Some Home Remedies Are Good Options

Newswise �?Sometimes simple home remedies are just what the doctor ordered for minor health concerns. Consider chicken soup to ease cold symptoms, or, yes, it’s true, duct tape to remove warts.

The December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers these and other helpful home remedies:

Chicken soup for colds -- Long favored by mothers for their sick children, chicken soup has been tested by scientists. They found it relieves cold and flu symptoms by acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, inhibiting movement of the immune system cells that are involved in the body’s inflammatory process. The soup helps relieve congestion by temporarily speeding up mucus movement through the nose. That limits the time viruses have contact with the nasal linings.

And the soup doesn’t have to be homemade. Researchers found that many canned soups work just as well, but be aware of high sodium content in some canned soups.

Oatmeal bath -- Either quick or old-fashioned oatmeal will help soothe dry, itchy or irritated skin. A food processor will finely grind oatmeal from the kitchen. The oatmeal powder can then be slowly sprinkled under bath water running at full force to create a skin-soothing bath.

Milk of magnesia for canker sores -- Dabbing a small amount of milk of magnesia on a canker sore three or four times a day will take out the sting.

Duct tape for warts -- Warts that typically grow on fingers or the backs of hands and feet can be removed with duct tape. Duct tape can be applied on the wart and left in place for six days. Once the tape is removed, the wart is be soaked in water and then gently rubbed with a pumice stone or emery board. After allowing the skin to breathe overnight, the process can be repeated for up to two months or until the wart is gone.

Aloe for minor burns -- When applied to the skin, the juice inside aloe leaves may promote healing of mild to moderate burns.

Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today’s health and medical news. To subscribe, please call 800-333-9037 (toll-free), extension 9PR1, or visit http://www.bookstore.mayoclinic.com.