This article is a article share from au.lifestyle.yahoo.com. View the full article here.
This innovative heatpack is helping women across the world.
Endometriosis affects around 10% of reproductive-age women and girls globally; that's 190 million people across the globe.
Yet, as anyone who experiences the excruciating monthly cramps caused by endo knows, there aren't many products in place to help soothe severe period pain.
Now, women have discovered a 360-degree heat pack designed by a woman who actually understands period pain - and they love it.
"I was previously using up to three heat bags - this amazing product has given me great pain relief," says one endo sufferer. "This is one of the best things I have bought for my period pain," agrees another.
Kosi is a 360-degree heat pack designed to help women with period pain. Photo: Supplied
Kosi is a 360-degree, hands-free heat pack that wraps around your torso for complete heating and relief.
Inside each heat pack are channels designed to provide even heat distribution to avoid tummy burns which are common with many other heat packs. The weight of the pack is also evenly distributed so it's comfy to wear all day.
It can be worn under or over clothes and uses strong velcro so it stays attached at all times. Made from a super soft, velvety fabric, it's filled with millet seeds and flaxseeds which have been shown to have pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. When it's heated in the microwave, the flaxseeds release a small amount of flaxseed oil to bring some extra pain relief.
Kosi, $74.95, is a heatpack containing millet seeds and flaxseed to help period pain. Photo: Supplied
Each heat pack, $74.95, comes in sizes XS to 2XL so you can choose one that fits you perfectly. They also come with a carry bag for easy transport.
The innovative design was invented by endometriosis sufferer Kellie Johnson, from NSW's Central Coast. Kellie suffered from severe period pain from the age of 12 and was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis in her twenties.
"I relied on heat packs but I really struggled with the options available," she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. "My pain would spread through my whole torso, back and down my legs, so I would try using multiple heat packs to get heat in the right places. This was incredibly hard to do, even if I kept perfectly still. I also found it quite uncomfortable because all the fillings would gather in one spot, causing burn marks on my skin. Plus, all the weight in one spot was not nice on a bloated tummy."
She took matters into her own hands and designed the heat pack she wished she'd always been able to use.
"I created Kosi to solve a lot of my problems. I wanted something I could wear hands-free so I could walk around while using it. I also wanted better heat coverage that was spread out evenly to avoid burns. I made it super soft, in a cute and stylish fabric rather than the ugly prints on most heat packs."
Kellie Johnson designed Kosi after struggling to find a heat pack to help her endometriosis. Photo: Supplied
After spending weeks at the sewing machine to try and make something that ticked all her boxes, she came up with a design that worked: "I started walking around the house happy as Larry because my invention was actually helping manage my pain in a way I hadn’t experienced before."
Now her customers are delighted with the results too.
"I suffered from really bad endometriosis and recently underwent surgery for it," says one. "I didn’t need painkillers to help me get through the pain. Kosi did the magic."
