August 16th, 2012Top Story Therapik Bug Bite Relieving Gadget Review: We Can't Believe This Actually Works By Brent Rose Are you being eaten alive by mosquitos? Is the itch driving you completely and utterly insane? Us too! So when we heard about this magic wand that supposedly takes the itch away, we had to call it in to make fun of it. We, uh... we were wrong. What Is It? It's a small handheld wand you use to zap bites to make them stop itching. Who's It For? People who encounter mosquitoes, bees, wasps, hornets, black flies, ants, fleas, ticks, chiggers and even jellyfish and stinging nettle. Not for use with snake or spider bites, sadly. Design It looks like a 1960s sci-fi prop. It's a thick remote control with a big, round button. You look at it and instantly think, "There is no way in hell this cheap piece of crap is going to work." Using It You put the tip of the Therapik onto your bug bite, then you press and hold down the button. The tip uses light to heat the bite up. You hold it there for as long as you can take it, up to a minute. The burning sensation gets pretty intense after 30 seconds or so. The Best Part We honestly never in a million years thought we'd be saying this, but it actually works! Mosquito bites (the only thing we tested it with) stopped itching within a few seconds of taking it off, and in most cases they never itched again again. We are officially stunned. Tragic Flaw It looks so crappy and bad that most people will dismiss it before ever trying it. This Is Weird... Still completely amazed that this works. Like, seriously? Look at it! Test Notes This thing is actually confirmed by the FDA to deliver bug bite relief. It's powered by a single 9V battery and has lasted close to a hundred applications so far. It works on the principle that most insect venom is thermolabile (sensitive to heat). Therapik claims to deliver "heat in the precise temperature range necessary to deactivate the venom from over 20,000 different species of insects and sea creatures." It helps to reduce the bite's swelling, as well. It's light, but it's just a bit too bulky to be considered "pocket-sized." It will however fit in a small backpack pocket, so it would still be great for camping. If one application doesn't do it, you can reapply as often as you want. Therapik's website certainly doesn't help the "there's no way this isn't BS" factor. If your bites are under your socks, they will chafe when you walk and start itching again. Should You Buy It? We can't believe we're saying this, but yes, totally. This thing, despite being ugly and overly bulky, is great. At first we thought it was just psychosomatic, but after a few weeks of testing, we believe it to be legit. Even if you don't believe us (and we don't blame you, because, come on, right?) it'll only cost you thirteen bucks to find out for yourself. [Therapik] View Full Photo Gallery » Therapik Specs • Weight: 4 oz. • Dimensions: 3cm x 3cm x 10cm • Battery: 9V • Price: $13 • Giz Rank: 4.0 stars

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