A temperature controlled therapeutic plush toy assembly is disclosed. The plush toy has a body, a thermal block contained within the body, and temperature retaining materials contained within the body. The thermal block can hold either hot or cold temperatures. The temperature of the thermal block can be modified by either placing the plush toy in the microwave or placing the plush toy in the freezer. The temperature retaining materials provide insulation to the thermal block and disperse the modified temperature of the thermal block throughout the body of the plush toy. The plush toy also has interchangeable temperature controlling garments. A heating garment is capable to heating the temperature of the body of the plush toy and a cooling garment is capable of cooling the temperature of the body of the plush toy.

The present invention provides methods and devices for controlling a cold slurry that is delivered to a target tissue and for limiting heat transferring from surrounding tissue to the target tissue. In particular, a balloon structure is deployed at or near a point of delivery to act as a physical and/or thermal barrier. In some instances, the balloon structure can act as a pressure device obstructing the flow of warm blood into a treatment area, which can melt the cold slurry.

Treatment systems include conformable applicators and adhesive liners for performing cryotherapy. Aspects of the technology are further directed to treatment methods and conformable applicators capable of affecting target regions. The conformable applicators and liners can be applied to a wide range of treatment sites. The liner can include a thermal coupling substance within a sealed reservoir to promote thermal coupling with the target region. A strap assembly can hold the applicator against the treatment site, and a holder assembly can be adhered to the subject's skin to inhibit, limit, or substantially prevent movement of the applicator along the subject's skin.

A conformal thermal device is described that can conform to one or more body parts of a user for either warming or cooling the body parts to within a desired or therapeutic temperature range. Some embodiments of the conformal thermal device include features that indicate a cooling and/or heating temperature. In addition, some embodiments of the conformal thermal device include modular extensions for adapting the shape of the conformal thermal device to a part of the body. Various other features and functions associated with the conformal thermal device are described herein.

Methods, systems and devices for enhancing sleep, including enhancing the quality of sleep, reducing sleep onset time, increasing total sleep time, treating insomnia, and/or treating other neurological disorders by non-invasive temperature regulation of the frontal cortex prior to and/or during sleep. Described herein are thermal applicators that include phase change materials and/or evaporative cooling, as well as headgear for securing the applicators comfortably against the appropriate region of the user's head.

A heating element includes an electrically insulating layer; resistive layer formed of a positive temperature coefficient material; and an electrically conductive layer disposed between the electrically insulating layer and the resistive layer and including a first bus and a second bus that is spaced apart from the first bus, the resistive layer electrically connecting the first bus and the second bus. The electrically insulating layer, the electrically conductive layer, and the resistive layer are stacked to form a lamination and the lamination having a thickness and a width and length extending orthogonal to the thickness. The lamination may have slits extending through the thickness thereof and along a portion of the length thereof. Terminals may be connected to the buses and arranged to provide a counter current flow pattern across the lamination. The lamination may be used in a warming device and in connection with a patient warming system.

An electrically-heatable plaster that comprises a self-adhesive skin contact layer, an electrically-conductive textile fabric in which electrically-conductive fibres are in contact with one another, as a heating element, and optionally at least one active substance, as well as to a method for production and the use of same for local heat therapy and/or transdermal application of active substances.

A gel-pack has a plurality of self-contained components organized as layers in an interior chamber of the gel-pack. Each layer may be inserted into, and removed from, the interior chamber individually. The components include a solid-state gel layer that stores thermal energy, a first radiant energy barrier that prevents the transfer of thermal energy radiating from an exterior of the gel-pack into the solid-state gel layer, and a second radiant energy barrier that reflects the thermal energy radiating from the user's body into the solid-state gel layer.

A thermal composite material and devices that incorporate the material control skin temperature within a specified range during standard cold therapy or heat therapy. The material and subsequent devices can also have a structural input-output feature to apply and measure a degree of compression. A primary use is as portable means for the immediate treatment of soft tissue injury. Secondary uses include use as portable means to aid temperature regulation in hot or cold environments for comfort or safety purposes.

Methods and apparatuses for manipulating the temperature of a surface are provided. Devices of the present disclosure may include a thermal adjustment apparatus, such as a controller in electrical communication with one or more thermoelectric materials, placed adjacent to the surface of skin. The device may generate a series of thermal pulses at the surface, for providing an enhanced thermal sensation for a user. The thermal pulses may be characterized by temperature reversibility, where each pulse includes an initial temperature adjustment, followed by a return temperature adjustment, over a short period of time (e.g., less than 120 seconds). The average rate of temperature change upon initiation and upon return may be between about 0.100/sec and about 1 OOC/sec. In some cases, the average rate of the initial temperature adjustment is greater in magnitude than the average rate of the return temperature adjustment.