When it comes to purchasing a MS cooling vest or Multiple Sclerosis cooling vest, what do you need to keep in mind for finding one that works for you?
Not all cooling vests work for people with Multiple Sclerosis.
There are many different cooling products available and the best one for you depends on your personal situation, activity and environment.
The main types of cooling systems are listed below, along with their advantages and limitations and on whether they can help you find relief when it comes to Multiple Sclerosis heat related problems.
* Evaporative Cooling Vest
Key Advantages: Light weight, low cost, excellent cooling in dry climates, cools for many hours
Key Limitations: Requires soaking the garment in water, poor performance in high humidity climates, lowest overall cooling energy.
NOT EFFECTIVE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS!
* Cold Pack Cooling Vest
Key Advantage: Very high cooling energy for moderate cost, light to moderate weight, effective cooling in all climates, cools for up to 4 hours depending on environmental conditions, may be used under clothing.
Key Limitations: Requires access to a freezer and time for the packs to freeze
Helpful for Multiple Sclerosis, but requires longer time to freeze the ice packs and doesn't stay as cold as long as the phase change, since the water in the ice packs thaws out faster than the phase change ice packs, but this will work for MS cooling if you can't afford to buy the cooling vest with the phase change ice packs.
* Phase Change Cooling Packs cooling vest
Key Advantage: Controlled release of a constant temperature of 58 degrees F or 14 degrees C, packs may be recharged in ice water, no freezer required, effective cooling in all climates, but the ice packs do freeze faster and stay colder longer if placed in a freezer or a cooler with ice water in it. Can be re-cooled much quicker than water ice packs and stays colder for a longer period of time. Cools for up to 3 hours.
Key Limitations: Weight a bit higher and cost higher, than water ice packs, but is colder for longer and easier to get ice packs cold again, once they thaw out than with water ice packs.
Some health insurances will cover purchasing this type of cooling vest, but often you have to purchase the cooling vests with the ice packs first and then provide the needed documentation, with the help of your doctor, to your health insurance to justify the purchase to them so that your health insurance can reimburse you for the purchase if the cooling vest.
* Active Cooling cooling vest
Key Advantage: Most effective deep cooling, adjustable cooling, light weight vest and provides extended cooling between reservoir charges. The system will provide many hours of cooling before the ice and water needs to be recharged.
Key Limitations: High cost, tethered system that requires power and an ice water reservoir.
This type of vest makes it so that you can't move around from one location to another, since you need to plug into a power source and carrying around the reservoir makes it less useful. The other problem is that you need to periodically add more ice to the reservoir for the cooling vest to keep you cool.
This type of cooling vest will work for MS cooling, but the price is so high that most health insurances won't cover the cost of purchasing this type of cooling vest.
When it comes to purchasing a MS cooling vest or Multiple Sclerosis cooling vest, search around online first to see what is out there, and then call and ask questions to find something that will work for you.
Cooling vests for Multiple Sclerosis are effective ways to cool off and beat the heat with Multiple Sclerosis to help you to function better, in spite of the heat, but even if you are wearing a MS cooling vest, be sure to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated, since if you do not drink enough water, you can still have a problem with feeling dizzy, nauseous or feel like passing out from you getting too dehydrated.
Wearing a cooling vest doesn't mean that you still shouldn't drink cold water, during hot weather.
Click on the link if you would like more information about natural ways that we have found to help calm down more of the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis -- MS natural
If you have found this information to be helpful or if you would like to add any other information, related to this topic, please leave us your comments! We would love to hear from you!
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