hulls are a single, inexpensive, biodegradable and non-allergenic material.
1. A method for treating edema and other types of swelling in a human in need thereof, comprising:
compressively applying to a human in need thereof an effective treatment amount of a plurality of buckwheat hulls contained within an elastic, breathable, fabric enclosure onto said human in need thereof to reduce edema or related swelling.
2. A method of treating edema to inhibit tissue injury accompanying inflammation or swelling, comprising:
administering to an epidermal region, a medicinally effective amount of buckwheat hulls contained within an elastic, breathable, fabric enclosure, said buckwheat hulls being compressively applied to said epidermal region of a human or an animal in need thereof.
3. A Therapeutic compress pillow for the treatment of edema and other tissue swelling in mammals comprising:
a flexible, breathable, fabric enclosure containing a medically effective amount of buckwheat hulls adapted for compressive application to an epidermal region to reduce swelling in a mammal in need of such treatment.
4. A therapeutic compress pillow according to claim 3 wherein said medically effective amount of said buckwheat hulls has a planar distribution of between 10 and 30 hulls per square centimeter of said surface area of said enclosure in contact with said epidermal region.
5. A therapeutic compress pillow according to claim 3 wherein said flexible, breathable fabric enclosure is adapted to hold said enclosed buckwheat hulls in contact with said epidermal region.
6. A therapeutic compress pillow according to claim 5 which is a glove.
7. A therapeutic compress pillow according to claim 6 wherein said compress pillow is an enclosure secured within a glove.
8. A therapeutic compress pillow according to claim 5 wherein said flexible, breathable, fabric enclosure comprises a garment or a portion thereof.