New product helps 'zap' away the itch

New product helps 'zap' away the itch


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LANSING, MI — When bug sprays don't work, a new device promises relief from bug bites. It's called the Therapik, and it claims to end pain and itching in 30 seconds by using heat from a tiny light bulb.

"It may be destroying some of the proteins that are injected by the female mosquito, and those are the things that elicit the immune response that you get itching and that sort of thing with it," said Dr. Michael Kaufman, Associate Prof., Dept of Entomology MSU told WILX

The device is used by holding a light directly next to the bite. The heat from the light should be applied for about 30 seconds or until it gets too warm for comfort. After treatment, the pain from the bite is supposed to vanish.

The treatment must occur directly after a bite for it to be effective.

"This is one of the things that the mosquito tries to avoid. It doesn't want you to know because you're going to smash it. And while it's feeding some of these things actually numb the sensation," said Kaufman.

The device recently got FDA approval and is being sold at Wal-mart and online at retailers like Amazon.com. It sells for around $12.

The Therapik is also supposed to work on bee and wasp stings and even jelly fish stings. If it doesn't work with one 30 second treatment, it can be used multiple times until relief is felt. There are no warnings against use on children, but that bulb is warm and has to be applied when a person is holding still.

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Amanda Malkowski, NBC News

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