by Curt Kovener
I was out cutting some wood over the weekend cleaning up a couple of blowdowns. The result was a workout which left some little used muscles crying out in pain.
As good fortune would have it, I received a home remedy e-mail where products designed for one thing are used for an entirely different one.
This column should not serve as an unsolicited support of name brand items and we do not make any recommendations as to the accuracy or viability of the following suggestions. Use them as your own risk.
•Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately‹without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional “pain relievers.”
•Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns.
•Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They’ll clear up your stuffed nose.
•Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil, for relief for aching muscles.
•Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.
•Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly even though the product was never been advertised for this use.
•Honey remedy for skin blemishes. Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.
•Listerine therapy for toenail fungus. Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.
•To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of clear nail polish to the threads of the screws.
•Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer. If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can’t find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409.
•Smart splinter remover just pour a drop of Elmer’s Glue all over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.
•Hunt’s tomato paste boil cure: cover the boil with Hunt’s tomato paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.
•Balm for broken blisters: To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine-a powerful antiseptic.
•Vinegar to heal bruises. Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.
•Kills fleas instantly-Dawn dish washing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog’s bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations.
•Rainy day cure for dog odor. Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.
•Eliminate ear mites. All it takes is a few drops of Wesson corn oil in your cat’s ear. Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat’s skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.
•Quaker Oats for fast pain relief. Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.
If you get the opportunity and are so inclined to try these, let me know how they worked.
