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utriworks Patch-it! detoxification pads (£12.95/6 or £20.99/14, £29.99/20 patches) are the world´s first all-natural detox patches that work while you sleep.

They are based on the practices of acupressure, reflexology, aromatherapy and far infrared energy to stimulate the meridian points on the body, causing blood to circulate and detoxify the body in the infected area reducing inflammation, discomfort and pain.

For general health maintenance, Patch-it!  can be applied to the soles of the feet before bed; you will wake up feeling refreshed, invigorated and ready for a new day.

When used over a period of five to 10 days, Patch-it! will reduce aches and pains, promote a general feeling of well-being and reduce stress. Call 01506 840 616 for stockists details or visit www.patch-it.info.

Can massaging my feet help with insomnia?

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es. Getting a foot massage - or giving one to yourself - can be one of the most soothing pre-bed rituals to aid relaxation.

Reflexology goes one step further. It´s a form of foot massage based on the theory that different areas of the foot represent, and are connected with, the body´s internal organs. A reflexology sleep product called Patch-it! works by stimulating pressure points on your feet as you sleep. It comes in the form of sticky patches you put on the soles of your feet before bed, and in a recent study it dramatically improved sleep. It costs £12.95 for six patches (01506 840616; www.patch-it.info).

Try it. The makers of Patch-it! are offering a free trial of this natural treatment for one month. You have to e-mail feedback after two and four weeks.

If you´re over 18 and have trouble sleeping, you can e-mail sleeptrial@ccdpr.com for more information about taking part.

Wednesday October 3

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ome weeks ago a public relations company sent out bumph about a new innovation called Patch It.

These are patches you stick on your feet overnight which claim to “detox your hangover away”.

Not convinced my colleague emailed the company asking for a sample and, following attendance at the beer festival last night, she gave them a try.

She noted on the box that removal of toxins can result in the patches changing from their original white to a different colour but is slightly perturbed to awake this morning and find the patches have turned black.

Since she has no hangover she has concluded that they probably work. But just in case it´s a fluke she´s going back to the beer festival tonight to give them another try.

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iredness can make you look and feel less than your best, but all is not lost. Patch-it, a “tear-and-wear” plaster-style patch that you place on the soles of your feet overnight, can help you overcome the hangover from hell.

Patch-it is a detoxification patch that when placed on the soles of the feet stimulates the body´s naturally occurring reflexology points.  These points are stimulated by double distilled mandarin wood vinegar, the powerful core ingredient.

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his vinegar emits far infrared energy (heat) through the skin, which in turn stimulates the acupressure points on your feet to help to detox your body and expel nasty toxins through your natural body channels.

Placing one patch on each foot before going to bed will ensure, say the makers, a restful night´s sleep with you waking up feeling refreshed, and ready to face the day. Patch-it is £12.95 for six patches, £20.99 for 14 or £29.99 for 20, and is available from independent health food stores and www.nutricentre.com.

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ith the party season behind us, this is the perfect time to detox with Patch-It, a new “tear-and-wear” plaster-style patch that helps detoxify the system overnight.

The patch is placed on the soles of the feet at bedtime to stimulate the body´s meridians by warming the reflexology points. This encourages healing and repair throughout the body including the liver, digestive system, kidneys, reproductive system, lungs and thyroid.

When used over a period of 5-10 days Patch-It will help:
- Improve blood circulation and aid detoxification
- Promote recovery from sports injuries and conditions such as muscle sprains, strains, arthritis
- Reduce aches and pains eg. shoulder stiffness, period pain
- Increase energy levels
- Improve sleep

What is the active ingredient of Patch-It?
Patch-it contains purified powdered mandarin wood vinegar that emits far infrared energy (heat) through the skin, which in turn stimulates the body´s reflexology points.

How does reflexology promote detoxification?
The concept of healing various parts of the body through stimulation of points on the soles of the feet has been used in Chinese medicine for 2000 years.
Says Amy Wong, distributor of Patch-It in the UK: “Patch-It fuses Eastern and Western concepts of health and wellbeing, combining the principles of traditional healing and conventional science. Much like the use of needles in acupuncture or massage to generate stimulus in other organ or body functions, the far infrared effect of Patch-It generates stimuli to the reflex points within the body to promote efficient functioning of the organs and tissues.”

