Smart Woman: Home Remedies
By: Lane Stone & Nathan Hale
Updated: July 16, 2010
More and more Americans are finding ways to save on health care.
Last year, 45% of us turned to over-the-counter drugs and home remedies to find relief.
Have athlete's foot? Mix two teaspoons of salt with a pint of warm water and soak your foot for ten minutes. The saline will help kill the fungus. For bee stings, try toothpaste. It's been shown to relieve the sting in just minutes and
reduce pain for up to five hours.
If you rubbed up against some poison ivy while gardening, rub the area for
25 seconds with liquid dish soap before rinsing with water. One study shows this prevented a red, itchy rash from developing almost half the time and reduced inflammation and blistering by 56%. If restless legs are keeping you up at night, reach for a glass of tonic water. Quinine -- the active ingredient in the drink -- helps control muscle spasms.
Another at home remedy for eczema relief: rub olive oil on the skin to deliver moisture and inflammation-fighting antioxidants.
