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NO MORE TEARS WITH JABS

Announcement posted by Gigi Shaw Comms Consulting 14 Apr 2021

Simple plastic device to block needle sensation lands in Australia – for use at home or at the doctor

Media release - for immediate release

 

NO MORE TEARS WITH JABS

Simple plastic device to block needle sensation lands in Australia – for use at home or at the doctor

 

Sydney, 13 April 21

·      A chemical-free, non-invasive solution reduces or removes the feeling of the needle poke

·      Works in 93.2% of users[1]

·      Perfect for kids & adults with needle fear, or regular injection-receivers

·      Can be easily used at home for insulin or other self-administered shots

·      Can be used by nurses and GPs for vaccinations or allergy shots

Most of us are glad that COVID vaccinations are getting close, but many Aussies are secretly dreading going to the doctor for their next injection. Now, a simple device used in the US and UK is available to reduce the sensation of the needle without any toxins or extra steps – some people feel nothing at all when using it.

Needle stick fear

As many as one in ten people has needle phobia, and one in five of those avoids medical treatment and can miss out on urgent care. Many of us put off going to the doctor because of it, and have to suffer anxiously in the lead up – or we put off taking kids because we want to delay the tears. Some people’s fear is so extreme is has led to death instead of treatment.

It has been a problem since needles were invented, and we still don’t know why. But for many, needle phobia starts in childhood – often in relation to a medical experience that makes us link healthcare with pain or fear.

It can be a serious problem that causes great anxiety and delays or disrupts proper medical care. Parents go out of their way to try to prevent their children associating the doctor with pain and fear, even if they do themselves.

People try different methods to alleviate the phobia – including hypnosis, or requesting numbing sprays and creams before a jab. For young children especially, it is difficult to explain the unusual feeling of a needle prick, although people try with some success to bribe or reward them with treats, distract them with iPads, or play down the pain.

Designed by a paediatrician to block pain

If you dread getting pricked, or you have children that do, you know that ‘just getting over it’ isn’t an option. But now there is a tiny object that can safely and non-invasively prevent the pain, with no chemicals or drugs, smells, skin damage, or side effects. It’s so simple, it’s hard to believe on sight – but studies have shown that 93.2% of people experience mild or no pain when using it.

ShotBlocker® has been used with great success in the US and Europe, and is now available for the first time in Australia and New Zealand. Doctors and pharmacists recommend its use for those with a fear of needles. It can also be used early on children, so they don’t develop an association between needles and pain.

For those living with diabetes or other conditions that necessitate regular injections, it is easy, safe and cheap to use at home. It is reusable (on the same patient) and small enough to put in a purse or pocket.

ShotBlocker® works in a unique way, using ‘gate control’ pain management. It is a plastic disc with a gap for the needle. Small blunt bumps are pressed against the skin, distracting the body by saturating the sensory nerves so that pain impulses aren’t sent up the spinal cord to the brain.

Doctors in the US, where the device has been used for some time, report patients and parents asking for the ShotBlocker® by name because of positive prior experiences. It can be used for all injections under the skin or into muscle almost everywhere on the body – including vaccinations and minor injections such as allergy shots or insulin.

Ask for it at your next shot

ShotBlocker® is produced by Bionix Medical Technologies and will be exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by ECOMED, one of Australia’s most trusted medical equipment distributors. It is available now at Pharmacy Online and in store at selected pharmacies – ask your pharmacist or doctor about it at your next visit.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Gigi Shaw

E:  giginatashashaw@gmail.com

 

For purchasing enquiries, please contact:

Lauren Callaghan

ECOMED Customer Care

T: 1800 67 5432

E: sales@ecomed.com.au

  

About ECOMED

Established in 1995, Ecomed is an Australian owned distributor of Medical Equipment & Consumables that has provided Australia and New Zealand healthcare markets with high quality products for a quarter century.

Ecomed’s highly qualified, specialist staff are a dedicated team of professional healthcare Product Specialists, Product Managers & Clinical Educators that provide best in field before and after sales support.

Global manufacturers partner with Ecomed because we understand their products; know their customers; and are passionate about providing the best products to the ANZ market and its patients.

Ecomed distributes diagnostic, emergency care, infant care, monitoring, cryotherapy, respiratory, and general medical care equipment and supplies. For more information, visit ecomed.com.au.

 

About ShotBlocker®

Invented by James Huttner, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and co-founder of Bionix Medical Technologies, a Toledo, Ohio based medical device company., US Patent # 6,902,554.

The effectiveness of the ShotBlocker® has been clinically tested and supported through four independent studies. The medical facilities involved with these studies include: Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey‐ Robert Wood Medical School;  Department of Emergency Medicine, St Christopher’s Hospital for Children ‐  Drexel University College of Medicine; Department of Pediatrics, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines; Family Physicians Association of Flower Hospital, Toledo, Ohio; Maumee Pediatrics Associates, Maumee, Ohio.

 


[1] A study on the Efficacy of ShotBlocker® found that 93.2% of those with ShotBlocker experienced mild to no pain compared to 51.7% of those without ShotBlocker®.