Summer activities can create all kinds of opportunities for itches, aches and ouches. Look to your pantry for some relief, including:
• Yellow mustard packets: For leg cramps, burns and heartburn. .
• Soy sauce packets: For mild burns (use after area immersed in cold water).
• Black pepper in packets or a small tin: Can help stop bleeding from a minor cut or scrape.
• Meat tenderizer: Mixing a paste of meat tenderizer and water or vinegar can ease pain from a bee sting.
• Castor oil: A little bottle of castor oil can be helpful for fire ant bites, warts, bruises and sore joints.
• Vinegar: A small swig of vinegar can combat muscle cramps or help relieve heartburn. .
• Tape: Take along a roll of tape to trap ticks you may find crawling on you.
• Sugarless gum: Bring several packets of sugarless gum on any trip. Because constipation is common when traveling, the laxative effect of sugarless gum can be helpful. Gum can also stimulate saliva and ease symptoms of heartburn.
• Ginger: Ginger candy or capsules can relieve motion sickness. Some people report that ginger is also good for headaches and coughs as well as heartburn.
• Coffee: People with asthma may discover that 2 or 3 cups of regular coffee can open airways in a pinch. It won't substitute for asthma medicine, but it is a useful strategy when regular medications are unavailable. .
• One final remedy that you can't take with you is hot water. Mosquito bites or an itchy rash from poison ivy can be maddening. The itch may be calmed with an application of water as hot as you can stand without getting burned. Some say it works better than the ointments, creams and pills made specifically to stop itching, such as hydrocortisone and Benedryl.
Source: Joe and Teresa Graedon. Contact them at peoplespharmacy.com.
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