Home Remedies
Go Easy on Licorice to Avoid Leg Cramps
Your mother probably told you not to eat too much candy because it could ruin your teeth. Maybe your grandmother warned that gobbling candy would make you gain weight. But did anyone tell you to go ea…
Will a Keto Diet Help Eliminate Your Knee Pain?
Americans are continually searching for the one best diet that will make it easy to maintain a healthy weight, keep blood pressure and blood fats under control and help people feel vigorous. Over the …
Can Vicks VapoRub on Your Soles Calm Your Cough?
Sometimes a cough can linger on long after the respiratory infection that triggered it has vanished. What do you do for such a cough? We have heard from a surprising number of people that smearing Vic…
Should You Take Your Aspirin with Honey?
When we were kids, we were amused by a silly poem that went like this: "I eat my peas with honey. "I've done it all my life. "It makes the peas taste funny, "but it keeps them on my knife." We were eq…
Will Taking Krill Oil Help Your Dry Eyes?
Is there any value in taking supplements? Doctors have been debating this question for years. While many specialties have been extremely skeptical about the value of dietary supplements, ophthalmologi…
Will Probiotics Help You Recover from Antibiotic…
Antibiotics are crucial tools for overcoming serious infections. However, they can often kill beneficial bacteria that live in the digestive tract and elsewhere along with the harmful invaders. As lon…
The Best Way to Lower Your Blood Pressure with E…
High blood pressure (hypertension) increases the risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. While numerous medications can treat hypertension, many people would like to control their blood pres…
Can Grape Juice with Pectin Ease Your Joint Pain…
Arthritis and joint pain are extremely common problems as we grow older. The pain itself can interfere greatly with your quality of life. On the other hand, because people suffer from joint pain frequ…
How to Make Warts Disappear by Buying Them
Warts are mysterious growths on the skin that are caused by the human papillomavirus. If you wonder why we term them mysterious, just think back to a case of warts you have witnessed or experienced. W…
Could a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Ease Your Knee Pai…
People with troublesome arthritis pain in their knees may want to consider changing the menu, according to a small trial. Researchers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham studied the effects of …
If You Take Zinc, Will Your Feet Not Stink?
Do your feet smell bad? Many of the remedies for unpleasant foot odor are topical: soak the feet in a solution of baking soda, vinegar, Epsom salts or very strong tea. Any of those approaches may be q…
Will Sniffing Alcohol Ease Nausea After Surgery?
Most of the time when we learn about an unusual home remedy, we have no idea how or even whether it works. So we were thrilled last year when we came across an actual placebo-controlled trial of sniff…
Can You Use Cinnamon to Reduce Your Cholesterol?
Most people want to keep their cholesterol under control, but some would prefer to do so without medication. It is possible to use your diet to lower your cholesterol levels. Some people report that e…
Will a Mediterranean Diet Improve Your Performan…
Following a Mediterranean diet has been shown to protect your heart, ease your symptoms of psoriasis and reduce your likelihood of becoming frail. Some research even suggests that a Mediterranean-styl…
Can You Overcome Depression with Exercise?
People with heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions are more prone to depression. This seems understandable. The problem is that if they do become depressed, their conditions may worsen. …
Can You Lower Blood Pressure with Nitric Oxide?
Nitric oxide is a gas originally thought to be important to human health only as an air pollutant. In the 1980s, however, scientists began to realize that this molecule plays many important roles in h…
Can You Ease Sinus Woes by Avoiding Dairy?
Hay fever and other seasonal allergies can cause a lot of discomfort. The congestion such allergic reactions cause can lead to sinus woes that seem to last a long time. But what if the problem is not&…
Can You Clear Rosacea with Dandruff Shampoo?
Rosacea is a common skin condition associated with easy flushing or blushing, persistent redness, inflamed blood vessels and small red bumps on the skin. People who have had rosacea for a long time ma…
Is Parsley an Antidote for Bad Breath?
We love hearing from readers who offer home remedies we haven't seen in common use. You might not be aware of this one: nibble on parsley leaves to banish bad breath. Will Parsley Overcome Bad Breath?…
Are Gin-Drenched Raisins a Big Joke?
