Post by GRANDMA COW on Aug 7, 2005 23:07:05 GMT -6
HOME REMEDIES
My niece, Jamie Sue Swanson, of Minneapolis, Minn., keeps me aware of what is flying by on the Internet. Bless her generous heart as I am in the habit of deleting anything that isn’t from a friend, and some from friends, too. “No time” is my excuse. What’s yours? Here is a part of something she forwarded to me, that you may have missed if you don’t have a Jamie Sue in your life. I found it interesting because it uses inexpensive, common household products to make life easier, more pleasant and less expensive. I’ve added a few remedies that the e-mail didn’t include.
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What's your problem??
1. Headaches. Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately. No Gatorade? Plain water will help. Or, cut a lime in half and rub it on your forehead. For some unknown reason it usually stops the throbbing.
2. Burns. Colgate toothpaste makes a good salve for burns.
3. Splinters. When you have a small splinter pour a drop of Elmer’s glue over the splinter, let it dry and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue. Another trick for small splinters is to cover the splinter with scotch tape, then pull it off. Quick and easy.
4. Boils. Cover the boil with Hunt’s tomato paste. It acts as a compress because the acids from the tomatoes soothes the pain and bring the boil to a head.
5. Broken Blisters. Disinfect with a few drops of Listerine mouthwash which is a powerful disinfectant. A good reason for rinsing your mouth out frequently.
6. Bruises. Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and leave on bruise for an hour. The vinegar reduces the color.
7. Dog Fleas. Add a few drops of Dawn dish washing liquid to your dog’s bath. Rinse very well to avoid skin irritations.
8. Wet Dog Smell. When your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with any dryer sheet and your dog will smell as fresh as springtime.
9. Cat’s ear mites. Put a few drops of vegetable oil in the ear, massage it in and clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for three days. The oil soothes the cat’s sensitive skin, smothers the mites, and speeds up healing. Washing the inside of a pet’s ears with solution of warm water and baking soda is said to also help eliminate itching and mites.
10. Hair balls. Prevent by applying a dollop of Vaseline petroleum jelly to the cat’s nose. The cat will lick off the jelly, lubricating any hair in its stomach so that it can pass through the digestive system, rather than being coughed up on your carpet.
11. Fast pain relief. Mix two cups of Quaker Oats cereal with one cup of water and warm in the microwave for one minute. Cool slightly and apply mixture to your hands, or wherever you have arthritis pain.
12. Stuffed nose. Try chewing two or three Altoid peppermints. This is strong stuff but it beats an inhaler.
13. Aching muscles. Mix one tablespoon of fresh or bottled plain horseradish in a cup of olive oil. Let it sit for 30 minutes before massaging onto skin where the pain lies in wait.
14. Sore throat. Grandma’s remedy is to gargle with a combination of warm water and as much salt as you can tolerate. If that doesn’t do the job combine 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup honey and take one tablespoon six times a day. Both salt and vinegar kill bacteria.
15. Urinary tract infections. Dissolve two tablets of Alka Seltzer in a glass of water and drink at the onset of symptoms. This works almost instantly.
16. Puffy eyes. Carefully rub a small amount of Preparation H, into the area being careful not to get in the eyes. The hemorrhoid ointment acts as a constrictor, relieving swelling almost instantly.
17. Skin blemishes (pimples). Cover blemish with honey and cover with a band-aid. Honey kills the bacteria and keeps the skin sterile to speed healing. Often works overnight.
18. Toenail fungus. Soak your toes in Listerine mouthwash. This powerful antiseptic works all over the body.
19. Eyeglass screws. To keep them from loosening, apply a small drop of clear nail polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.
20. Rust remover. Saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca Cola and scrub the rust stain. It is the phosphoric acid in the coke that gets the job done. Wonder what it does to the stomach.
21. Bugs away. Fresh mint on the table or an open can of cat food will make bees, wasps, hornets or yellow jackets buzz off.
22. Bug killer. When you can’t find an insecticide try spraying bugs with the cleaning agent Formula 409. It will kill bees, wasps, hornets or yellow jackets.
23. Insect bites. Rub area with strong soap for instant relief.
24. Pet bowls. Insects buzzing around pet food dishes kept outside will be shooed away if you sprinkle baking soda on the ground around the dish. This won’t hurt the pet.
25. Cat hair. Soak and squeeze a sponge in a warm water and baking soda solution. Rub the sponge gently over the cat’s coat to remove loose hairs and help prevent hairballs. This should work on dogs, as well.
26. Heartburn. This unpleasantness is caused by acid juices from the stomach backing into the esophagus. For relief avoid alcohol, tobacco smoke, aspirin, garlic, onion, chocolate, coffee and acid foods. Stay upright to let gravity help keep the acid down. Take an antacid. If it doesn’t go away promptly or if you have sweating or pain in the jaw or arm, go to a doctor. You may be having a heart attack.
27. Hiccups. Give your diaphragm a forced rest by holding your breath as long as you can, then exhale very gradually. Repeat until they stop. Or, try deep, slow breathing. Or, try slow sipping a glass of warm water or putting a teaspoonful of granulated sugar in your mouth. Kids like that cure.
28. Bee stings. Don’t pull the stinger out with tweezers or fingernails as this squeezes even more of the poison into your body. Instead scrape the stinger out with the blunt edge of a knife. Meat tenderizer, if applied quickly, will break down the toxin and stop the pain. Ice, baking soda paste or calamine lotion will also give some pain relief.
29. Spider bites. Relieve the pain by applying an ice pack to the stung area for 10 minutes; reapply if necessary, but DO NOT submerge the stung area in ice water.
30. Skunk odor. Apply a thick coating of tomato juice or ketchup to skin and clothing. Or, for clothing combine equal parts of white vinegar and water. Let soak for 15 to 30 minutes, and then wash with plenty of soap or detergent. If the skunk hits a pet, rub the juice or ketchup into its coat. When the juice or ketchup begins to darken, wash it out thoroughly. Several treatments may be needed. Another solution is to bathe the animal with a solution of Massengill douche powder and water mixed according to instructions on package. Rinse out thoroughly. Phew!
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You may want to keep this remedies handy
