I often find myself sick or just sore and not have a lot of options of what i can do for myself, so i thought a remedy thread would be good for people that know a lot of ways to help and for people like me that dont have a lot of resources and need to find a solution for some kind of ailment.

I was wondering if anyone knows a remedy for headaches.. I don't have any medicine or anything so i was wondering how to get rid of one without medicine.. tricky request huh?:razz:

I'm no medical professional and wouldn't want to cause anyone harm. In my opinion, it depends what kind of headache you have and why you have it. I get headaches and migraines alot and I've different cures for different headaches.

I've just re-read that, it's so helpful (not)!!

Drink lots of water!

Ele...

I get headaches as well as migraines, and I find that sometimes something can help it while at other times it doesn't. Like, water can help, but at other times doesn't work. Or coffee helps... and again, at other times it doesn't. lol

If you do have a mild case of headaches and very rarely, getting away from the computer, drinking water, eating some food, having a nap or going for a walk can help. Or if someone is generous enough (heh), a massage can do wonders... !!

If you do get regular ones, you can try herbal medication to help it. I've tried it, but gave up because of side effects, but I'm hoping to have another dig at it in a week or so :) I heard it at takes a while to have it's full effect, but it does work great on most people. :)

And I stress what Java has said.. drink plenty of water!! So much that you'll need the bathroom every 5 minutes.. :razz:

Edit: Also.. smacking your head with your fist works too. And I'm totally serious about that one! Sometimes I get fed up and whack my head, and it actually calms it down a bit. And I suspect I damage a few brain cells too. Yes, I have some remaining, XD.

i drink about a gallon of water everyday...
:smile:

most of the time i either take a nap or simply just wait it out which aggravates me most of the time..

most of the time i either take a nap or simply just wait it out which aggravates me most of the time..

Yeah, waiting it out can get frustrating.. that's why I find myself whacking my head with my fist, heh.

Btw, have a look at your diet.. My nutritionist was saying that a lot of processed foods can also be the cause of headaches or make them worse. If it could be linked to diet, you should note down what you've eaten before you had the headache. From there, you might be able to spot a pattern and improve your diet. This is something I did ages ago. I still get headaches all the time, because I don't think they're really linked to my diet, but taking out the few things that I ate that made them worse (from my diet), has helped a wee bit. :)

And lay off the junk food! Eat plenty of veggies.. :razz:

Heh.. I sound like my mother..

ummmmmm.... all my school serves is processed foods :S
and i eat in the dining area all the time.. no where else to go

To much time on your pc can also cause headaches ( eyestrain) have you had your eyes tested recently ?

cure for coldsores, dap some aftershave on it.

ummmmmm.... all my school serves is processed foods :S
and i eat in the dining area all the time.. no where else to go

/slap schools
You guys need Jamie Oliver :razz: *laughs*
Not sure if you got that joke.. :(

If you're having processed foods on a daily basis, I can imagine that has a lot to do with why you have headaches -- especially if your health is generally okay and you have no other problems. It is very handy to keep a log though.. I know it's frustrating to do, but it's the best way to note if it is because of foods you eat. It helped me :)

Also, do you guys have to eat what the school provides you? I know you live there, so I was just wondering if you have cooking facilities, etc? You need your mum... she'll protect you from the evils of processed stuffs. :P

we dont have to eat it.. but most people buy a meal plan and that just gives you a set amount of meals for each week so essentially its free until you get your bill with the tuition and housing and all that fun stuff on it...

make sure you get your 8 hours sleep too. Aslong as the gallon you drink is pure water too. Coffee, tea etc count as half a glass when water is a full glass so drinking 16 glasses of caffine (as opposed to 8 pure water) would also cause headaches. As far as I can remember, a US gallon is about 3.75 litres so that's double the average which should be 2 unless you're very active. Maybe that could be a cause too, there is such a thing as drinking too much water.

I generally find that headaches are sleep, caffine or stress related. I can't stress enough though that you need to get 8 hours sleep. And no, that isn't 1am till 9am either :biggrin: 1 hour before midnight is worth 2 after.

I agree, a nice relaxing nap. Even if you can't actually sleep and just lay in the quiet with your eyes closed.

