REMEDIES FOR

COMMON AILMENTS

The following is an assortment of tried and

true home remedies from a variety of sources.

While the author can't vouch for the particular

effectiveness of any method, nor are any to be

considered miracle cures, many people have

found the following treatments to be an effective

alternative to modern medicines or treatments.

Of course, when serious illness or injury occurs

You should seek out competent professional

medical advice.

EFFECTIVE DEODORANTS

Fed up paying big bucks for commercial products,

then try baking soda. Mix two parts of cornstarch

to one part baking soda. Best if used right

after bathing. OK, still in the kitchen? Try

cutting up a big cucumber that's high in

magnesium and an effective natural deodorant.

So is plain old vinegar. Its high alcohol content

will destroy bacteria that causes unpleasant

orders. Don't worry, that vinegar smell goes

away in about twenty minutes to half an hour.

MINOR BRUISES, SPRAINS, BANGS, PAINS

Forget about beefsteaks, apply ice or anything

that's really cold. No ice? Try a package of

frozen vegetables. Give it a few bangs with a

hammer to shape into a useful shape.

Many people suggest adding a grated onion

and potato to a bowl of warm water for soaking

your sore hand or foot. Pro athletes use

the potato trick to relive minor swelling and

soreness of injured fingers. Simply cut a large

enough hole in the potato, plunge in your

sore digit, and watch the starch in the potato

do the trick.

Got a headache? Cut out a small piece of

a regular brown paper bag of the type you

bring home the groceries in. Dip in vinegar

(white vinegar seems to work better) and

place on forehead Your minor headache

should be gone shortly! One off-beat

remedy that may work at times simply

requires that you flail your arms vigorously

for several minutes. Most headaches are

caused by constriction of blood vessels inside

your head. By moving your arms as described,

you reduce some blood flow, and may

reduce swelling of affected vessels that give

you the headache in the first place. Stop if

you feel any discomfort, increased pain or

get light-headed.

CONSTIPATION

Try a small glass of cooked cabbage or

carrot juice. Not too tasty? Grapefruit juice

also works well as does prunes, figs,

oat bran, over ripe bananas, avocados,

raw apples, sauerkraut and beets. A small

daily salad works well as does daily

exercise. Foods that are known to cause

constipation include alcoholic beverages,

food with refined white flour, most spicy

foods, all dairy products and chocolate.

DIARRHEA

Drink a glass of room temperature water

mixed with a good sized teaspoon of cornstarch.

Repeat after three or four hours. Another effective

if unpleasant looking remedy is allowing a

grated apple to brown, then slowly eat it. What

happens is the pectin oxidizes and you're

getting the same ingredient found in many

over-the counter diarrhea medicines. One

of the oldest remedies for diarrhea is blackberries.

Try blackberry wine, orblackberry jam. About

two ounces every three hours should give

relief. A just barely ripe banana, white rice

and any flavor Jell-O also provides an effective

home cure that tends to work by soaking up

excess water in your intestines and stops diarrhea

naturally - without harsh medications.

HEMORRHOIDS

Two effective treatments are lemon juice or

witch hazel. Rub asmall amount in the

affected area with a cotton swab before

going to bed. Each treatment may sting slightly.

Also try rubbing in the oil from several

vitamin E capsules.

EVERYDAY INDIGESTION, MOTION SICKNESS

One of my mom's favorites and it really works

is a few drops of oil of peppermint dissolved

in a half a teaspoon of sugar. Also try peppermint

tea, or a peeled and grated potato strained

through cheesecloth, added to water.

Drink slowly. Certain fruits have enzymes

that calm down the most upset stomach. Try

mango, kiwi fruit, papaya or fresh pineapple.

Gas can be a problem. To relieve, try ginger

or anise tea. If you like beans but they cause

you problems try cooking them with a few

slices of potato which seems to remove to

gas, and has no affect on the taste of the beans.

To control nausea, pick up and sniff a newspaper.

An ingredient in the ink will quickly clear up

that sick to stomach feeling for many people.

Also try sucking ice cube or ice chips. For

motion sickness try a half a teaspoon of

ginger powder in a glass of water.

THE COMMON COLD

American spend billions of dollars every year

trying to fight off the misery of the common

cold. Want to try something different? Garlic is

said to work wonders. Take a large clove,

peel and keep it in your mouth. Bite down

every so-often to release the natural juices.

Replace with a new clove every four or five

hours. Your cold symptoms are reported

to be to gone in twenty four, to forty eight hours.

Your nose all stuffed up? Try eating some

hot or spicy foods which should open up those

blocked nasal passages and you won't

have the rebound effect of taking too many

nose drops! Not hungry? Try a few minutes

of vigorous exercise. The increased

oxygen demand of your body will almost

certainly cause you to breathe deeper and

help open-up your blocked nasal passages

naturally. Chest congestion can be effectively

cleared up by any of the over-the counter

vapor medications, or try breathing a

mixture of hot vinegar, or white wine. Breath

in the vapors for a few minutes, and you

should get relief!

Coughs and sore throats can be controlled

with several home remedies. A classic

required a large lemon. Start by slowing

roasting it until it just splits open. Now take

up to half a teaspoon of honey with the juice

from the lemon. Repeat at hourly intervals

until the cough is under control.