How does the body benefit from far infra red energy?
Patch-It works by boosting the far infrared (FIR) energy that our tissues normally produce, to increase warmth and healing. FIR energy has been researched and tested for many years in Japan, China, the US and Sweden for a range of conditions including muscle sprains, arthritis, shoulder stiffness, period pain and peripheral vascular diseases.
Our bodies radiate FIR energy through the skin at three to 50 microns, the most output at around 10 microns. This infrared energy is needed to stimulate normal tissue repair and regeneration. Parts of the body that have been injured or are not functioning properly selectively absorb infrared rays to speed up tissue repair.

What are the health benefits of mandarin wood vinegar?
The art of distilling burnt wood from mandarin trees to produce vinegar was first developed in ancient Japan. From the charcoal kiln, smoke billows upward. When this smoke is cooled and condensed, a thick brown/black liquid results.
This liquid is raw pryoligneous acid. From this raw material, further refining is carried out to remove the tar and any other undesirable elements. The result is a beautiful pale yellow liquid (like very weak tea) with far infrared properties. This liquid is then aged for up to a year to produce the final high quality wood vinegar that can be consumed as a health tonic to warm the body, activate the skin, moisturise and promote the efficient overall function.

Are there any other uses for Patch It besides detox?
The patch can also be used on aching and tired joints and muscles. When the poultice is placed in contact with the skin where there is injury or pain, the far infrared energy directly affects the injured area.
Parch-It, from Nutriworks, retails at £12.95 for six patches, £20.99 for 14 patches or £29.99 for 20 patches. For stockists or futher information readers can call 01506 840 616 or visit http://www.patch-it.info

Testimonial by Shane Butt Age 34

“Before I used to fall asleep during the day most days but now I don’t, so get more from my life. My lack of sleep had any impact on my family life as some days I was too tired to go out. An added bonus was that with the patches even my husband snoring does not wake me up!!”

•    I have had my sleep problem for approx 15 years - since I was 19! It run’s in my family as my nan, mum and sister also have had the same problems sleeping as me.

•    I have real trouble getting off to sleep and then staying asleep, on average getting only 3/4 hours sleep a night. I have taken nytol on occasion to try to get into a good sleeping pattern only to find when I stop taking it my problem returns.

•    Trying to look after my twin boys (1 with special needs) while not getting enough sleep is a killer at times! When I first got the Patch-it patches I didn’t think they would work as everything else I had tried had failed - but they did!

•    After only wearing the Patch-it patches for 3/4 days I was asleep in about an hour and a half and each night after that the time reduced until I could go to bed and be asleep in half an hour, which is great!  I wake up feeling refreshed and more awake during the day.

•    Before I used to fall asleep during the day most days but now i don’t, so get more from my life. My lack of sleep had any impact on my family life as some days I was too tired to go out. An added bonus was that with the patches even my husband snoring does not wake me up!!

Testimonial by Lisa Brown Age 25

“The Patch-it patches took a few weeks to work, but now it takes me less than an hour to fall asleep and most nights I rarely wake up!! It has made such a difference to my life”

•    I have always had sleep problems, as a young child I was given valergan forte medicine.  I think that my body became dependant on it and when I was about 9 years old the doctor wouldn’t allow me to continue taking the medicine, as it was addictive!

•    I went back to the doctor on various occasions when I was older telling him that I was probably already addicted to it but they refused to prescribe me anymore and gave me a relaxing tape instead.

•    As a child I think my mum really struggled as I was awake until very late and when I did go to bed it would be a while before I would sleep then I was always waking up during the night.

•    From about 13 years old the relaxing tape was just no good.  I have always been very active and never sat still for more than 2 mins!  As a teenager I did not know how to relax or have time out!  I tried a few herbal things over the years but nothing worked.

•    I really struggled at school especially with my exams, as I would be awake until 3am most nights then having to get up for school.  I was always very tired in the morning & would struggle to concentrate in class.  I would then be passed the point of needing to sleep and lie awake at night!

•    I tried earplugs as a late teen to try and block out noise etc.  I have tried traditional myths such as warm milk, bath, set routine etc, simovane tablets, and valerian with no luck. So I have lived with about 5 hrs sleep a night since I was very young.

•    It’s really difficult when I have fulltime work, as I just can’t sleep.  I eventually gave up working full time 3 years ago, as it was too difficult. I had to get a job where I worked evenings so that I would at least have the energy to go in.

•    Working in nurseries is what I really wanted to do but couldn’t because I just didn’t sleep well enough to start at 8.30am and work with children. I have since reapplied and start back in a few weeks. I have slept so much better since I started using Patch-it overnight foot patches.

•    The  took a few weeks to work, but now it takes me less than an hour to fall asleep and most nights I rarely wake up!! It has made such a difference to my life now-I am more able to enjoy things as I don’t feel like a zombie! I have energy all day long!!!

