Home Remedies That Actually Work?

[Polanyi]

(BlackDoctor.org) -- Bandages, antibiotic ointment, and over the counter pain relievers are staples no bathroom cabinet should be without. But some of the best treatments for minor ailments are the ones you’ll find around the rest of the house.

 

Home cure: Vodka

Use it for: Foot Odor

 

When you need to cure smelly feet and fast, soak a washcloth with vodka and wipe them down to get rid of the stench. Vodka contains an antiseptic that destroys the odor-causing bacteria that grow on feet. If your feet smell less than swell, wipe them down with a vodka-soaked washcloth to get rid of the stench.

 

Home cure: Pencil

Use it for: Tension Headaches

 

Stress and anxiety cause you to clench your teeth and jaw. All that clenching strains the muscles connected to your temple and the result is a nasty tension headache. To relieve the tension, put a pencil between your teeth but don’t bite down. Your jaw relaxes itself in order to do this, and your tension headache will soon melt away.

 

Home cure: Yogurt

Use it for: Bad Breath

 

Research suggests that the live bacteria in yogurt can help rid your mouth of odor. The good bacteria in yogurt help eliminate the bad bacteria that cause bad breath.

 

Home cure: Tennis Ball

Use it for: Achy Feet

 

Visits to the spa and the chiropractor are unnecessary for most minor foot aches. For a free, at-home massage, roll each foot over a tennis ball or soup can. To ease throbbing foot pain, roll your feet over a frozen bottle of water.

 

Home cure: Olive Oil

Use it for: Eczema

 

Relieve eczema flare-ups by rubbing olive oil onto the rash. The antioxidants in olive oil help reduce inflammation and repair skin damage. Pure olive oil doesn’t contain the chemical irritants found in olive oil creams and lotions. For extreme cases of rough skin, cover the affected areas with plastic wrap after applying the olive oil.

 

Home cure: Sugar

Use it for: Hiccups

 

Just a teaspoon of dry sugar helps hiccups go away. Swallow a spoonful of dry sugar to stop the muscle spasms that cause hiccups.

 

Home cure: Music

Use it for: High Blood Pressure

 

Listening to soothing tunes for thirty minutes everyday can help lower high blood pressure. According to research from the University of Florence in Italy, people on medication for hypertension lowered their blood pressure more when they listened to music daily while breathing slowly.

 

Home cure: Olives

Use it for: Nausea

 

Doctors believe the production of excess saliva, due to motion sickness or other illness, leads to nausea. Olives contain compounds that dry out your mouth and help sooth nausea.

 

Home cure: Apple

Use it for: Whiter Teeth

 

Crunchy fruits and vegetables in general act as natural cleansers for your teeth. In addition to removing stains from the enamel, apples have a gentle malic acid that actually helps dissolve tooth stains.

 

Home cure: Baking Soda

Use it for: Urinary Tract Infections

 

If you think you might have a urinary tract infection, call your doctor. In the meantime, drink a solution made with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda mixed in 8 ounces of water. Baking soda reduces bacteria’s ability to multiply.

 

Home cure: Duct Tape

Use it for: Warts

 

Research shows that covering warts with duct tape eliminates them better than freezing them off. First, clean the area. Then cut a piece of duct tape to a size slightly bigger than the wart. Apply the duct tape and rub it into place. Every few days, remove the tape and file down the dead skin with a pumice stone or nail file. The chemicals in duct tape suffocate and eventually kill the wart.

 

By Kelly Taylor, BDO Contributing Writer

 

09-Aug-2010 , Copyright © 2005-2010, BlackDoctor.org . All rights reserved.

 

General Health & African Americans - BlackDoctor.org - Home Remedies That Actually Work

[Polanyi]

Although I don't endorse or agree with some of these, they are indeed interesting. I'll remember to have a pencil handy next time i have a headache.