As a child, the 43-year-old used to spend weekends at his father’s treatment centre where patients came to soothe their aches and pains with generational concoctions passed down from his grandfather, a Kungfu grandmaster who trained many a student during his day.
Speaking to FMT recently, Yap said that although traditional Chinese medicines are often labelled unscientific, he was convinced of their efficacy but wanted to combine them with more modern treatment styles.
An introduction to Fan Jian Ping by a mutual friend, set this idea in motion, and the pair came up with PainFix.
“We did a lot of research, trying to prove that traditional herbs do work scientifically, since many people view them as old wives’ tales that have no validity whatsoever, but if it’s been used for decades effectively, surely today’s technology can prove it, right?” Fan said.
Hence, a gruelling testing process followed, and the two did prove that the herbs used in the treatment centre were effective in reducing inflammation, the main cause of the pain.
Encouraged by the results, they decided to roll out a series of gels and patches using those very same herbs but in a purer extract form.
As is the case with Chinese medicine, a few visits are required to administer the full treatment since the method is non-invasive.
“With how busy people are nowadays, we hope our gels and patches will be a more convenient way for them to use at home,” Yap said.
However, since their products technically fall under the medicine category, it took them almost two long years before the Ministry of Health and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency gave PainFix the green light.
“We had to prove that every single herb in the product is useful and doesn’t have any negative effects,” Fan said.
Yap recalled that when he was in New York years ago, the medicinal powder his family used to send over to him worked wonders in easing his recurring shoulder pain.
Fan on the other hand, uses the PainFix gel as a preventative measure before engaging in vigorous physical activity.
“As an avid hiker myself, I find our products really useful in preventing joint pains that are common after a hike,” he said, “This is because the herb extracts in it increase one’s blood circulation.”
The co-founders also said while PainFix was useful, patients must bear in mind that engaging in some form of physical activity was necessary after applying their products. Gentle stretches were recommended.
“The products will help you, but you need to help yourself, too,” Fan said.
There are currently three products under the PainFix line – pain-relieving gel, relief cream for muscles and joints as well as restore patches (in packs of two or five).
Yap and Fan hope to develop more products down the line for their patients looking for an effective fix for their muscle and joint pains.
“It’d be nice to make different types of treatment patches for specific areas of the body,” Yap said.
Head to PainFix’s official website here for more information.