Modern lighting and quick movements on tv is yet another of my migraine bugs and I think eyes need a good rest. There's something to be said about the saying "just resting my eyes" ;)

Some sound advice here you lot TY

TRY THIS
ACCUPRESSURE (http://universityhealthsystem.com/pain-management/pain-headache.html)

what about... Razor burn :eek:

i know everyone hates that :P

TRY THIS (http://www.health24.com/Man/Great_man_guides/748-3270-2890.asp)

Razor burn is avoidable - remember all those cartoons where Elmer Fudd goes into a barber shop and Bugs Bunny wraps a hot towel around his face? It's a case of waqrming the facial skin, opening up the pores and softening the hairs.

NEVER EVER use a dull razor - guaranteed razor burn.

Try one of the multi blade shavers - I have just bought the new Gillette Fusion 5 bladed razor which also has a battery, that creates a gentle vibration while shaving and gives an exceptionally great shave. You can also flip it over and it has a single blade for those trucky spots like just under the nose or for straightening up around the sideburns..

I always use Nivea "for Men" products including their Shave Gel and Aftershave Balm.



Their roll-on deodorant is good gear too.

TRY THIS (http://www.health24.com/Man/Great_man_guides/748-3270-2890.asp)

Razor burn is avoidable - remember all those cartoons where Elmer Fudd goes into a barber shop and Bugs Bunny wraps a hot towel around his face? It's a case of waqrming the facial skin, opening up the pores and softening the hairs.

NEVER EVER use a dull razor - guaranteed razor burn.

Try one of the multi blade shavers - I have just bought the new Gillette Fusion 5 bladed razor which also has a battery, that creates a gentle vibration while shaving and gives an exceptionally great shave. You can also flip it over and it has a single blade for those trucky spots like just under the nose or for straightening up around the sideburns..

I always use Nivea "for Men" products including their Shave Gel and Aftershave Balm.



Their roll-on deodorant is good gear too.

Cherry sits near to BM to sniff his nivea products, as im rather partial to them myself mmmmmmmmm.
Lovely close shave there BM

Ah headaches. Let me tell you a story.

About 3000 years ago, a man in assyria wrote about the ache curing powers of a willow tree bark infusion. Some 2500 years go, Hippocrates tested this himself and found it quite relieving as well.

About 120 years ago, a french anthropologist noticed how the cherokee aboriginals used it as well, and he commented this to Felix Hoffmann, a chemist at the Friedrich Bayer Company in Leverkusen. This caught his attention and he did a little research and found several accounts to the willow tree's power, and also found that the chemical present in the bark is salicylic acid. He also saw tons of notes how this organic acid, though a fabulous cure for aches, also caused a great deal of health problems, especially ulcers and gastric bleeding. So he went to the books and developed a method of acetylation by deriving a hydroxide functional group of the acid, thus producing acetylsalicylic acid.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2131/aspirindi4.jpg
Cute ain't he?

The Friedrich Bayer company made billions as they marketed this product worldwide in a green and white tin, then box with blisters.

Thus my suggestion my friend, if you will, is to pop a 325mg pill of good old aspirin every so often. Buy them coated if you're worried about your stomach. And enjoy the freedom.

Why do you have to be so darn smart!

btw 2.0, your avatar scares me!

It scares me too :(

I get headaches and migraines quite a lot. For migraines there is nothing I can do but wait it out. Pain killers don't touch them, preventative tablets are useless cause they come on too fast.

However! I have a cure for slight headaches (apart from painkillers). When I was at university, I used to walk down an avenue to get to my lectures - a really long avenue with tons and tons of trees. Quite often I would wake up with a headache which would seem to be the kind to last all day, but by the time I got to uni, it was gone. My explaination for this is the trees! (brace yourself 2.0 - half-assed scientific reasoning coming up!) I think that because trees release oxygen, there must be a bit more of it in the air around a lot of trees, and breathing it in helps your head! So go and seek out trees and breathe in their oxygeny goodness.

Einstein out.

My explaination for this is the trees! (brace yourself 2.0 - half-assed scientific reasoning coming up!) I think that because trees release oxygen, there must be a bit more of it in the air around a lot of trees, and breathing it in helps your head! So go and seek out trees and breathe in their oxygeny goodness.