Testimonial by Lesley James Age 29

“I have tried so many different things to help me sleep like baths, milky drinks. By using the Patch-it sleep patches I felt confident that I wouldn’t have an adverse reaction as they are completely natural and if I did start to feel funny I could simply take them off.”

Suffered from sleep problems for about 2 years. At times I considered myself an insomniac

I have tried so many different things to help me sleep like baths, milky drinks.  I have would never try sleeping tablets as I needed to be sure that I would wake up if my children needed me.

My sleep problems had a big impact on me emotionally and practically.  Emotionally it was very hard as I also have bipolar and lack of sleep is a big trigger for me; practically, I suffer from an under active thyroid - some days I can’t even remember my name and looking after the children is very difficult.

I would often wake up tired and irritable - in the day I would find simple tasks daunting, and find that I couldn’t function in a normal way.

My constant tiredness meant that my husband had to take on a lot more of the family life and in the end he left, although this wasn’t all down to my lack of sleep it certainly didn’t help the situation.

Having bipolar means a lack of sleep makes everyday more and more difficult. Also not feeling the need to sleep is one of the symptoms of bipolar, as I am already on tablets for this I find a lot of other tablets can react adversely to this so I tend to avoid them.

By using the Patch-it sleep patches I felt confident that I wouldn’t have an adverse reaction as they are completely natural and if I did start to feel funny I could simply take them off. I liked the feeling of control with Patch-it and the fact that they are a natural product.

Testimonial by Karen Roscoe Age 44

“I tried the patches and from the first night - WOW!!! I sank comfortably into a deep and restful sleep………ALL NIGHT! It was heavenly.”

For the last 10 yrs I’ve had problems sleeping. It was sometimes up to 2hrs before I got to sleep and then I’d wake during the night as many as 6 or 7 times. Before this started I was just a ‘light sleeper’

Lack of sleep had knock-on effects. If I had 2 or 3 bad nights I’d be ‘ratty’ with people, short tempered and sometimes rather emotional! My concentration would be non-existent making even simple things quite challenging. I was constantly tired during the day and just had no energy to do anything at times. I’d not want to visit people if it meant staying overnight as sleeping away from home made the problem even worse.

Over the years I tried many things. I started with the usual - milky drinks and cutting out tea 2hrs before bed. It helped a little but nowhere near enough! Next I tried a shiatsu point on my leg (taught in a yoga class) - this would also work occasionally but again, not enough. After that came self-hypnosis with some success - the best yet but it wasn’t total success.  This was followed by Phenergan, a very mild sedative, suggested by my neighbour (and checked with my doctor, of course!!). Thought I’d hit the jackpot but the effect wasn’t consistent and it could only be used for 7 days at a time. I thought that was my lot until I came across the sleep trial.

I tried the patches and from the first night - WOW!!! I sank comfortably into a deep and restful sleep………ALL NIGHT! It was heavenly. Not only did I sleep that first night but i did so every night of the months trial (except the night spent on a slowly deflating blow-up mattress in an unheated conservatory in December at a relatives house!!!!!)

I really can’t praise these patches enough (although I’ve been trying - I don’t think there’s a person I know that hasn’t had me bending their ear about them). It felt like a miracle to sleep through the night, every night, and wake rested every morning. Life is much easier and calmer now!

One upside of my search for a sleep ‘cure’ is a new career! I loved the self-hypnosis so much that I retrained as a hypnotherapist and I’ve helped many people since- though none with sleep problems - yet!!

I’d recommend anyone with problems sleeping to try these patches and be amazed!!!

Testimonial by Joan Hoult Age 64

“I have now been using Patch-it! for over two years and I am absolutely thrilled to have found something that helps me not only sleep again, but that also completely stops the pain that I experienced at night”

•    I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis (degeneration of the nerves of the spinal cord and brain) seven years ago.

•    My MS severely affected my legs and meant that I could not walk as well or as far as I used to. I also had “burning nerve endings” which meant that I suffered from restless legs and burning feet all the time, but mostly at night – I couldn’t sleep well at all.

•    My friend recommended that I try Patch-it! after she saw another MS sufferer recommending the patches in a magazine. Because the patches were all natural and non-invasive - unlike the strong painkilling drugs I took daily to make my life bearable – I thought I would give them a go!

•    I have now been using Patch-it! for over two years and I am absolutely thrilled to have found something that helps me not only sleep again, but that also completely stops the pain that I experienced at night. My philosophy from having MS is ‘use it, don’t lose it!’ and Patch-it! has helped me make the most of my life, by easing the pain brought on by the MS.