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.