19 Bizarre Home Cures

I came across this article from Prevention.com "19 Bizarre Home Cures that Really Work". I was curious and read the article.

It does have some interesting remedies like using Vodka to kill foot odor. The Vodka kills the fungus that causes the odor and dries the feet.

If you have tension headaches and clench your teeth, put a pencil between your teeth but don't bite down. Just let your jaw muscles relax.

This one I knew, eat Yogurt to cure bad breath. The bacteria in yogurt creates an environment that stinky bacteria cannot stay in.

Use Listerine on blisters. It dries the blister so that it no longer hurts. Dab Listerine on the blister 3 times a day until the blister dries.

Lemon balm tea helps cold sores. Brew 2 to 4 tablespoons per cup of boiling water. Let cool and dab the tea on the cold sore with a cotton ball several times a day. (You can find the tea at The Green Pharmacy).

Licorice can soften calluses and corns. Grind a few licorice sticks and mix them with 1/2 teaspoon of petroleum jelly. Rub the mixture on the rough areas. This will smooth out all your rough spots.

I need to remember to tell Alan to try this. For achy feet, get a tennis ball and roll it with your foot. You can use a soup can or golf ball.

If you have dry skin especially during winter months, Olive Oil. Rub 1 teaspoon per square inch of skin. This creates a seal that prevents the skin from drying out.

Swallow a teaspoon of sugar dry to stop hiccups.

Here is one for my sister. Listen to your IPod or in my case Zune for 30 minutes a day can help lower blood pressure. Of course you need to listen to relaxing music and breath slowly. During the study in Italy, they found it lowered blood pressure down 4.4 points.

If you get motion sickness eat some olives or a lemon.

"Motion sickness causes you to produce excess saliva, which can make you nauseated, some doctors say. Compounds in olives called tannins dry out your mouth and can help soothe the queasies. Pop a couple at the first hint of nausea; sucking on a lemon can also do the trick."

For brittle nails apply vegetable oil to your hands and then put on vinyl gloves or wrap your hands in plastic wrap to keep the oil off bedding. This helps prevent your hands and nails from getting dry.

If you burn your mouth eat a spoon full of ice cream. Ice cubes can stay in the mouth a little long and cause more pain. Ice cream tastes better anyway.

Chew peppermint or cinnamon gum while driving to and from work.

"In a NASA-funded study, scientists from Wheeling Jesuit University monitored the responses of 25 college students during simulated driving scenarios. The volunteers reported that peppermint lowered their feelings of fatigue or anxiety by 20%. Peppermint and cinnamon each decreased frustration by 25%, increased alertness by 30%, and made the ride seem 30% shorter. Not a gum or candy person? Buy peppermint or cinnamon aromatherapy diffusers for the car."

I guess I need to get my diffuser out and put it in the car.

Instead of getting that expensive whitening treatment at the dentist or buying the kits at the drug store, eat an apple.

"Crunchy fruits and vegetables act as little toothbrushes when you chew them; they have a natural cleansing action that works on tooth enamel to remove stains. In particular, “apples have a gentle malic acid that also helps dissolve stains,” says Jennifer Jabow, DDS, of Park 56 Dental in New York City."

Drink a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 8 ounces of water to help Urinary tract infections. The baking soda makes the bladder more alkaline and reduces Bactria's ability to multiply. Then go to the doctor and get antibiotics.

Sprinkle powdered cloves on a cut to keep it from getting infected. It also helps with the pain.

"Grind 2 tablespoons of washed and peeled papaya in a food processor and add 1 tablespoon of dry oatmeal. Pat this mixture onto clean skin and let it set for 10 minutes before wiping off with a wet washcloth. The enzymes in papaya are gentle, which is why this is an ideal treatment for those with sensitive skin. However, to be safe, do a test spot behind your ear the first time you try it."

Another use for Duct Tape (does it ever end). Cover warts with duct tape to eliminate them better than freezing them. According to studies Duct Tape works 85% better than freezing method.

"To use duct tape safely, clean the area. Then cut a piece of duct tape to a size slightly bigger than the wart. Apply the duct tape to the site and rub into place. Every 3 days, remove the tape and file down dead skin with a pumice stone or nail file. Repeat until the wart disappears. Chemicals in the tape suffocate and kill the wart."

Here is your shopping list next time you go to the grocery store:

Olives
Lemons
Apples
Baking Soda
Cinnamon
Peppermint
Sugar
clove
Vodka
Vegetable Oil
Oatmeal
Listerine
Licorice
Duct Tape
Pencil
Ice Cream

You can cure just about anything with those items in your pantry.