Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to pain relief.
Kailo is a medicated patch used for pain relief. It’s available over-the-counter (OTC), meaning it does not require a doctor’s prescription. Over 1 million people have purchased Kailo according to the brand, and it’s marketed as a natural, drug-free option for pain relief.
But is Kailo actually proven to work in legitimate medical research, or is this another pain relief scam? What’s in Kailo anyway that makes it effective? Are there any side effects or risks associated with its use? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Kailo?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the clinical study funded by Kailo to give our take on whether or not the patch is likely to be effective for pain relief.
We’ll also review what Kailo is made of, because this information isn’t very clear from the brand’s website, and share real, unsponsored user reviews of Kailo.
Is Kailo Proven to Work?
Kailo has been studied in a clinical trial published in the Anaesthesia & Pain Research journal.
Patients experiencing pain used the Kailo patch over the course of 30 days and reported changes in pain scores. The average pain score decreased by 61% with use of Kailo patches, and no side effects were reported.
86% of patients using Kailo reported that they were “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with the treatment.
While these are favorable results, we consider this study to be poorly designed. It was not a double-blind study, which is the gold standard of clinical research because a double-blind study eliminates the placebo effect. If one group received unmedicated patches and one group received Kailo patches, these results would be much more impressive in our opinion.
We have also never heard of this journal before, and do not consider it to be reputable in the field of anaesthesiology (one of our Advisors is an anaesthesiologist).
This is legitimate medical research, but we do not consider Kailo to be definitively proven to work until these results are replicated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. We consider Kailo to be potentially effective for pain relief at this stage.
How Does Kailo Work?
Kailo’s website does a very poor job of explaining the technical specifications of the device in our opinion.
The brand’s FAQ page describes Kailo as being “designed to boost the natural signals of the body and help the brain communicate with disrupted areas more effectively,” which fails to specifically describe the mechanism of action, and is an unscientific description.
The clinical trial mentioned previously does a better job of describing Kailo’s mechanism of action. Kailo is made from copper, silver and silicon, and through the use of capacitors (which store electric charges), can emit and absorb electromagnetic signals which may influence pain signaling throughout the body.
It’s concerning to us that this process is described so vaguely in the clinical trial, and on Kailo’s website, and leaves many questions unanswered.
How does Kailo determine what electromagnetic signals to absorb? How does Kailo determine what frequency of electromagnetic signal is optimal to emit? Are these factors different for different patients? Are there long-term risks associated with the use of this type of device?
While some types of electromagnetic signaling are proven in clinical studies to improve human health (see research on red light therapy), the specifics of how Kailo works appear very poorly described.
An interview with Kailo’s founder even stated that “it’s all theory right now” when asked how the device works. This is not a convincing sign that this is a good time to buy this product in our opinion. We've timestamped the video below to start at that quote:
Is Kailo a Scam?
An entertaining and well-researched exposé on Kailo was published by a YouTube creator named “Thunderf00t.” The video has over 700,000 views and is definitely worth a watch for those considering purchasing this device:
Kailo Real Customer Reviews
Kailo is sold on Amazon which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The product has been reviewed over 2,700 times with an average review rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Elaine K. Dawson” who claims the product provided relief after two days of use:
“I recently had knee replacement on my left leg. During PT, my gait had changed and I began feeling pain in my right glutes….Received the patch last Saturday and spent all day trying to. find. relief with no success. Sunday morning I tried again and it worked.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Robin A. Maher” who claims the product was ineffective for relieving pain in her and her husband:
“Both my husband and I tried it in multiple places as suggested. He has CRPS and I have some nerve pain from Shingles going on. But this didn't do anything for either of us. I will be returning it today.”
How is Kailo Applied?
Kailo has published several videos on their YouTube page indicating how to properly apply the device to different parts of the body.
Here’s their instructional video on using Kailo on the head:
Here’s their instructional video on using Kailo on the lower back:
Here’s their instructional video on using Kailo on the knees:
Can Food-Based Supplements Relieve Pain?
Cinnamon is a spice that has been studied for its ability to reduce pain and support joint health.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that cinnamon supplementation at a daily dose of 500 mg reduced inflammation and joint swelling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
A 2020 clinical trial found that cinnamon supplementation reduced inflammatory markers. The study authors concluded that “Cinnamon could be regarded as a safe supplement to relieve pain.”
Illuminate Labs manufactures a Ceylon Cinnamon Extract supplement that’s potent (standardized to minimum 8% flavonoids) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy (test results published transparently on the product page). It only costs $15 for a monthly subscription.
Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract at this link.
Collagen is the core structural protein in joints. The body produces it naturally, but its production decreases with age. Medical research has shown that collagen can reduce joint pain in athletes at a 10 gram (g) daily dose, and can reduce arthritic pain (meta-study, doses ranging between 40 mg and 10 g daily dose).
We recommend Bulletproof Collagen Powder as our top collagen product because it provides an effective collagen dose per serving (20 g) and contains one single ingredient: collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed animals. There are no questionable additives. This supplement only costs $45.16 for over a month's worth of product.
Interested consumers can check out Bulletproof Collagen powder at this link to the brand's official website.
Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top pick for a topical CBD product.
CBD is clinically shown to be effectively absorbed through the skin, and CBD caused "significant improvements in pain" when applied topically in a 2020 clinical trial.
This lotion also contains menthol, which was shown in a 2022 clinical trial to reduce pain scores.
Interested consumers can check out Cornbread CBD Lotion at this link to the product page on the official brand's website.
We do not recommend using dietary supplements to treat any specific medical condition related to pain, and we recommend that individuals speak with their doctor prior to using any supplement for pain relief.
