Home Remidies That WORK!

Modern medicine may seem to hold all the answers. But in reality modern medications, even the most basic ones, have potentially harmful chemicals and can lead to sever reactions and side effects. In fact, if you read the label, even things like Regular Strength Tylenol list things like "sever liver damage" as a possible side effect. So, rather than turning to medication for illness or discomfort, why not listen to grandma for a change...  Here are some of Gramma's Home Remedies that actually work!


Duct Tape to Remove Warts
     A group of doctors did an effectiveness study on duct tape vs liquid nitrogen wart removers. And the results were rather shocking. This 2002 study, found that wearing duct tape over a wart on a daily basis and using a pumice stone about once a week to exfoliate the dead skin had an 85% removal rate for warts - Freezing had only a 60% removal rate...  A New York City based dermatologist, Robin Blum, MD, stated  “The question is whether there is something in the chemical adhesive itself, or if the occlusion (suffocation) causes the destruction of the wart. The other thinking is that the duct tape causes irritation, which stimulates our body’s immune cells to attack the wart."

Oatmeal to Soothe Eczema
     Oats have an anti-inflammatory property to them. Because of this, it does wonders for skin conditions! Choose a colloidal (finely ground) or throw some of your regular stuff in the food processor/blender to create a finer texture, then simply mix with water to create a paste or add to your bath. Use for a minimum of 15 minutes 3 to 4 times a week to see long term affects.
     In addition to reducing inflammation, oats are thought to have an antihistamine effect, Dr. Blum says. By lowering levels of histamine, which triggers inflammation as part of the immune system’s recovery response, she explains, oats prevent or reduce the redness.

Yogurt to Cure Bad Breath
     Bad breath comes from a number of places, the two most common being the mouth and the stomach. The neutralizing powers of yogurt and other probiotics treat the latter cause. “Yogurt shouldn’t have any effect at all on the bacteria that live on the tongue because it’s not there long enough,” says Robert Meltzer, MD, a New York City–based gastroenterologist and attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital. However, it likely has a neutralizing effect on the acid that resides anywhere between the mouth and the stomach, including the back of the throat and the esophagus, he explains. “I think almost any milk product or food that contains live cultures would have the same effect." While yogurt can get rid of bad breath that results from gastrological conditions, like acid reflux, it won't have any real effect on bad breath that is the product of gum, liver or lung disease, says Ohio-based dentist Matthew Messina, DDS.

A Spoonful of Sugar to Cure Hiccups
     This one was one of my mother's favorites & I still use it with my kids!
     In 1971, Edgar Engelman, MD, conducted a study to find out if a spoonful of sugar really is an effective cure for hiccups. His study included a group of 20 patients who had been experiencing intractable hiccups for more than six hours, eight of whom had had them anywhere from a full day to six weeks. Each of the test subjects was given one teaspoon of white granulated sugar to swallow dry, and for 19 of the 20 hiccup patients, the cure was immediate. André Dubois, MD, a gastroenterologist in Bethesda, Maryland, noted in The Doctors Book of Home Remedies that “the sugar is probably acting in the mouth to modify the nervous impulses that would otherwise tell the muscles in the diaphragm to contract spasmodically."

Bite a Pencil to Cure a Headache
     Clenching the teeth is a very common side effect of stress, which then causes a tension headache. Most of us do it without knowing we are even doing it. Doctors however, can't figure out why... Dr. Fred Sheftell, director of the New England Center for  Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, has a theory though. He feels that when we clench up, we strain the muscle that connects the jaw to the temples, which can trigger a tension headache. By placing a pencil between our teeth—but not biting down—we relax our jaw muscles, which eradicates tension and reduces pain. Just remember, the remedy really only applies to tension headaches—not migraines or headaches caused by sinus pressure, etc.

Olives for Motion Sickness
     According to the National Library of Medicine, there are a number of symptoms that present themselves as a result of motion sickness, including increased salivation, which is the body’s way of protecting the teeth from the high doses of acid accompanied by vomit. Enter olives, which contain tannins that, when released in the mouth, work to dry saliva—first eliminating the symptom and then the body’s instinct to follow suit. However, the treatment is only effective during the early stages of nausea, when the salivation changes first appear.

Gargle Salt Water for a Sore Throat
     Recently my husband was diagnosed with Tonsillitis. Thankfully doctors no longer jump at the chance to do tonsillectomies every time someone has this. But he was prescribed a medication to combat the Strep Throat which caused the Tonsillitis. For the accompanying sore throat though, he was instructed to gargle with salt water. According to Douglas Hoffman MD, PhD, author of the website The Medical Consumer's Advocate, a sore throat is an inflammatory response of the infected tissues, and the salt helps draw out the excess fluid to temporarily decrease swelling and the pain it causes. Most remedies call for a ratio of 1 tablespoon salt (sea salt is best) to 8 ounces of water, but it's always better to opt for more salt rather than less. Just keep in mind that you are treating the symptoms—not the illness. As Dr. Hoffman notes on his website: “The relief is very real, but also tends to be short-lived, since the gargle has done nothing to remove the cause of the sore throat.”