Manchester City football (soccer) players, one of the top clubs in the UK, wear compression stockings after practice.  Club boss Roberto Mancini said the organization has invested vast amounts of money in sports science, and wearing compression stockings could give their players the extra edge needed to win.

Dr. Sam Erith, the club’s sports science chief, said “There is evidence to show immersing yourself in cold water following exercise can reduce the symptoms of muscle damage. Once our guys are out of the bath we advise them to wear compression socks for the evening to help promote a favorable blood flow.”

There are many devices to help you put on compression garments.  Most of our manufacturers offer their own version of stocking donners, which look like metal cages about 1 ½ feet high.  You fit a stocking over a round metal shape in the center and then step into it, allowing your downward leg motion to do most of the work.  Stocking donners require patience and practice, and are most useful for individuals who can’t bend at the waist.

Easy-Slide, arm slippies, Slippie Gator, rubber donning gloves are other devises which seem to be more useful.  However, one of the least known and most effective donning aids is a bottle of fitting lotion.  The main ingredient in fitting lotions is silicone.  Applied to an arm or leg, it makes the limb very slippery for just enough time to slide on and adjust the garment.  For individuals who have difficulty pulling their stockings up the leg, or pulling an armsleeve up the arm, fitting lotion can be a life saver.

Alps fitting lotion is available in a 4oz squeeze bottle and priced at $19.95.  Compression Assist is $14.95 for a convenient 2oz spray bottle.

Fitting lotions are hypo-allergenic, odorless, and safe for all types of fabrics.  As an added bonus, they protect sensitive skin and make dry chapped skin feel silky smooth.

What items were popular in 2011? These are the ten best-selling items in 2011 by unit.

Keep in mind many other items we sell have received customer reviews of 100%.   Most of these highly rated items didn’t make the Top 10 because they are from the more expensive premium lines, and not sold with the same frequency.

Times are tough and Mediven, one of our leading premium hosiery manufacturers, has put time and effort into upgrading their economy line called “Assure”.  The fabric is softer and there are more sizes available.

Assure knee highs and thigh highs are now available in petite lengths, in all three compression levels 15-20, 20-30, and 30-40mmHg.  Petites are even available in the extra-wide calf sizes.

In addition to petite sizing, Medi improved the softness of the Assure fabric and redesigned the foot to make it more comfortable.

The new improved Medi Assure has a reinforced heel & toe for increased durability and can be machine washed and dried.

Medi Assure is for both Men and Women.

Numerous studies have shown that eating fish is good for us.  The Omega-3 fatty acids found in many fish greatly reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.  A new study recently completed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine finds that fish maybe good for our brains too.

In a 15 year study lead by Dr. Cyrus Raji, 260 older individuals with an average age of 71, had their brains measured by MRI-scans.  The people who ate more baked or broiled fish had more gray matter.  Gray matter makes up the main cells of the brain, and is primarily made up of neurons.  The more gray matter in your brain, the healthier it is.

The research also found a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment among the group that ate more baked or broiled fish.  To all my fellow Wisconsinites,  eating fried fish did not increase gray matter volume or reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment.

Much more research needs to be done.  This study only showed an association between fish consumption and a healthier brain.  That being said… I know what I’m having for dinner tonight.

You can read more about this study in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Many individuals can’t or won’t wear compression stockings because they can’t get them on. This is especially true with patients who have more advanced disease and require higher levels of compression.

Farrow Medical, Solaris, and CircAid all make ready-to-wear WRAPS that will fit, and can be donned by almost anyone.

FarrowWrap for the calf and foot, is made out of strips of short-stretch fabric, with Velcro closures.  A liner stocking is typically donned first, then the strips are folded over in sequence starting at the ankle.  A  wrap for the foot, and hybrid liner with compression in the foot only are also available.  FarrowWrap is available in two compression levels, Lite (20-30mmHg) and Classic (30-40mmHg).

ReadyWrap Quick-Fit by Solaris mimics traditional bandaging and is made using non-elastic Velcro straps.  ReadyWrap is available for the foot, calf, knee and thigh.  Pieces can be worn individually or together to provide compression from the toes to the groin.

