Q. For the past ten years, I've given half a coconut macaroon cookie to my greyhounds when they have diarrhea. It works every time and the dogs love it.A. Many readers have tried coconut to help control chronic diarrhea, and... (Read More)
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Home Remedy Q&A
Q. I have heard that sour cherry juice can ward off gout attacks and help relieve arthritis pain. I cannot tolerate drugs like ibuprofen because of a sensitive stomach. When I asked my pharmacist about non-drug options he was clueless.... (Read More)
Q. I have suffered from charley horse leg cramps as well as cramps in my feet, hands, rib cage or arms for years. At one time, I took quinine capsules, but they have been banned and are no longer available.After... (Read More)
Q. You recently wrote about rubbing a cut onion on a bee sting to ease the pain. Swiss farmers have practiced this for centuries. In 1949, when I was stung by a bee right near the knee-cap and was hurting... (Read More)
Q. Please put the question of whether milk of magnesia works on acne to rest. I had developed such severe acne on my buttocks that my dermatologist said, “Well, no one sees your behind.”A daily application of MoM after my... (Read More)
Q. Caution to the sulfite sensitive! My parents swear by gin-soaked raisins for arthritis. I tried them and after about a week I did notice an increased range of motion. But more importantly, they also triggered a migraine.A web search... (Read More)
Q. My wife and I are active healthy seniors, but we would like to add zest to our slowed-down and lagging sex lives. Initially I spoke with our family doctor who prescribed Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.Viagra provided excellent results the... (Read More)
Q. I heard a guy on the radio talk about easing his chronic, relentless diarrhea with coconut. I have had a very bad time with diarrhea also, so I have tried eating some raw shredded coconut.I can’t believe how well... (Read More)
Q. I am 56 years old--well into menopause--and stopped taking prescription hormones about four months ago. While they helped somewhat with the hot flashes, they did little for the vaginal dryness and loss of libido. I felt they weren't worth... (Read More)
Q. I have recurring warts on one hand. My doctor has frozen them off and burned them off and they keep returning. She mentioned that some people have used poison ivy to get rid of warts. What do you know... (Read More)
Q. When my kids came home with lice, I spent a lot of money buying lice shampoos. We tried the mayonnaise treatment too. I scrubbed the house, cleaned the carpets, boiled the combs and hairbrushes and put pillows and stuffed... (Read More)
Q. I have arthritis in my hands and my back. I heard that gin-soaked raisins would help the pain.Is that true, and if so, what is the recipe and the dose?A. The only way to know if gin-soaked raisins will... (Read More)
Q. I love wasps, bee, mud daubers and anything else that flies and buzzes. My friends call me a ‘bee charmer.’ I'm the one who carries them outside to fly free.When I was reaching for a log on the woodpile... (Read More)
Q. I burned the heel of my hand with hot bacon grease. I immediately put it under cold running water and then remembered the soy sauce cure. I taped a paper towel soaked in soy sauce to my hand and... (Read More)
Q. I’ve suffered from severe lower back pain since 1964, when I was 14. In 1972, I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, fourth degree. In 1980 and 1986 I had surgical procedures to fuse my spine into place.In 2004, I was... (Read More)
Q. I began losing sleep about three years ago due to chronic pain. I've tried everything I can think of but get no more than an hour and a half of sleep at a time. I usually crash from exhaustion... (Read More)
Q. I’ve heard that blueberries have a beneficial effect on the brain. Can you tell me more about this? Is the research recent and credible?A. James Joseph, PhD, at Tufts University is a leading neuroscientist and expert on the effects... (Read More)
Q. I got into some chiggers and was in misery, so after everything else failed I decided to try some hydrogen peroxide. To my surprise the itch stopped immediately and never came back.A. Dermatologists say chigger bites itch because of... (Read More)
Q. Some time ago a podiatrist wrote to complain about home remedies for nail fungus. My husband has toenail fungus and our podiatrist prescribed a 30-day supply of Lamisil pills. They cost hundreds of dollars. The medication has to be... (Read More)
Q. Do you have any information on natural treatments for a sore ganglion cyst on the wrist? I have been using a wrap-around brace on my wrist and would prefer to handle this without medication or surgery.A. A ganglion cyst... (Read More)
Q. You have occasionally written about plantar warts. I have cured several of them (my own, my daughter’s and my sister-in-law’s) by soaking the area in hot salted water several times a day.A. Your remedy may not be as strange... (Read More)
Q. I have been drinking a liter or two of tonic water a week for nearly 25 years. Now I'm reading about risks associated with quinine. How much is too much? How much quinine is in tonic? What are the... (Read More)
Q. I've been having problems with high blood pressure for quite a while, especially since I became a truck driver five years ago. I guess the connection is I sit and don't get enough exercise.I went off my blood pressure... (Read More)
Q. I live in the desert southwest, where we have been experiencing allergy symptoms for about a month. With the high winds this time of year they will only get worse.My mother, who grew up in the Midwest and raised... (Read More)
Q. We are lice-free at last with Listerine, alcohol, vinegar and Denorex! We sprayed four heads every night with Listerine before bed, then combed and combed every inch with a nit comb.The lice were gone in 3 days, but we... (Read More)
Q. I grew up with a parent who was dependent on alcohol. I find myself struggling with cravings for alcohol also. While alcohol doesn't interfere with my daily life, I don’t like the cycle of abstaining, falling off the wagon,... (Read More)
Q. I was excited about a recent column describing health benefits from chocolate. Would high-quality chocolate include Snickers bars? What would be considered a moderate amount, to get the health benefits?A. High-quality chocolate is dark chocolate (at least 70 percent... (Read More)
Q. I am a physician schooled in the scientific method. I trained at the most prestigious medical settings and have adhered strictly to conservative scientific inquiry.Now comes the huge divergence between fact and fantasy. I have suffered from leg cramps... (Read More)
Q. I am bothered with a patch of eczema on my face (chin area) that has not responded to any of the expensive steroid creams that have been prescribed.A friend told me that her dermatologist had her give her son... (Read More)
Q. I read an inquiry from a bus driver who was worried that eating gin-soaked raisins to ease joint pain would trigger a positive breath alcohol result. As a certified BAT (Breath Alcohol Technician) I would like to reassure that... (Read More)
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