Not half assed at all vik, that was actually solid. Ah the wonder of careful observation, it's a powerful tool. Indeed, oxygen will cure a headache, and indeed we have plants to thank for that.

Now here's why in some half-assed doctor talk. hehe.

Physical activity increases heart rate, blood pressure and breathing, which triggers water to be drawn from tissues to enhance the flow of blood, which results in more oxygen reaching your brain and your tissues in general. O2 fuels our tissues, and an O2 deprived body will feel like crap because it doesn't function properly, ergo why some people feel ill, dizzy when at high altitudes, simply because the cells don't have O2 to keep going.

Exercising a little, even if it's a long walk down an avenue will trigger all these reactions. Technically if you drink plenty of water, eat some fruit every day and do some kind of exercise, headaches should decrease. All of the above also reduce strain brought on by stress, which also cause all kinds of headaches.

Now 212, headaches can often be a sign of something worse coming along, and they usually come as a helpful warning. And there's a whole lot of reasons that could trigger a headache (simple stuff like allergies, sinusitis, anemia are my favourites).

If all the traditional stuff doesn't work (water, food, exercise, aspirin/ibuprofen/paracetamol) and the headaches are intense and frequent, go to the docs and talk to them. They might order some simple blood work and fix you right up.

I have a question, how come my eyes (I don't know about anyone else's) get hurt by red light more than anyother? I've had to give up driving at night because people's bright brake lights make me ill even when they shouldn't sit with brakes on constantly :mad: The handbrake's there for a reason ppl!

Anyway, yes, red lights. Is there a reason they seem to be more damaging?

Hmm not sure. I do know that our brain sees and processes red more easily than any other colour, so it may be something to do with that. I did an interesting experiment once at a science museum. You had to sit on a chair, and look forwards at all times. Around your head, at eye level, was a ring - about 10-15 cms away from your head, all the way round. Right at the back of this ring were different coloured beads that you could push all the way around. What you did was get a friend to push one of the beads slowly around to the front, and you had to say when you could tell what colour it was. Sounds nuts, but you can make out 'red' as soon as your periphery vision kicks in. Yellow and blue were next although I forget which order, but green was unbelievable. I could see the bead, and I could see that it had colour... but I couldn't tell what colour until it was a loooooooong way around the circle - almost in my direct line of vision.

Sorry, long boring story, but I suppose we can see red easier cause it's a colour we associate with danger, whereas white, green etc we don't pay as much attention to. Maybe that's why your eyes get strained when there's a lot of red around.

TRY THIS (http://www.health24.com/Man/Great_man_guides/748-3270-2890.asp)

i know how to shave lol
i just didnt use gel that time :P:razz:

Thanks for the avatar change 2.0.....i dont have the sudden urge to kill chickens anymore.

Kill chickens? I thought it was bleed black cats... :smile:

Kill chickens? I thought it was bleed black cats... :smile:

Ya know...... its a good thing i like you! :biggrin:

What about hiccups? I'm sure there's good 'ol scare them away, drinking away, or suffocate them away, but I like to hear more creative remedies.
For example, I looked up hicups just to see what causes them (interesting stuff, btw) and found some helpful things. Like the one I use, you exhale 'til you can exhale no more, then DO NOT take a breath, and try to swallow eight times. Why does it work? Basically takes your mind off of them.

I'd also like to hear what others do for sneezes. Personally I like to sneeze.. but hey, some people don't.

Hiccups is a reflex reaction, the pulmonary diaphragm contracts suddengly and your glottis (the hole between the volcal chords in your throat) closes up, stopping the sudden influx of air.
Drinking a big glass of water slowly also helps, because it stops the arc as the muscles in the glottis that contract during hiccups are mostly busy swallowing.
I get rid of them immediately by doing something similar, but for this you must know how to control your gag reflex, because you need to do something similar. Take deep controlled breaths and try to keep your throat open. After the 4th or 5th breath it should stop.

Deep controlled breaths - same as breathing into a paper bag really - although some folks promulgate the idea that the Carbon Dioxide / Air Exchange is what assists the diaphragm in cessation of contractions, it's actually the focus on controlling the breathing.

