Integumentary System (skin)

WARNINGS-- Heat next to bare skin can burn the skin. Elderly people, people with diabetes or peripheral neuropathy, and people who have compromised ability to freely move independently should take great care when using ANY type of heat near the skin, especially when put under blankets. A heating source put under blankets can magnify the source of heat and does not let the item cool off -- it could be possible to light sheets or blankets on fire. IF you use any local heat, the heated item should:

• have ventilation--- not have the blankets cover it completely
• be kept at a distance from ALL areas of skin -- at least 8-10 inches away
• should be removed after 15 minutes to allow the feet and legs to begin to cool (even kicking aside the covers for 15 minutes)

End of warnings.

Heating coals or stones in a fire to slip under covers is one of the oldest self-help warmers, including when men camped out on trails.

However, people in homes up through the 1800s used a long handle metal pan to contain the items (they didn't just put the hot items next to bare feet).

Water bags or water bottles (both rubber) came in the late 1800s with the manufacture of rubber products. Hot water was put inside the rubber water bladder, which was then wrapped in cloth before putting it near the foot of the bed.

The stones, coals, or water bag (bladder) would warm the bed before the person went to bed. The items could also be left to continue keeping the person warm. HOWEVER, most of the common sense knowledge people had back then has been lost to us today.

At the same time, today we have much greater knowledge about the risks of skin burns. We should have MORE common sense knowledge about the causes of home fires and skin damage from burns. For example, people today should NEVER put an electrical heating pad under blankets-- ever! It can short out, cause a fire, etc.

As to heating a regular size brick, people should know that a brick will absorb a considerable amount of heat. On a very hot day, if you feel a brick wall outside, it can be so hot that you'd pull your hand away. The same hot principles apply to a single brick you've deliberately heated! So your brick should be WARM, but you should still be able to pick it up! A regular or half brick should do.

BE SAFE!

The safest method is to put a small wooden table NEAR but not touching the bottom of the bed. Put your warm brick in a flat metal pan (NOT aluminum) and cover the pan with aluminum foil that has been tented to keep it off the brick. The warmth will radiate to the bottom of the bed WITHOUT danger of fire or burning the skin. The heat should last 15-20 minutes, with warmth radiating for likely 30 minutes -- long enough to get to sleep.

If you use a water bottle (water bladder, like our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used), do not overheat the water-- hot tap water should be hot enough. The bladder can be wrapped in a towel and put under the blankets. But it should NOT touch the skin and should be 8-10 inches away from the body. You should check with your doctor first if you have any impaired circulation, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, or immobility. The aged and infirm should be extra careful.

ALWAYS remove the heated-warm item if it:

• feels too hot
• becomes uncomfortable
• and always after 15-20 minutes

NOTE: Impairments in sensory nerves of the legs and feet can cause a person to not realize the true temperature of bath water, hot water bag, or heating pad. These persons should check the skin every 5-10 minutes to be sure the skin is not abnormally reddened or discolored. Remove if there are skin color changes, or you could get burned.

NOTE: Do NOT put heated water in plastic drinking bottles. Even hot tap water is too hot for those plastics. Also plastic can melt, causing a wet bed and damage to the skin.

Again, talk to your doctor first if you are unsure about using home self-help measures.