AGE OLD AND NEW AGE FOLK REMEDIES FOR

AGE OLD AND NEW AGE FOLK REMEDIES FOR

COMMON AILMENTS THAT REALLY WORK!

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.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, HANGOVERS, CONTROLLING

CRAVING OF...

To lessen the effects of acetaldehyde, a by-product produced in

your body from consuming alcohol, and what causes hangover

symptoms, never drink on a empty stomach. One "old as the hills"

suggestion to lessen the effects of hangovers is eating a large

quantity of any member of the Cole family of vegetables (like

cabbage) prepared in a acidic base before you start drinking.

That's right. Old-fashioned cole slaw prepared with vinegar is

claimed to prevent a hangover!

A night of heavy drinking tends to dehydrate one's body. The

morning after, replenish water loss and possible electrolytes

imbalances by drinking plenty of fluids, include something on

the salty side like chicken soup, or canned tomato juice. Be

careful if you have high blood pressure, kidney disease or if

you must watch your sodium intake.

If you're already into heavy drinking, many swear by Chaparral a

herb found in larger health food stores in capsule form. It is

reported to help detoxify one's liver and is an old Indian

remedy. The garden variety vitamin B in 50 mg tablets taken

before you start drinking is said to help replenish it's loss

from the body due to consumption of large amount of alcohol. If

you already are suffering from the symptoms of a hangover and

don't mind trying something that sounds totally ridiculous, try

rubbing a cut lemon under each armpit. If you want to quit

drinking try sucking on a whole clove. It's known to be

effective in getting rid of the urge to consume alcoholic

beverages.

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, or

blackberry 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 a

small 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.

HICCUPS

Try dill tea. All it takes is a teaspoon of dill seeds added to

a cup of fresh boiled water. Try breathing into a paper bag for

a couple minutes. Eat several antacid tablets high in calcium.

Last but not least slowly drink a large glass of water.

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.

SORE, TIRED OR SMELLY FEET, SPLIT FINGER NAILS

Every one's feet take a beating. Here's a few tips for common

problems. Rejuvenate tired feet by pampering them with a

soothing bath in a mixture of barley or millet. Use about two

cups in ten cups of water. Slowly bring to a slow boil, once it

gets to a soup like consistency take off heat, let cool. When at

a comfortable temperature pour into large container and soak

your feet for a half hour.

Ingrown toenails cause a lot of pain. This tip can work wonders!

At bedtime put a lemon wedge on the sore toe and secure in

place. By morning, the juices should soften the inflamed skin

enough to allow you to trim the nail away from the skin it

worked its way into. Trim toe nails flat do not round corners to

help prevent reoccurrence.

Corns can be rubbed with castor oil or with a vitamin E capsule.

Repeat daily for two weeks and you should be able to easily get

rid of your corns.

Know someone who got really smelly feet? Try this. Let four to

six tea bags steep fifteen to twenty minutes in a large bowl.

Transfer to a good sized basin, add enough cool water to just

cover your feet, let soak for half an hour. The tannin in the

tea should get rid of the bacteria that cause the odor. Wash

feet well after use to avoid staining. Repeat several times a

day for a couple of weeks.

For broken nails rub an onion or garlic juice several times a

day. Try eating almonds and lots of green vegetables. Brittle

nails may be a sign of iron deficiency and some serious diseases.

HAIR CARE DANDRUFF CONTROL

For split ends comb in a mixture of warmed castor oil mixed with

olive oil into your hair. Wrap with a towel, leave in place for

half an hour. Shampoo with an added egg yolk. Add half a cup of

apple cider vinegar to a gallon of cool water. Rinse. Rinse with

clear water to remove all traces of previous substances.

If your hair is thinning, try increasing you intake of foods

high in sulfur. Cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower

as well as raspberries and cranberries are all high in sulfur

Supplement your diet with foods high in the B vitamins. Give

your hair holding power with flat beer. The smell goes away in a

day or so!

For dandruff, wrap one or two ounces of fresh ginger root and an

ounce of camomile flowers in a piece of cheesecloth. Drop in a

gallon of water and boil for ten to fifteen minutes After you

shampoo, massage mixture into hair, rinse lightly. Another

popular method requires only apple cider vinegar. Rinse your

head completely with the warmed liquid. Cover your head with a

towel or shower cap, leave in place for half an hour. Rise

completely. Repeat three times a week till dandruff is gone.

Finally, try rubbing peanut oil into your scalp. Rise with fresh

lemon juice. Leave for twenty minutes. Rinse well to remove all

traces of mixture. Repeat weekly till dandruff clears up.

PET TIPS

Pets have problems too. Here's a few quick tips for common

problems. A lot of dogs develop a flea problem. try rubbing on

garlic power - no more fleas. If Fido seem to have a severe

itching problem try using a little apple cider vinegar on the

affected spot. Diarrhea? Try a teaspoon full of carob powder

mixed with his food. Worms? Garlic again. In fact, most dogs

love the taste of garlic, and if you look at the label of many

manufacturers pet foods you'll find it listed in ingredients!

Bad Breath? Give your pouch a sprig or two of parsley mixed in

his food. When you give your dog a bath, add a few tablespoons

of baking soda to both the bath and rinse water to give a shiny

bright coat. If you have a long-haired dog that's shedding, rub

a little olive oil a couple of times a week. A cat's litter box

will smell fresh if you add a box of baking soda. Fur balls pass

easier if your pet has roughage. Can't get him to eat dry cat

food? Try mixing a little liquid from a can of tuna fish.

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while

Nature cures the disease." Voltaire, French philosopher, writer

1694-1778.

"Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to

knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey." Marcel Proust,

French novelist 1871-1922.