Home Remedies

I have a confession. I recently fell prey to cheap magazine subscription prices for Redbook, Woman's Day and Ladies Home Journal. Though I admit to being a devotee of some magazines (Country Home, Country Living, Home Companion, and Cowboys and Indians, to name a few), RB, WD, and LHJ have never even been on my "Top 20" list. As I began receiving and scanning my new magazines, I found them to be wanting in useable info (for me that is). While I'm sure some folks find them enthralling, after a quick perusal I give them straight away to the care center. In the new edition of LHJ, however, I did find a bit of "worthy-for-sharing" home remedy stuff. Let me know if you think it was worth the $6 subscription.

Toothpaste
Relieves a bee sting in minutes and reduces pain for more than five hours.

Yogurt
Helps prevent and shorten intestinal infections and decreases the risk of diarrhea while taking antibiotics. The yogurt must contain probiotics in order to be effective. Yogurts containing “live cultures” may help, but not quite as much.

Chewing Gum
Chewing sugarless gum for half an hour after eating helps prevent or reduce heartburn.

Dish Detergent
When used within two hours of exposure, dish detergent helps prevent a reaction to poison ivy. Rub full strength dish soap on affected area for 25 seconds before rinsing.
Any brand of dish soap should do the trick.

Peppermint
Newly discovered to be a powerful, safe and effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. More effective than medications. The recommended dosage is three 0.02ml capsules each day. (Not to be used if you have esophageal reflux or hiatal hernia.)

Ginger
Helps calm pregnancy-related morning sickness and vomiting. Also reduces motion sickness. Steep a slice of fresh ginger about the size of a pat of butter in a cup of boiling water for about 10 minutes and drink an hour before travel. Dried ginger tea is also effective.

Camphor-Eucalyptus-Menthol Ointment
Good ol’ Vicks VapoRub (or similar formulas) has been found to be more effective than prescription medication against toenail fungus that makes toenails thick, yellow and unsightly. Used twice daily, the ointment should be effective after 5 to 16 months of use (takes that long for bad toenail to be replaced with new growth).

Baby Shampoo
Helps heal itchy, red, sore eyelids (sometimes caused by makeup of contact lenses). Dilute three drops shampoo with six tablespoons water, apply to eyelids with cotton ball, then rinse with warm water twice daily.

Duct Tape
Duct tape removes warts better than freezing therapy. Cover wart with duct tape for at least six days, remove overnight, replace tape the next day. Repeat until wart is gone (process may take up to two months).

Honey
A spoonful of honey calms a cough better than over-the-counter cough syrup. One to two teaspoons is sufficient for an adult. Never give honey to a baby under one year of age.

Witch Hazel
Helps fight Herpes simplex ( cold sores). Dab cold sore with witch hazel-soaked cotton swab several times each day.