Medical Tips

Simple Home Remedies - ANEMIA:  Avoid drinking tea (regular, not herbal varieties) and coffee immediately after meals, as the tannin present in these interferes in the absorption of iron from the food. Drink a cup of herbal tea mixed with 1/4-cup blackstrap molasses each day. This provides 80% of the iron needed in one day. Foods high in iron: lean beef, lean pork, skinned poultry, shellfish, fish, liver, organ meats, egg yolks, pinto, kidney, lima, navy, chick peas, black-eyed peas, lentils, split peas, green peas, spinach, kale, collards, beet greens, chard, broccoli, raisins, prunes, figs, dates, dried peaches, dried apricots, nuts, peanut butter, whole grain breads. Your body absorbs iron from meats easier than fruits and vegetables. To aid in the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables, eat them with a good source of vitamin C. ARTHRITIS:  A daily serving of fresh fish or fish oil capsules helps to give relief of arthritis and other joint pains. 3-4 walnuts eaten daily, on an empty stomach, will help. ASTHMA:  Mix 1 tsp. honey with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and take it at night before going to bed. Avoid taking aspirin, as this may invoke an asthma attack. BLADDER INFECTION:  Take a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries and boil them in water (they will fall apart). Cool and drink. Don't add sugar! This remedy is also useful for people with kidney problems. BLADDER STONES:  Boil 2 figs in 1 cup of water. Drink daily for a month. BRUISES:  Slice a raw onion and place over the bruise. Do not apply this to broken skin. COLD AND FLU:  Here is a delicious recipe for a cold and flu soup: Sauté 6 crushed cloves of garlic in 1 tsp. Vegetable oil until golden. Pour in a quart of beef or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and whisk in 2 egg whites. Beat together 2 egg yolks and 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar; pour this mixture into the soup. Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons, if desired. CONSTIPATION (IN ADULTS):  Eat a few black licorice sticks. Take apple pectin. Make sure you're getting enough Folic Acid in your diet. Drinking ginger tea will help start a bowel movement. CONSTIPATION (IN SMALL CHILDREN):  Soak 6-8 raisins in hot water. When cool, crush well and strain. When given routinely even too little infants, it helps to regulate bowel movement. COUGHS AND ASTHMA:  Steep 3-4 cloves of garlic in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks. Use several drops at a time, several times a day for coughs or asthma. Garlic is an exceptional cleanser for the body and has anti-microbial action similar to other antibiotics. DEPRESSION:  3/4 cup of cooked spinach a day is enough to give dramatic relief from depression if you are deficient in B vitamins. DIARRHEA:  Eat boiled sweet potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper before bedtime to cure chronic diarrhea. EARACHE:  Steep 1-2 tsp. chamomile flowers in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Strain out the water, and apply the hot flowers in a cloth for alleviation of the earache. ECZEMA:  Rub a whole nutmeg against a smooth stone slab with a little water and make a paste. Apply on affected parts. ENERGIZER: Simmer 1-cup honey and 3-cup water together slowly. Allow 1 cup of the water to evaporate. Strain off the top surface, and put the remaining liquid into a stoneware crock or dark bottle. Put a towel over it so it can breathe, yet be free of dirt. Place in a cool place. You can add cinnamon, clove, or the juice of 2 lemons, if you like. FATIGUE:  Take a glass of grapefruit and lemon juice in equal parts to dispel fatigue and general tiredness after a day's work. HANG-OVER:  Eat honey on crackers. The fructose in the honey will help to flush out the alcohol in your system. HAY F E V E R:  Steep 1 tsp. fenugreek seed in 1-cup water, covered, for 10 minutes. Drink 1 cup a day to help hay f e v e r symptoms. HEADACHE:  Eat 10-12 almonds, the equivalent of two aspirins, for a migraine headache. Almonds are far less likely to upset the stomach. HICCUPS:  Drink 1/2 glass of water, slowly. Keep a tsp. of sugar in your mouth and suck slowly. Suck 2-3 small pieces of fresh ginger. This helps in hiccups, which keep occurring again and again. OR Take a large mouthful of water without swallowing, plug both ears, and slowly begin to swallow the water. Unplug your ears and you're hiccups free!