Surprising & Unique Remedies
Unorthodox uses of many common household staples can solve an amazing range of simple health problems. Share your own discoveries.
Amazing New Uses for Old-Fashioned Remedies
Suffering is the mother of creativity. People will do almost anything to relieve their discomfort. Perhaps that is why some folks have tried rinsing their scalps with old-fashioned Listerine for flak…
White Vinegar May Help Dry Skin
Q. I used to have severe dry skin. My hands were always dry and chapped. Then a friend told me to dip my hands in a solution of 2/3 white vinegar and 1/3 water. Leave it on one or two minutes and then…
Ballet Dancer Suffers with Stinky Feet
Q. My 12-year-old daughter is a ballet dancer and has started pointe. Her feet smell so bad we gag if she takes her shoes off. Do you have any remedies for foot odor? A. Foot odor seems to be a common…
Milk of Magnesia for Underarms
Q. I want to share a remedy I learned about when traveling in Brazil. Just apply milk of magnesia to your armpits. It is the best underarm deodorant! A. What an unusual idea. Milk of magnesia contains…
Herbal Gel Banished Bruises
Q. Yesterday I had a slow motion tumble off my bike onto my knees on the way home. They were bruised, but I was able to pedal home and get arnica gel on them in about ten minutes. I also took some hom…
Prick Up Your Ears for Hiccup Cure
Q. I have a hiccup cure that I've used all my life and passed on to my kids: Have someone stand behind you and pull straight up on your ears while you take sips of water. I do this by myself by taking…
Listerine Works Against Jock Itch and Dandruff
Q. I have been plagued with jock itch for weeks and had tried a couple of OTC creams with little success. I was getting ready to see my dermatologist when I read about using Listerine for jock itch, a…
Will Horny Goat Weed Solve Sex Problem?
Q. My husband has suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol for years. HCTZ and Monopril control his hypertension and Vytorin has lowered his cholesterol. Since starting the drugs, he's h…
Should You Smear Vitamin E on Scars?
Q. I'm a 4th grader working on a science project about applying vitamin E (topically) to scars. Is there any research proving that it heals scars faster if applied daily? A. The idea that applying vit…
Soap Under the Sheets for RLS, Leg Cramps
There is now a prescription drug (Requip) to treat RLS (restless leg syndrome). The only problem is that some people fall asleep during the day. This could be risky if they are behind the wheel. As fa…
Will Old-Fashioned Liniment Help Sore Muscles?
Q. Long ago when I was in high school, my baseball coach provided "oil of wintergreen" for our sore muscles. Is this approach still considered valid? Now that I'm pushing eighty, I have a few aches an…
Listerine for Toenail Fungus
A reader offered the following suggestion for getting rid of nail fungus: "I cured my toenail fungus using a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and Listerine. I combined them in a quart jar with a screw-on lid …
Listerine for Lice
We have heard from several readers that Listerine can be helpful in preventing lice infestations. We recently received this testimonial from a reader about using Listerine for Lice: "The best way to p…
Listerine for Dandruff
A gentleman called in to our public radio show with an amazing story about Listerine mixed with baby oil. His veterinarian had recommended this combination for relieving itchy spots on his Dobermans a…
Duct Tape for Getting Rid of Warts
Research on duct tape was published in the *Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine* (Oct. 2002). Parents were told to cover the wart with a piece of duct tape for six days. If it fell off, they…
Old-Fashioned Listerine Has New Uses
The smell and taste of original Listerine are so distinctive that, once experienced, they can never be forgotten. Gargling with this mouthwash can't be described as pleasant. The taste is bitter. It p…
Colon Cleansing Can Be Overdone
Q. I have a friend who is convinced that constipation causes cancer. She is fanatic about cleansing her colon regularly. Not only does she use an enema a couple of times a week, but she also drinks la…
Valerian for Stage Fright
Anyone who has ever had to give a talk in front of a large audience knows that anxiety can be paralyzing. One woman had to give up a career as a musician because her stage fright was incapacitating. E…
Tagamet for Warts
There are so many wart remedies it is hard to know where to start or stop. Castor oil applications are highly recommended by our readers. But one of the few treatments that have actually been tested i…
Avoiding Migraines with Wheat-Free Diet
Q. I suffered from migraine headaches for more than 10 years. I saw several neurologists, but my intense headaches forced me to take early retirement. In the fall of 2002, I went from 3 headaches a we…
