You used what? Strange home remedies

DETROIT – You won't believe what some people use to cure what ails them.

According to Prevention.com, you can use everyday items as natural remedies.

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Stinky feet

Get rid of foot odor by washing your feet with vodka. It's the same principle as rubbing alcohol. Vodka contains alcohol, which is antiseptic and drying, so it destroys odor-causing fungus and bacteria and dries out the moisture that lets these organisms grow.

Killer headache

Have a headache that won't go away? Grab a pencil. When you're stressed or anxious, you subconsciously clench your jaw and teeth; this strains the muscle that connects your jaw to your temples and can trigger a tension headache. A solution: "Put a pencil between your teeth but don't bite," says Fred Sheftell, MD, director of the New England Center for Headache in Stamford, CT. You automatically relax your jaw muscle to do this, which can prevent the pain.

Foot Blisters

If you're feet are killing you because of some nasty blisters, try using Listerine to ease the pain. Moisten a cotton ball with Listerine and dab it on your blister 3 times a day until the area dries out and no longer hurts, says Janet Maccaro, PhD, CNC, a holistic nutritionist and certified nutrition consultant in Scottsdale, AZ.

Calluses and Corns

Ease the discomfort of calluses and corns with licorice. That's right - licorice."Licorice contains estrogen-like substances that soften the hard skin of calluses and corns," says Georgianna Donadio, PhD, director of the National Institute of Whole Health. Make this homemade licorice paste: Grind up a few licorice sticks, mix them with ½ teaspoon of petroleum jelly, and rub the mixture into the rough areas of your feet.

Bad Breath

Use the live bacteria in yogurt to get rid of bad breath. According to preliminary research, that live bacteria "can suppress levels of bad breath-causing bacteria."

Cold Sores

Consider a herbal treatment for cold sores. James Duke, PhD, author of The Green Pharmacy said the tea has antiviral properties that work to tame herpes outbreaks. Prepare the team, let it cool and then use a cotton ball to apply the tea to the cold sore several times a day.

Eczema

Applying olive oil directly to flareups can help soothe the areas. According to Christopher Dannaker, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco, olive oil has antioxidants that can reduce the inflammation associated with eczema. Olive oil's antioxidants can also help prevent and repair damage that can lead to wrinkles and brown spots.
Prevention said to rub one teaspoon of olive oil per square inch of skin. It creates a seal that prevents the skin from drying.

Hiccups

A spoonful of sugar could stop hiccups in minutes. "The sugar is believed to modify the nerve muscles that would otherwise tell the muscles in the diaphragm to contract spasmodically and contribute to hiccups."

High Blood Pressure

Have a problem with high blood pressure? Pick up the iPod and listen to music for 30 minutes a day. Based on research from from the University of Florence in Italy, that can help bring blood pressure down. That was even the case with people taking hypertension medication if they listened to music while breathing slowly.

Motion Sickness

Treat motion sickness with olives? Medical experts say motion sickness causes people to produce excess saliva, which can
make them sick to their stomach. Tannins, the compounds in olives, dry out the mouth and can help soothe the queasies. Sucking on a lemon can also help.

Brittle Nails

Apply vegetable oil to hands overnight to help fix dry nails. Experts said to apply the vegetable oil to hands then put on vinyl gloves or plastic wrap to keep the oil from leaking. This can be done in addition to using hand lotion.

Pizza Burn

If you burn the roof of your mouth, reach for the cold stuff in your freezer. Grab a spoonful of ice cream or frozen yogurt for instant, but temporary relief. Drinking something cold or an ice cube can also help.


Driving Stress

Ease the stress of daily life with a little peppermint or cinnamon. NASA funded a study at Wheeling Jesuit University that looked at
the responses of 25 college students during simulated driving scenarios. The results revealed peppermint lowered feelings of anxiety and peppermint and cinnamon each decreased frustration and increased alertness
If gum is not an option, consider peppermint or cinnamon aromatherapy diffusers for the car.

Whiter Teeth

Crunch fruits and vegetables for whiter teeth. They have a natural cleansing action that can help remove stains.
"Apples have a gentle malic acid that also helps dissolve stains," says Jennifer Jabow, DDS, of Park 56 Dental in New York City.

Urinary Tract Infections

Try and treat this problem with a drink solution consisting of ¼ teaspoon of baking soda mixed in 8 ounces of water. Start when symptoms first appear and continue once a day until you can get to the doctor's office to be tested and get antibiotics. According to
Larrian Gillespie, MD, a retired assistant clinical professor of urology and urogynecology in Los Angeles, baking soda makes the bladder environment more alkaline, which reduces bacteria's ability to multiply.

Cuts

Powered cloves sprinkled on a cut could help prevent an infection. Clove oil has a chemical in it called eugenol that is both antiseptic and pain-killing.

Smoother Skin

Improve your skin with tropical fruit. The fruit has papain, a protein-eating enzyme that dissolves the dead cells on the skin's surface that can make it look dull and rough and prone to breakouts. Doing the following treatment just twice a month can lead to softer, smoother, skin: Grind 2 tablespoons of papaya in a food processor and add 1 tablespoon of dry oatmeal. Pat the mixture onto your skin and let it set for 10 minutes before wiping it off using a wet washcloth.

Warts

Have a wart? Grab the duct tape out of the garage to treat it. According to a study in the ARchives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, covering warts with duct tape gets rid of them better than freezing them off.