Gizmos and Gadgetry (stuff I've tried, seeking to alleviate chronic health issues)

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air head

Gizmos and Gadgetry (stuff I've tried, seeking to alleviate chronic health issues).

Photo: Justin Chrn on Unsplash

Photo: Simon Harmer on Unsplash

Not having blogged in the end about energy management issues with a chronic health condition for the letter E means I've not talked specifically about my health condition yet, so I'll start there - if uninterested, please skip down to the product reviews below (also, if any of my real life friends are reading you'll have heard this story already, so skip ahead to just after paragraph 7)^✱.

Over a decade ago now, I went from a healthy individual to one who was tired all the time.  I used to work full time, walk everywhere it was possible to walk, run 20-25 miles a week and enter half marathons at least twice a year (considered entering

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the London marathon, too), I swam 45 lengths on a Friday, did an hours Tai Chi on a Wednesday, volunteered (something I've always done since I was an adolescent) at least four hours a week and had a social life.  Oh and I used to get my household cleaning out of the way on a Saturday morning & have the rest of the weekend to myself each week.

Medical tests revealed I had an underactive thyroid.  I was prescribed thyroid medication for it

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and initially advised that I should be feeling better in about six months.  Six months on I'd had to give up all the exercises one activity at a time, and had taken a leave of absence from the volunteering.  I still wasn't feeling any better so I returned to the doctor and was told it can actually take up to a year to feel better, so I should give it another six months.

A year after my diagnosis I'd given up the volunteering fully, too, and life consisted only of work, household cleaning and endeavouring to have that social life, still.  This time at the doctor I was told that, oh no it can actually take up to two years to feel better.  So give it another year.

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Two years on from that diagnosis I was still struggling with managing just my work and my home lives (my place distinctly becoming the disaster area it's remained ever since), and the social life was definitely in decline.  Optimistically I consulted the doc once again only to be told that if I still wasn't feeling any better then it must be because I was depressed.

I took the anti-depressants they prescribed me for at least eighteen months before concluding they weren't making any difference and tapering my dose gradually to come off them.

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Ever since then I've mostly been on my own with regard to trying to manage my symptoms (there's a little more to it than that, but the above account is sufficient as a summary of my journey).  So I've tried all sorts in hopes of alleviating my difficulties.  I thought some of my findings might just be useful to others, hence this blog post.

↓↓↓

^✱In alphabetical order:

Earthing sheet

Some algorithm started advertising this item to me, and I went off to do a bit of research & ultimately went for it.  This one was pricey, and there are cheaper ones, but this one had good testimonials plus they had the organic version available (at a discounted price of £89, at the time).
Product description and testimonials both seemed to indicate this item's meant to be good for insomnia.  I can't really speak to that, because the sheet is not a fitted sheet and I'm a fidgeter in bed so the sheet came untucked and then wrinkled up & became uncomfortable (even when used under my
existing fitted sheet) so I can't sleep 

Photo: Masaaki Komori on Unsplash

while using it.  Instead I'm using it, for what it's worth, on the sofa in hopes I'll get some benefit from it that way.  So on the whole, I'm not sure I can recommend, unless you happen to be someone who sleeps really still. 

EMS foot 'massager'

I came across this item whilst shopping around for magnets (see below) and it wasn't too expensive (approximately £25) so I decided to go for it.  In use it reminds me of a TENS machine (of which I had small one, previously) - but without needing all the business with the sticky pads & gel, which is definitely a bonus.  The instructions say not to use it if you've certain conditions, such as DVTs, and this makes me nervous using it in case I've undiscovered DVTs!  But I feel I can recommend this item to those who are confident they're in otherwise good health (and providing you like the TENS-like sensation, which isn't really the same as an actual foot massage in all honestly).


Magnets, various - insoles, bracelet, earrings, stick on ones and toe rings

I started with the insoles, which were inexpensive (£5 - £10) but had no noticeable effect - as insoles they were comfortable, though, and I figured they weren't doing me any harm.



Next up was the bracelet which was given to me as a gift by a relative who's usually very good at their due diligence (and generally a pretty sceptical person).  This had no noticeable effect either, but then again I couldn't tighten it enough to have it directly next to my skin without it becoming too tight so that might be why.  It's a pretty bracelet, though, so I wear it daily when I'm going out anywhere, for what it's worth.

Finally I bought the earrings (approx £8), stick on magnets (approx £6) and toe rings (approx £6, including P&P).  The earrings (which are meant to aid weight-loss, but we'll see) are a work in progress as they're kind of tight on my ears, so I'm having to build up a tolerance to wearing them for progressively longer periods.  They look pretty, but if you put on a set of headphones after then they'll quite likely be attracted to the headphones (at least that was my experience.

The toe rings (also designed for weight-loss) are too loose on my toes and borderline

too tight on my husband's!  The stick on magnets are the ones which have the only noticeable effect on me, which is to make me feel as though I've consumed too much caffeine!