I usually sip water from the opposite side of a full glass - seems to work 99% of the time.

opposite side of a full glass... how do you do that?

Well, you fill up a glass, and hold it up to your face, but instead of drinking from the part of the rim nearest to your lips, you put your head over the top, and drink from the opposite side of the rim, kind of drinking upsidedown. Nice and messy :) If you don't choke to death, you get your hiccups cured!

so... you dont drink from the side where the water will actually go into your mouth... but the side where the water will go all over you?

Correct - but if you don't want the water all over you , then you SIP at it bottom lip on opposite side of the rim - where your top lip should ordinarily be.

Hiccups: In bars, in the USA I've heard bartenders recommend biting down on a piece of lime, covered with bitters. I've tried it, and not only was it ineffective, it tasted horrible! It works for some people, though. The one that always works for me is to sit up very straight, hold in my stomach, raise my arms up over my head, inhale deeply and hold it for the count of 5, exhale completely, and inhale deeply again, holding for the count of 5. Repeat this several times, and the hiccups should disappear.

Oi 2.0, you described almost exactly what I do when I've got those nasty hiccups. I find a place to relax, sit down if I'm not already sitting and lay down if possible. Then, breathing through my mouth I take a couple of really deep breaths, but VERY slowly. This relaxes something, I think, and whenever there's a hiccup, its effect is just a very quick breathe-in, like as if something startles you. Fail-safe remedy for me!

Oi 2.0, you described almost exactly what I do when I've got those nasty hiccups. I find a place to relax, sit down if I'm not already sitting and lay down if possible. Then, breathing through my mouth I take a couple of really deep breaths, but VERY slowly. This relaxes something, I think, and whenever there's a hiccup, its effect is just a very quick breathe-in, like as if something startles you. Fail-safe remedy for me!

That's what i do. As BM said, it's all about controlled breaths. Once you know how to control your glottis contractions, your diaphragm spasms will fade.

what about itchy eyes :S

what about itchy eyes :S


Well itchy eyes, are sometimes caused by hayfever or infection.
If infected you will need the doctor and some antibiotics.
If just general irratation, then warm salty water and cotton wool to bath the eyes normally works.
Or even g have a sauna, it will clear all particals and impurities out with th sheer heat:eek:

What does everyone else do for heartburn? I really hate taking off the shelf stuff so anything kitchen cupboardy would be very helpful!

xxx

What does everyone else do for heartburn? I really hate taking off the shelf stuff so anything kitchen cupboardy would be very helpful!

xxx
For temporary relief, put a teaspoon of baking soda in half a glass of water, stir, drink fast. Apples and bananas seem to help too.

Now, if this is a chronic thing, you need acid repressors (Nexium, Losec, Prilosec, they're all the same). They decrease the activity of the little acid factories in your stomach. Some of them might be over the counter (i know prilosec is OTC in the US). Take a 20mg pill 45 minutes before eating, and you'll be fine.

If it's not a chronic condition, then baking soda and just plain avoiding the foods that give you heartburn will do.

Cheers.

sore throats???

Ginger pieces boiled in water for a while - making a sort of tea. That's great for sore throats/chesty coughs :) Lol, that's weird.. just yesterday I was recommending the same thing to someone else on isketchy.

Um, and of course, backing away from the cold stuff, like icrecream :P

well um.. what about someone that doesnt have the resource of a stove or ginger pieces.. i live in a dorm.. i dont have many resources..

A nice cup of warm tea, with milk and no sugar. I'm a trained vocalist and do this alot when I'm working lots. It saves having to use any off-the-counter remedies that can harm you more.

back pain?..

Deep heat or Dencorub - hot water bottle - heat lamp - Spa - rest

i was going to start a thread but i found this one!!! :biggrin:

so im a mallet player and ive developed tendinitis.. i was wondering if anyone knows what i can do to help it heal, or reduce the chances of it getting worse

A mallet player? I have heard of people playing panel saws but mallets? Maybe if you have tendonitis you should give up playing mallets. Perhaps try hammers or drills?

I've had tendinitis on several tendons of my body, starting with my knees and elbows, and currently on my calf, since i was 14. I think i know a little bit about that.

You should know that tendinitis is a condition that causes pain due to the swelling of a tendon, the fibrous tissue that joins bones together.

