Can you brush pain away with an Ionic Body Brush? Yes - I did. One night, referred pain was shooting down my legs and keeping me awake. I tossed and turned but knew I didn't have any pain killers in the house. As pain is more or less an electrical phenomena, I had an idea - to try my Ionic Body Brush, normally used to reduce body surface voltage. After just a few minutes of brushing from my feet and up my legs towards to source of the referred pain (hip bursitis) the pain subsided and I could finally get to sleep. It sounds almost too good to be true hey? How does this drugless pain relief work? I went to ask my doctor and he put me on the following track …
While different types of nerves are responsible for different types of pain, we are focussing on nerve fibres called c fibres which convey pain. If you are familiar with dull, diffuse, aching pain or burning pain, then you know all about your c fibres.
Recently, a new type of type nerve has been discovered, the c-tactile afferent nerve, (CT nerve), the pleasure or the stroking nerve. This set of nerves conveys the pleasure from stroking stimuli directly to the posterior insular cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex in the brain, both of which play a role in basic emotions, and in getting rid of pain - Even when the normal c fibres in the brain are conveying pain signals, the c-tactile fibres, when stroked override the pain signal and give the pleasure response. In this way pain is removed or abated. Unlike the c nerves which are responsible for pain, the CT nerves are the opposite and give the sensation of pleasure.
The c-tactile fibres are found only on the hairy parts of the skin and they are not present on the soles of the feet or the palms. Scientist have found that the c-tactile nerves produce the most powerful pleasure signal when the skin is stroked at 3-5cm per second with a pressure of 2 grams per square centimetre of skin. Other tests have suggested that the speed of the stroke which activates these pleasure nerves ranges from 1-10cm per second. Further research shows that the stroking is more pleasant when the skin and brush are at a comfortable skin temperature. The c-t nerves respond to smooth stroking, as in skin to skin contact and bristly strokes (as is being rubbed by hairy skin) and so they must be important when humans stroke, caress and hug each other and help with affiliate bonding.
So just brush lightly with this ‘bristly brush’, Ionic Body Brush making sure every stroke feels lovely and that you are brushing at the optimal speed for your body. I used the Body Brush with the leather strap on my legs, but as you can see for the image, there is also a smaller Ionic Face Brush more suited for delicate areas such as the face, neck and breasts.
At Natural Spa Supplies we had originally sourced these brushes to remove voltage and static from the body surface and help with lymph flow, to ionize the lymph, remove dead skin etc. Every cell in the body emits tiny electrical pulses to communicate with other cells and keeping us working and feeling as we should. By taking the body surface voltage to near zero, our own inner electrics can normalize and our bodies run better. Ideally, the entire body would be brushed with an ionic body brush for 3 minutes a day.
I have also used these ionic body brushes on a couple of freinds. One had muscular backache and after f ew minutes of brushing towards the source of the pain, she said her back felt really pleasant. Another friend has a backache which she thought was linked to stress. Brushing that gave relief and made her feel more comfortable. My right wrist gets fatigued with intense computer work and writing, so I have started brushing from my finger tips, over the wrist and up the arm and it does provide some relief as I take mini breaks through the day.
As well as supporting healthy lymph activity and reducing body voltage or static, it seems that with their bronze and horse hair bristles, these Ionic Brushes by removing pain so quickly can, almost perform miracles!
Caveat: Remember pain is a symptom that something isn't right. Brushing pain away will not remove the cause of the pain, so you need to find out what is actually wrong and find ways to treat the cause. If there is something wrong with you see a doctor and get a diagnosis! Only use this brush is your skin is in good condition and go around moles.