So the bottom line here is, I think the jury's still very much out on the magnets, currently.  I'll revisit sometime and add a comment, below, with the ultimate verdict on the magnets.

'Nodger'
I bought this ridiculously named item after giving up trying to persuade my husband to massage my neck and shoulders - I love it!  It was inexpensive (under £20) and although it doesn't have multiple massage bits like many of the plastic versions, it meets my needs completely (and I'd wanted a wooden one as I'm trying to live as plastic-free as possible).  An added bonus is that use of this item can often help prevent my restless legs syndrome from kicking in whilst trying to relax and watch TV - not from specific use on my legs, but by simply keeping my hands busy and my mind distracted, I think.  I highly recommend this item.

Gadgets for allergies: light treatment gadget (for nostrils), tower fan with ionising function and an 'air purifier'/dust attract-er gadget and (oh, and then there's a Himalayan salt inhaler pipe)

The light treatment gadget was, I feel, costly for what it is (I seem to recall in the region of about £30, though it was a while ago now) but I guess it helped a bit as I'd reach for it when my allergies were being quite intense and I'd already taken antihistamines & tried everything else.  However, sometimes it made me sneeze while in use, and latterly I've mislaid it somewhere about the place and haven't really missed it, until coming to write this blog.  I'd probably advise anyone to save their money, unless they were really desperate (as I was, when I bought this).

The tower fan with ioniser, Bionaire brand - this I do recommend; I'd wanted a small fan at the time anyway, so it made sense to spend perhaps a bit more on this one (almost £35 - though I now note it's almost twice this much, at least on Amazon it is).  And I do feel that this does help to keep the allergens in my environment at bay.  It's no longer as quiet running as it was for the first few months after purchase, but I think that's going to be true of most fans (I've noted that I feel tower fans are noisier than desk fans, in general).  It's apparently an A for energy efficiency.  My only criticism is the power cable could do with being a little longer (though it's the standard length for most fans).  Oh, and I had to stick something over the lights on the control panel else the blue light was quite bright in the dark of the bedroom at night.

The 'air purifier' was cheaper than most such items and with bloody good reason - it's actually a small (6in high) object, which as far as I can tell (though I'm admittedly not an electrical engineer) just attracts dust to it in the same way as all electrical items do, via static electricity.  No, that's actually not fair because it did attract more dust than even the TV does, so I guess it worked at keeping allergens for a part of the room isolated to its immediate area, rather than floating about.  It claims to emit ionised particles too, which (I'm also not a scientist) are meant to help with allergens.  I don't think I'd really recommend it too highly though, as it was quite costly for what it is - about £20 or so, I seem to recall.  And due to a lack of electrical sockets I packed it away a couple of years ago and I haven't missed it.  I think overall I'd say, save up your money a bit longer and buy a proper air purifier with HEPA filters in it.

The Himalayan salt inhaler pipe - it may just be the placebo effect (which I'm a great believer in), but I do feel that this item does work at reducing my allergic reactions to dust.  It was pretty cheap, at £10, and I haven't had to refill it yet.  The only thing is, I was basically desperate when I purchased this and I didn't do any due diligence regards the ethics and sustainability (or otherwise) of Himalayan salt mining.

SAD lamp, 'Mini Sun' brand

I'd wanted a SAD lamp for years and years, but they're mostly expensive and bulky.  This one was cheaper (around £40) and is much smaller.  I bought two, ultimately, so I could keep one at work for use there.  I'm pleased with it for my purposes, though it does bug my husband and work colleagues when I use it!  The disadvantage with it is that, being small, I feel I need to use it close to, which obviously necessitates being right beside it and means I can't be getting on with jobs around the place whilst benefiting from the lamp light.  I recommend this item (though as I write it appears to be no longer available on Amazon).  If you suffer with SAD, though, and can afford it I feel it would be worth trying to get a 'higher end' one.

There have been other gadgets besides the above for trying to manage my daily living activities, such as a 'lumie' dawn-simulation lamp/alarm clock, a teasmade, an electric can opener and a shockingly loud wheeled alarm clock.  (And then 

there have been time saving gadgets for managing our home, such as a GTech cordless vacuum and a powerful handheld dustbuster.)  But the list above covers the ones which I specifically hoped would help my symptoms. 

I don't know whether I'll bother posting about those other gadgets mentioned in the previous paragraph (unless I get any requests).  But I feel certain there'll be a future post entitled Snake Oil, because I've also tried many, many supplements and complementary therapies in hopes of finding a miracle cure!  (Spoiler: there's no miracle cure that I've found to date!)

Let me know in the comments if you've any gadgets which you recommend for helping with chronic health issues.

Photo: Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

PS In my last post I included some bonus tree photos, having mentioned that apparently looking at even pictures of these can help one's mental health, and I think I'm going to make this a regular feature of all my future blog posts:

Photo: Simon Wilkes

Photo: Billy Huynh

Photo: Vinicius "amnx" Amano

Image credits: unless otherwise specified images are from retailer website(s), screen-snipped using Windows 10 Snipping Tool, or my own work




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