The key to prevent or cure tendinitis is stretching. When i was 18 tendinitis in my knee almost landed me in surgery, but 6 months worth of physiotherapy saved me from that.

I'm no doctor, let a doctor tell you this, but from my experience it's a simple 3 step routine, 3 times a day. Apply heat 15 minutes, stretch and mobilize 15 minutes, apply ice 5-10 minutes.

If it's really bad, i think you should see a pro for that.

Anti-inflamatories only reduce the swelling and the pain, but they are not a cure for tendonitis since you have to work on reducing the stress on the tendon, not just reducing the swelling. Having said that, look into proper positioning of the limb that is causing you pain, so that you reduce the stress you put on the tendons.

Once the pain is gone (it'll take a few weeks, this is not something that goes away in 2 days) you need to do proper warm up and stretches before working them mallets. Even though you are not old, you're already at that age where suddenly you realize "hey, this is not working quite as well as it did when i was 16". You need to start taking better care of your body from now own, and your body needs stretching and proper warm ups, especially before repetitive motion exercises.

I gots a cold sore coming, anyone know any remedies other than getting that stuff OTC? I'm a total cold sore noob and I would use the OTC stuff only my sister used it a while back and it looked like Vesuvius came to visit her :|
My skin scars easily so I wanna be careful with what I use, if anything.

I know they can be stress related. Me? Stressed? I only have an exam in 20 days time, nerdy's wedding 3 days after that and 2 assignments to hand in 4 days after that.

/me bites her thumb at stress :biggrin:

Hey AJ.. try some Zovirax. I don't get cold sores but my mother does and swears by it. That said, the best thing to do is leave them to heal and not pick them. If you know what your assignments are about or can ask your tutors for a bit more information, why not be a super swot and do a little self-motivated study and do your assignments early? That way all you have to stress about is your exam and looking pretty for your sister at the wedding (which I'm sure you'd do easily anyway). 20 days is quite a long time, it will all be fine. :)

Thanks Lumiere, only I think it was Zovirax my sister used, however she just has allergic reactions to the most random things, so maybe it only messed her up. I'm not allergic to anything... that I know of.

It's a really tiny thingy wotsit in the corner of my mouth, it just hurts when I yawn, eat and laugh :|

With regards to my 2 assignments, those are my 2 new courses that start today.

Maybe it's my wedding that's causing you stress? Heh. My other sis used to use things for her cold sore, as AJ already pointed out, but I leave mine alone when I get them. They go pretty fast.. within a few days.

/me stays away from AJ out of fear that she'll give her a cold sore as a wedding present ;)

*bumps* That cold sore didn't develop properly btw, it somehow just went away :D

Anyway, I'm not dermatologist so I have no knowledge whatsoever on skin stuff tbh but I have eczema/ezchma or however the heck you spell it. At least I *think* it is ezchma. I basically have rough patches of skin randomly on my body like arm, leg, back, neck etc. Some patches are big and others are small. Only a few patches itch(ed) and the others I just discovered by touch cos it feels so gross.

I honestly cba to go to the doctors cos I think this is just like a winter rash/ezchma type thing so it might just go away once the weather is warmer for more than just a day after a few weeks.

In the past I used E45 for rough skin on my hands but I think that stopped working after a while. I'm not too familiar with OTC stuff so if anyone out there suffers from ezchma or winter rash like things, some remedies would be very appreciated. I'd like to get rid of this ickyness now cos quite frankly, it's just a pain in the butt.

I've even used really good body scrubs and that does squat all tbh :/
Ayudame, por favor. Gracias in advance-o

Heh!
I know a Mexican hangover remedy that involves cow stomach(tripe), pigs feet and hominy in a spicy broth. They call it Menudo (http://www.altekgraphics.com/images/lg_menudo.jpg)(meh-noo-doh). Its served hot with lemon slices, diced onion and crushed oregano and tortillas of course. Want the recipe?:razz:

PS: No! Im not talking about the 80's teenybopper music group: Menudo (http://littlejudy.blogs.com/littlejudy/images/menudo.jpg) Ugh!


Ok, so call me strange, but I actually like Menudo. Its a very tasty dish.