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[size=large]Home Remedies that Work..[/size].
We spend billions every year on over-the-counter health remedies for everything from canker sores to aching muscles but, in some cases, there's no need to shell out a lot of money to find relief. All you need to do is check your cupboard for some surprising home remedies that work. 'Your Health' aarp.org/bulletin November 2011
[size=large]Honey[/size] - Just one spoonful can help quiet a nighttime cough better than over-the-counter cough syrups or suppressants. That's what a Pennsylvania study of more than 100 children found. Study author Ian Paul, M.D., says honey can also help reduce coughs in older adults suffering from a cold. Honey coats and soothes an irritated throat to help calm repeated coughing. "It is generally safe and can be used repeatedly as needed," Paul says. He recommends two teaspoons per dose, but advises older adults to make sure their cough is because of a cold and not a more serious condition that may not respond to honey.
[size=large]Tart Cherry Juice[/size]e - Drinking tart cherry juice can help prevent gout attacks, relieve muscle soreness after exercise and possibly help with arthritis pain because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties. Gout expert Naomi Schlesinger, M.D., says the juice seems to reduce the joint inflammation that gout causes. Schlesinger led a study that found patients who took a tablespoon of tart cherry juice concentrate twice a day for four months cut the frequency of their gout attacks in half.
More than a third remained gout attack-free. Other studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice daily helps runners reduce muscle soreness and reduces inflammation in over-weight patients. Unlike its sweeter cousins, the Bling and black cherry, the tart cherry is bright red and higher in antioxidants.
[size=large]Ginger[/size] - Ginger can help reduce nausea and relieve motion sickness. Some studies have shown that taking one gram of ginger an hour before surgery can reduce nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after surgery. In addition, a large National Cancer Institute-funded study found that people undergoing chemotherapy who take as little as one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger daily for three days before chemo cut their nausea by 40 percent. The study found that a small amount of fresh or powered ginger worked better than a larger dose and that ginger taken with anti-vomiting drugs worked better to control nausea than drugs alone. For older adults prone to motion sickness, Suzanna Zick of the University of Michigan recommends eating one or two pieces of crystallized ginger, available in most supermarkets, before traveling. She cautions that ginger extract capsules are much stronger and may actually cause stomach upset. "Don't go above two grams of ginger" she advises.
[size=large]Water[/size] - Daily gargling with plain tap water can help cut the number of colds and respiratory infections you get, as well as relieve symptoms if you're already sick. A 2005 study of nearly 400 healthy volunteers ages 18-65 in Japan found that those who gargled three times a day with tap water had nearly 40 percent fewer respiratory infections during cold and flu season than did the control group. When the subjects did get sick, gargling reduced bronchial irritation, researchers reported. Other studies also support gargling, whether with salt water or water with lemon and honey, as a safe, effective way to soothe and cleanse a sore throat.
[size=large]Chranberries[/size] - If you're prone to bladder infections, drinking cranberry juice daily won't cure them, but it can help prevent them, say the urologic disease experts at NIH. Just be careful if ou are taking blood-thinning redication like warfarin (Coumadin), Plavix or aspirin, warns Hagen: "Possible interactions between cranberry juice and warfarin may lead to bleeding." Taking a 500mg cranberry extract pill twice a day is also effective at preventing urinary tract infections. A Dutch study published this year compared women who took a daily low dose of an antibiotic to prevent infections and women who took the cranberry pills. The antibiotic was somewhat more effective, but it also caused more antibiotic resistance in the bloodstream. Unlike antibiotics, which kill bacteria, cranberrys keep bacteria from attaching to the bladder walls.
We spend billions every year on over-the-counter health remedies for everything from canker sores to aching muscles but, in some cases, there's no need to shell out a lot of money to find relief. All you need to do is check your cupboard for some surprising home remedies that work. 'Your Health' aarp.org/bulletin November 2011
[size=large]Honey[/size] - Just one spoonful can help quiet a nighttime cough better than over-the-counter cough syrups or suppressants. That's what a Pennsylvania study of more than 100 children found. Study author Ian Paul, M.D., says honey can also help reduce coughs in older adults suffering from a cold. Honey coats and soothes an irritated throat to help calm repeated coughing. "It is generally safe and can be used repeatedly as needed," Paul says. He recommends two teaspoons per dose, but advises older adults to make sure their cough is because of a cold and not a more serious condition that may not respond to honey.
[size=large]Tart Cherry Juice[/size]e - Drinking tart cherry juice can help prevent gout attacks, relieve muscle soreness after exercise and possibly help with arthritis pain because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties. Gout expert Naomi Schlesinger, M.D., says the juice seems to reduce the joint inflammation that gout causes. Schlesinger led a study that found patients who took a tablespoon of tart cherry juice concentrate twice a day for four months cut the frequency of their gout attacks in half.
More than a third remained gout attack-free. Other studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice daily helps runners reduce muscle soreness and reduces inflammation in over-weight patients. Unlike its sweeter cousins, the Bling and black cherry, the tart cherry is bright red and higher in antioxidants.
[size=large]Ginger[/size] - Ginger can help reduce nausea and relieve motion sickness. Some studies have shown that taking one gram of ginger an hour before surgery can reduce nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after surgery. In addition, a large National Cancer Institute-funded study found that people undergoing chemotherapy who take as little as one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger daily for three days before chemo cut their nausea by 40 percent. The study found that a small amount of fresh or powered ginger worked better than a larger dose and that ginger taken with anti-vomiting drugs worked better to control nausea than drugs alone. For older adults prone to motion sickness, Suzanna Zick of the University of Michigan recommends eating one or two pieces of crystallized ginger, available in most supermarkets, before traveling. She cautions that ginger extract capsules are much stronger and may actually cause stomach upset. "Don't go above two grams of ginger" she advises.
[size=large]Water[/size] - Daily gargling with plain tap water can help cut the number of colds and respiratory infections you get, as well as relieve symptoms if you're already sick. A 2005 study of nearly 400 healthy volunteers ages 18-65 in Japan found that those who gargled three times a day with tap water had nearly 40 percent fewer respiratory infections during cold and flu season than did the control group. When the subjects did get sick, gargling reduced bronchial irritation, researchers reported. Other studies also support gargling, whether with salt water or water with lemon and honey, as a safe, effective way to soothe and cleanse a sore throat.
[size=large]Chranberries[/size] - If you're prone to bladder infections, drinking cranberry juice daily won't cure them, but it can help prevent them, say the urologic disease experts at NIH. Just be careful if ou are taking blood-thinning redication like warfarin (Coumadin), Plavix or aspirin, warns Hagen: "Possible interactions between cranberry juice and warfarin may lead to bleeding." Taking a 500mg cranberry extract pill twice a day is also effective at preventing urinary tract infections. A Dutch study published this year compared women who took a daily low dose of an antibiotic to prevent infections and women who took the cranberry pills. The antibiotic was somewhat more effective, but it also caused more antibiotic resistance in the bloodstream. Unlike antibiotics, which kill bacteria, cranberrys keep bacteria from attaching to the bladder walls.
Ma Betty