There are multiple minor ailments that do not require a trip to the doctor. Although bandages and pain killers will always come in handy, there are loads of other ways to cure minor ailments in the comfort of your home. While some of these methods may be seemingly bizarre, it might just be the solution for your condition.
Here are six home cures that you’ve probably never heard of for these minor ailments:
- Hiccups
Holding your breath is one well-known solution for treating hiccups but it doesn’t work quite as well with the bad cases. Next time you find yourself in the middle of a wave of hiccups, don’t hold your breath. Reach for a teaspoon or two of sugar and swallow it. The dry granules is said to relax the nerves causing the spasms in the diaphragm. That being said, salt and any other coarse substance can work, but sugar tastes best.
- Warts
Duct tape is your solution for everything, even warts. The chemicals in the duct tape can suffocate and kill the wart if used the right way. Simply place a duct tape slightly bigger than the wart on the affected area and rub into place. Remove every three days and exfoliate the dead skin with the use of a pumice stone or nail file. Keep doing this until the wart disappears.
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
By drinking a ¼ teaspoon baking soda and 8 ounces water solution, the bladder becomes more alkaline thereby inhibiting further multiplication of bacteria. Of course, antibiotics must still be used but with the first signs of UTI showing up, baking soda and water is a reasonable home remedy.
- Constipation
For constipation, beet is your best home solution. Just steam a couple of beets and eat them when constipated. Drink the leftover water as well for it is rich in vitamins that can help clear out the colon. Ingestion of beet can naturally turn your urine or stool red so that would be nothing to worry about.
- Bad Breath
Gargling a bit of acidic lemon juice can help kill the odor-causing bacteria. Afterwards, eating yogurt will crowd the odor-causing bacteria with “good” bacteria known as lactobacillus, and create an unhealthy environment for the “bad” bacteria thereby eliminating them.
- Foot Odor
There are multiple home cures for foot odor. First is to soak your feet in a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water every night to kill the odor-causing bacteria. Second is by wiping your feet with a washcloth soaked in vodka. This method also kills the odor-causing bacteria or fungus and dries out the moisture that allows them to multiply. Alternatively, you can use alcohol. Lastly, soaking your feet in black tea for 30 minutes also kills the bacteria and closes the pores, keeping your feet dry for a longer period of time, thereby creating an unfavourable environment for the bacteria to thrive in.