Whoever said "Getting old isn't for sissies" certainly got it right. As we age, we often accumulate aches and pains that may be attributed to arthritis. People with arthritis are faced with a horrible…
Is Sunshine the Best Source for Vitamin D?
Vitamin D has long been known as the sunshine vitamin because skin creates this hormone when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, winter in northern latitudes does not allow much vitamin D to be cre…
Cocoa Flavonoids Help Ease Fatigue in MS
Cocoa flavonoids may have some benefit for people with multiple sclerosis, according to a small study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (March 4, 2019). These antioxidant comp…
Clindamycin and C. Diff Infection: A Devil’s R…
The FDA has a black box warning in the prescribing information for clindamycin (Cleocin). That represents the highest alert for physicians and patients about this antibiotic. It says in part: “Becau…
Can You Cure Your Plantar Warts with Hot Water?
Plantar warts are those that appear on the soles of the feet. You might catch the human papillomavirus that causes plantar warts if you go barefoot in a shared locker room or swimming pool area. Likew…
Will Horse Chestnut Extract Ease Tired Legs?
You can see varicose veins as lumpy twisted veins under the skin. They tend to stick up from the surface of the limb (usually the leg or foot). That distinguishes them from spider veins that are visib…
Research Supports Coconut Remedy to Stop Diarrhe…
Have you heard of eating coconut cookies to control a bout of diarrhea? Here's the story behind this coconut remedy. Coconut Remedy for Chronic Diarrhea: Q. My husband suffered with diarrhea for many …
Why Choose Certified Organic Probiotic Products?
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., recently announced that the agency will be “modernizing and reforming FDA’s oversight” of dietary supplements. In essence, he has admitted that the F…
Show 1155: Can Bacteriophages Save Your Life?
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been cropping up around the world. These superbugs cause serious problems, especially when they fail to respond to increasingly potent medications. One approach may …
Nuts Have Heart-Healthy Benefits for Type 2 Diab…
People with type 2 diabetes are usually cautioned to avoid fat in their diets. Nuts may be high in fat, but they seem to be heart-healthy for those with this condition. People with type 2 diabetes are…
Rat Poison Is Not Relevant to People
We recently answered a question from a reader about vitamin D3 used in high concentrations as a mouse or rat poison. At the toxic levels found in the bait, vitamin D3 can lead to kidney damage, heart …
What Is the Best Way to Store Extra-Virgin Olive…
Extra-virgin olive oil has a stellar reputation, not only among foodies but among scientists and cardiologists as well. People who consume this oil as part of their regular diet appear to be less susc…
Will Milk of Magnesia Help Under-Breast Itching?
Under-breast itching is often an extremely irritating problem. You certainly can't scratch the itch, and figuring out how to treat it is tricky. Doctors don't always have solutions for this stubborn p…
Is Vanilla a Helpful Remedy for Cold Sores?
Do you sometimes suffer from cold sores? If you do, you may have developed your own favorite collection of remedies. Some people like to use medications at the first sensation of tingling, while other…
Will Rosemary and Turmeric Help Your Arthritis P…
People with arthritis pain face a difficult dilemma. Arthritis is a chronic condition, but the usual NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen (Aleve) should be used only …
How Often Do You Get Up to Pee at Night?
Do you have to get up to pee several times a night? Many people report that this is a problem, especially as they grow older. Having to urinate several times during the night is a major factor interfe…
FDA Cracking Down on Dietary Supplements for Dem…
The Food and Drug Administration has just taken action against many companies that advertise their dietary supplements for dementia. The commercials often imply that these products could be used to tr…
How to Make Onion Syrup for a Cough
In the midst of cold and flu season, many people are troubled with lingering coughs. Are you barking like a seal? Is your cough keeping you awake at night? Luckily, there are a number of remedies that…
Is It Possible to Lower Cholesterol with Margari…
For decades, doctors told their patients to eat margarine instead of butter. The idea was that people who ate cholesterol-rich butter would raise their level of blood cholesterol. Then public health e…
What Is the Right Dose of Baking Soda?
We love simple remedies using ingredients you already have on hand in your pantry, so long as they work and they are safe. One time-honored approach to ease indigestion is taking a baking soda solutio…
Can You Stop Bleeding with Black Pepper?
We have been collecting home remedies for more than 40 years. One of the most unusual came to us from Nell Heard, who told us about a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. She went with her siste…