Welcome to the first installment in the Frugal Bookworm’s series on “Home Remedies.” Going to see the doctor is expensive, especially for the uninsured (like me!). And as many of us have become more environmentally aware and try to live greener lifestyles, the rates of people turning to home treatments and homeopathic medicine are on the rise. As I turn to more homeopathic and natural remedies, I’d like to share a few of our favorite home remedies! Today, in our first installment, we’re going to tackle some common summertime ailments!
Before we get into the advice, let me offer a little legal disclaimer. If you have questions about any of these home remedies, please talk to your doctor! I am not a medical professional, so I am not responsible in any way for this advice. I’m just offering what’s worked in the past for our family. By no means am I saying you should rush out and try any of this at home. If you don’t feel comfortable with a remedy recommended here by myself or another reader, then don’t try it!
Bug bites: Make sure you clean the area with soap and water. I use alcohol so that it helps dry out the bug bite a little. Calamine lotion, anti-itch gel, or hydrocortisone cream all help control the itching. If you scratch at the bug bite, you will want to regularly use hydrogen peroxide to help boil the infection out. Ugh…I get the creeps just talking about that. If your kids like to swim, time in a chlorinated pool will also help dry up the bug bites.
Chiggers: Again, make sure you clean the area with soap and water. My mom has always recommended using bleach on chigger bites to dry them up quickly. After watching an episode of “CSI”, however, I found another solution…clear nail polish! It really works! It keeps the chigger bite from getting any air. I had a chigger bite on my leg and tried it out…it dried it right up. Let me warn you, however. If you do this on a leg, like I did, do not shave that area, ladies! I cut that chigger bite wide open and now I have a lovely purple-ish speckled scar from all the tiny cuts that I had from that incident. Yuck!
Poison ivy/ Poison oak: TipNut.com did a great article on this last week. Just as I did with bug bites, I would also recommend you use Benadryl to relieve the itching, or hydrocortisone ointment or gel as well. Calamine is great, and I would also recommend a bath in oatmeal…not a whole tub full of oatmeal, mind you, but add a cup or two to warm bathwater and soak. This is also a great idea for kids with chicken pox!
Sunburn: Aloe vera is your friend! We use aloe vera gel for sunburns, but I know several people that have aloe vera plants, and when there is a burn or sunburn, they will cut off the leaves and squeeze them out on the burn. If you or your child have a severe sunburn, you also might want to take some kind of pain reliever, either Tylenol or ibuprofen. If the sunburn is really bad, don’t pick at the peeling skin…it makes it much more painful!
Swimmer’s ear: There are some over-the-counter medications available to treat swimmer’s ear. You might want to give the affected person a pain reliever such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen to help the soreness. It’s a pretty good rule of thumb not to stick anything in your ear that’s smaller than your elbow! If the case doesn’t clear up, please go see a doctor…treatment with antibiotic ear drops might be necessary.
Dehydration: The best thing you can do to treat dehydration is prevention! When you’re outside or inside, for that matter, please make sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially water! If you don’t like plain water, try adding some true lemon (lime, or orange) packs…check out Heather’s Freebies 4 Mom to see if there are any current sample offers! If you have animals, keep them hydrated as well and give them an ice cube as a great treat! Whenever my dad gets ice out of the freezer (and inevitably spills some on the floor), our dog is right there to chase after the stray ice cubes! Most importantly, know your limits! If you're outside and you think you're getting overheated, then go inside!
I hope you've enjoyed some of these home remedies for common summertime ailments! What are some of your recommendations to treat the summertime yucks? Please share in the comments below! Join me again next week, as we continue our "Home Remedies" series and discuss headaches!
2 comments:
i had the mistfortune of being eat up with chigger bites last summer. it was a horrible experience.
and yes, i'm a wimp.
Great tips, thanks!
:)
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