Juxta Lite by CircAid provides dynamic compression, is inelastic, and can be worn day and night.  Compression increases when you are active and decreases when you’re at rest.  A Built-In Pressure System (BPS) can be adjusted to provide 20-30, 30-40, or 40-50mmHg.

If one of these ready-to-wear options won’t work for you, custom wraps are available for every part of the body.  Give us a call at 1-877-545-8585.

We know getting the right fitting compression garment can be difficult, particularly for first time buyers. Sometimes the style, size, or color just isn’t right for you.  That’s why BrightLife Direct has always tried to make the return/exchange process easy.  With the launch of our online return request feature, this process just got easier and more efficient.  Key features of online returns are:

• Automatically receive RA#
• Email notification when your return is received
• Email notification when your refund/exchange has been processed

If you ordered online and are a registered user, you can now use online returns.  Just log into your account, click view order, and you can request a return or exchange for any item you purchased (within the past 30 days).   A return authorization number (RA#) is automatically emailed to you.  Write the RA number on the outside of your package, enclose your return/exchange form, and mail.

Online returns are not available if your order was placed by phone or if you checked-out as a guest (without registering).  To request an RA#, just send us an email or give us a call at 1-877-545-8585.  The return/exchange form sent with your order has our address and instructions for requesting a refund or exchange.

Sigvaris recently changed the sizing charts on most of their premium products.  All original sizing is 40% below MSRP but stock is limited, and once they’re gone… they’re gone.  Here’s a small sample of what’s on sale.

• 232 Men’s Cotton Thigh High MSRP $119.65, now $71.79
• 362 Women’s Cushioned Cotton Knee High MSRP $79.95, now $47.97
• 782 Eversheer Pantyhose MSRP $109.95, now 65.97
• 362 Men’s Cushioned Cotton Knee High MSRP $79.95, now $47.97

Each Sigvaris item in Clearance has a link to the correct size chart associated with that product.

We have a Clearance Dept. for Men, and a Clearance Dept. for Women on our website.  Remember to check  periodically for the deepest discounts.  Our 30-day guarantee still applies, unless otherwise noted.

Doctors at the University of Heidelberg and Saarland University Hospital, both in Germany, recently completed a study comparing the effectiveness of traditional surgery and lasers in the treatment of varicose veins.

346 patients were randomly assigned to have either high ligation and stripping (HLS) or endovenous laser treatment (EVLT).  Two years after treatment, patients were evaluated for the effectiveness of the treatment, quality of life, and adverse effects.

Both treatments were found to be safe, effective, and improved the patients quality of life, but there were differences.

Varicose veins recurred in 23.1% of the patients who had traditional surgery (HLS), versus 16.2% of the patients who had laser treatment (EVLT).  Laser treatment resulted in better blood flow, cosmetic results, and faster recovery, but these patients experienced more swelling, tightness and skin discoloration.  Blood pooling where the veins in the leg come together was higher for individuals who had laser treatment, 18% versus 1% for traditional surgery.

You can read the entire study in the September 19th edition of Archives of Dermatology.

Not all varicose veins require removal.  Most can be treated with compression stockings. Talk to your doctor.

Have you ever found yourself in the same room with a pair of unpleasantly smelly feet?  Yuck.  Were the feet yours? Double yuck.  Make note, BrightLife Direct has socks that will tame even the most odoriferous feet.

Foot odor is created by bacterial toxins that thrive in warm, moist, confined conditions, like sweaty socks.  Did you know there are 250,000 sweat glands in your feet?  More than any other part of your body!  Socks obviously come in direct contact with your feet and the fiber composition of a sock can have a direct effect on foot odor.  Synthetic fibers like nylon and spandex can restrict ventilation making the foot warmer and wetter.  Natural fibers like cotton and wool provide greater air flow, but all compression stockings must have some synthetic fibers to provide the needed compression.

Two great solutions for your little stinkers are our Juzo Silver Sole socks and our new Aetrex Copper Sole socks.  Silver and copper have natural anti-microbial properties that kill off the bacteria at the root of the problem.  Aetrex copper socks are relatively new to BrightLife Direct.  In addition to Aetrex compression, we sell their non-binding cushioned diabetic socks, and their athletic socks with cushioned feet and arch support.

As of this writing we have not received any Aetrex customer reviews, but our staff loves them!