Snuff May Be Bad For Blood Pressure
Q. We hear so much about the dangers of cigarette smoking but you never hear about snuff. My husband and his mother live on the stuff and I cannot stand it. Does the nicotine in snuff have an effect o…
Garlic Flea Remedy Dangerous For Dog
Q. I heard that garlic could keep fleas from biting, so I put some in my dog's food for about a week. He became lethargic and couldn't even climb the lowest stairs. I thought this might be a reaction …
Aspartame for Arthritis
This is one of the most bizarre discoveries we have ever heard about. A scientist noticed that when he got up out of his chair after watching a football game, his arthritis pain was greatly diminished…
Listerine Works For Trucker’s Bottom
Q. I read an article in your column about using Listerine for itchy scalp. It reminded me that forty-plus years ago when I was a glue chemist, we kept a crystal of thymol in our pH buffers to prevent …
Old Scams In New Bottles
Why is the grass always greener someplace else? The idea that remedies from a far-away, exotic location are more potent than anything home grown harkens back to the traveling medicine shows of the 19t…
Pennyroyal Plants Beat Off Bugs
Q. A camper recently asked how to avoid insect bites. My family faced this problem when I was young, living in the hills of Arkansas. Much of our food, such as huckleberries or blackberries, came from…
Echinacea Strikes Out As Cold Cure
Q. My sister recently visited me with a bad cold and introduced me to echinacea. I now take it three times a day to prevent colds. What do you think about it? Are there any other natural cold remedies…
Key Remedy Rescues Indian Princess
Q. I have read with interest your columns reporting keys as a solution for nosebleeds. I've been reading "A Princess Remembers:The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur," an autobiography by Gayatri Devi.…
Vicks Helps Relieve Persistent Cough
Q. I have allergies that result in postnasal drainage. As a result, I find I cough all night long this time of year. Is there a good home remedy to help nighttime coughs? A. Some readers report that V…
Cornmeal Fights Fungus on Roses and Toes
Q. You have responded to many questions about curing toenail fungus with home remedies, but here's one you've never mentioned. Put about an inch of cornmeal in plastic dishpan. Pour in hot water, stir…
Would Boyfriend’s Marijuana Cause Her Grie…
Q. Can semen transmit drugs? If my boyfriend smokes marijuana and ejaculates inside of me could I fail a drug test? A. Semen can carry certain drugs. For example, a woman who is allergic to penicillin…
No Way To Boost Bust Size
Q. I'm in 8th grade and have a very small chest size. This wouldn't bother me, except that lots of other girls in my grade have large B and C cup sizes. I have heard that eating lots of chicken helps …
Soap For Restless Legs
Q. This is either an urban legend or a friend is playing a joke on me. She says that if you sleep with a bar of soap (not Dove or deodorant kind) the restless leg syndrome (RLS) will not occur. She sw…
Can Aluminum Be Absorbed From Antiperspirants?
Q. I have read that antiperspirants could be dangerous because the aluminum they contain can be absorbed into the body. Is there any basis to this? A. The association between aluminum and Alzheimer's …
Curtail Dog Flatulence
Q. What can you recommend for dog flatulence? It is so smelly and in the winter we can't put the dog outside at night. A. Look for CurTail. When drops are added to food, they control pet gas with the …
Magnets Really Ease Arthritis Pain
Q. I heard a report on the radio about the effectiveness of magnetic bracelets for arthritis pain. My 85-year-old dad suffers terribly and has been taking Celebrex. We're concerned about reports linki…
Herbs May Ease Persistent Cough
Q. Last month I had a nasty cold. Even though it went away after about a week, the cough has lingered all this time. It is troublesome during the day and downright disturbing at night. I hate the tast…
Melatonin Conquers Morning Migraines
Q. Since the age of 23 I have had frequent migraine headaches. Over the years, many doctors have prescribed medicines to prevent them, but none has worked. Drugs can stop the migraine if I take them e…
Key Trick Saves Business Meeting
Q. I want to thank you for saving me from a most embarrassing situation. I am president of a small corporation and we were making a pitch to an important client. I had been suffering from a cold for a…
Urine Is Simple Cure For Smelly Feet
Q. A few years back my teenage son suffered terrible foot odor. My husband and I would not let him bring his sneakers into the house, nor would we let him put his dirty socks in the hamper! His worst …