8 Natural Cures Found Right in your Kitchen | |||||||
|
Kitchen Essentials - Kitchen Essentials 2011 |
Written by Frank Mangano |
Friday, 22 April 2011 02:52 |
When a minor health condition arises, most people would immediately head straight to the doctor, not knowing that their kitchen can be a potential source of treatment. Below are some of the natural cures that are found right in your kitchen: Salt for Athlete’s Foot Athlete's foot is a common fungal infection of the skin of the feet. Fungus tends to thrive and infect areas of the skin that are warm, moist and often irritated. Any part of the body can be infected with fungus including the arms and legs, trunk, scalp, genital areas, nails, hands, and feet. Athlete's foot is caused by the infection of the ringworm fungus. These can be found in different locations like in locker rooms, gym floors, nail salons, swimming pools and personal clothing. The infection can spread from one person to another by direct contact. Most cases of athlete's foot are caused by walking with no protection on infected floors. A good natural homemade treatment for athlete's foot would be to soak the feet in a mixture of salt and warm water. Prepare a basin that is big enough to accommodate both of your feet and fill it with warm water. Add a few cups of salt until the color of the water starts to look cloudy. Soak your feet for 20 to 30 minutes and rinse it with running water. Do this at least once a day until the infection has been fully cured. If you are noticing fungal infections in other parts of your body, it would be better to treat them simultaneously. Lemon for Age Spots Age spots are caused by too much exposure to the sun and not by aging. Older people tend to have more age spots than younger people since aging can make the skin more susceptible to damage. The skin, when exposed to too much UV rays, protects itself by creating dark pigmentation all over the exposed skin. People at old age also have more age spots since they have accumulated the most amounts of UV damage. Age spots can be prevented by avoiding too much sun exposure. Slicing a piece of lemon into small wedges and dabbing it on the skin will help remove unwanted age spots. You can also cut them in thin slices and leave them on the affected skin for around 15 minutes. You can lie down or sit on an inclined chair to keep the lemon slices in place. The acid in lemons will help in bleaching off age spots. But this will not happen overnight. It may take up to 12 weeks before you will start to notice any change. Olive Oil for Eczema Eczema is a skin condition that causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed. There are different types of eczema, one of which is atopic eczema which can be highly hereditary. According to a report furnished by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, atopic eczema affects between 9 to 30 percent of the US population. The skin condition has also been found to be more common in infants and children than in adults. And although most infants outgrow the disease after reaching two years old, some people still experience the symptoms all throughout their life. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Eczema can be treated by rubbing a teaspoon of olive oil on the affected skin. The oil helps in keeping moisture in and avoids it from drying out. You can also use a plastic cling wrap to cover the oiled skin overnight. This gives more time for the olive oil to reach deeper into the skin. Chamomile Tea for Corns and Calluses Corns and calluses are caused by the accumulation and hardening of dead skin cells. Soaking the feet in water mixed with chamomile tea will help soften the lumps and make them easier to scrub off. Soaking in a bathtub filled with diluted chamomile tea will also be a good way to soothe the body and help remove dead skin cells. Honey for Wounds Honey has a natural antiseptic property. It contains hydrogen peroxide that disinfects, sugar that absorbs moisture to prevent bacteria from thriving, and propolis that kills bacteria. Use a spoon to cover small wounds with honey and leave it there for a few minutes. The honey will naturally dry and form an organic bandage that can easily be washed off with warm water. The dried layer will prevent bacteria from reaching the wound and help it heal faster. The treatment may not be applicable to deep and serious wounds – and always remember to wash the wound first before using honey. You can also mix it with petroleum jelly or egg white to make a paste. Apply the paste on the affected area and leave it there for 15 to 20 minutes. Bruises can leave unsightly scars that can be very hard to remove. So treating the bruise properly to avoid infection is important in order to avoid scarring. Apple cider vinegar has strong anti-inflammatory properties that help in curing bruises. The acid content of the vinegar also fight bacteria that can cause infection. Use a cotton ball to dab the vinegar on bruises Baking Soda for UTI Urinary tract infection or UTI is caused by the accumulation of bacteria in the urinary tract. Drinking a glass of water mixed with one-fourth teaspoon of baking soda will increase the alkaline levels in the bladder and make it harder for bacteria to thrive. Ginger for Stomachaches Ginger has been traditionally used to treat stomach complaints, soothe indigestion and treat gastrointestinal diseases. In case of stomachache, slice a piece of washed and unpeeled ginger and drop it in a boiling pot of water. Let it boil for a few minutes more until the color of the water changes to a light yellow. You can also steep one to two tablespoons of ground ginger in hot water to make ginger tea. Grounding the ginger releases its juices and makes it easier to mix with the water. If the taste is too strong, you can add a few teaspoons of honey to sweeten it up. You will instantly feel a soothing effect after the first few sips.
|
Enjoy this article? We guarantee your privacy. Your email address will NEVER be rented, traded or sold. |