Great Home Remedies That Take Care of Everything

Foot Fungus

A case of foot fungus can be very difficult to shake in part because of the enormous variety of fungi that make targeted medical treatments difficult to apply.

When you’re sick, sometimes the best course of action is to see a doctor”you know, for those times when you can’t remember what your original skin tone looked like underneath that rapidly-expanding purple rash.

Other times, however, you can feel safe taking care of things on your own and saving your physician some of her precious time and energy.

The following is a list of some common ailments for which some of the most effective remedies are probably already available in your medicine closet, kitchen, or elsewhere in your home.

Insomnia

* Turn off the laptop/iPad/iPod. Recent sleep research suggests that staring at an LCD screen (such as those prevalent on laptops, smartphones and tablet computers) before bedtime can disrupt the normal Circadian rhythm and keep you up past your bedtime. So make sure to give your eyes a rest for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

* Set a bedtime and stick to it. Your body is meant to get a regular amount of sleep at regular intervals. Ever since the invention of fire, however, going to sleep based on daylight cues has become progressively more difficult, hence the necessity to self-regulate with a predictable daily sleep schedule.

* Get up when the alarm goes off. Overuse of the snooze button not only disrupts your last precious minutes (or hours) of sleep, it confuses your body as to when it should expect to be asleep and when it should be awake. If you don’t plan on getting up when the alarm goes off, then you’ll probably be better off setting the alarm for a later time. This article might be able to help you break the habit and stick to your  sleep schedule.

* Sleep in a cold room. Multiple studies have shown that a cool air temperature aids in sleep”chilling your bedroom down to the mid-60s (or colder depending on your tolerance) can help people to fall asleep more quickly and sleep more soundly throughout the night.

* Avoid stimulants in the late afternoon and evening. Caffeine, tobacco, or excessive amounts of sugar are all strong stimulants, and can all contribute to insomnia by ramping up your body’s metabolism just when you’re getting ready to call it a night. Switching to decaf 8 hours before your intended bedtime can make all the difference in the world (see the “Home Care” section for insomnia posted by the National Institute for Health).

Foot and Toenail Fungus

* Keep your feet dry. Fungi need a warm, moist environment in order to grow, and your shoes are prime real estate. Take a look at 911health.com for a list of around-the-house products you can use to keep your feet dry throughout the day¦and maybe also to keep your hands dry for those oh-so-important business partner handshakes.

* Vodka. Vodka has practical many uses above and beyond drinking away your smelly-feet sorrows. A 10-minute foot soak in the stuff can do wonders for feet that have been around the block a few times too many, although the soak alone might not be enough to get at fungus that’s taken up residence under the toenail. Commercial mouthwash can work too, but the lower alcohol percentage means reduced effectiveness compared to 80-proof Vodka.

* Lemon juice or vinegar. Basically, anything acidic should do the trick when it comes to killing off an unwanted fungus. Beware of anything with too high of a sugar content (as this will simply provide your fungus with an alternate food supply), and make sure to rinse your feet clean afterwards.

* Google.com. A case of foot fungus can be very difficult to shake, in part because the infection has grown deep into your skin or under a toenail, and in part because of the enormous variety of fungi that make targeted medical treatments difficult to apply. Thousands of people out there on the web are more than happy to share their deeply intimate and personal foot fungus experiences, from vodka to cayenne pepper to baby powder to olive oil and tabasco”just go ahead and google “foot fungus remedy”.

Random

* Canker sores. Aloe rinse? Alum and baking soda? Tea tree oil and a gargle of salt water? Take your pick from a dozen possible home treatments for canker sores.

* Halitosis (bad breath). Beyond just a mint and some mouthwash, it might be time to do more about that terrible odor that everyone’s nose except your own is cringing from. Professional and popular advice, from fenugreek to avocado and even including whole diet make-overs can be found at home-remedies-for-you.com.

* Backache. Even a small strain in your lower back can cause a lot of pain in short order, mostly because it’s very difficult to give those muscles any kind of sustained rest. Really, what can you do without incorporating your lower back to some degree or another? This website provides some guidance on how to avoid back injuries, and a few around-the-home tips that can speed recovery time.

* Ingrown toenail. There’s really only one way out of an ingrown toenail, and that’s to cut it out and hope that it regrows properly. A few tips from grannymed.com, however, might help that process go a little more smoothly, with less discomfort, a cleaner cut, and a lower incidence of recurrence.

* Ingrown hair. The hairchick.com website provides a litany of tips for preventing ingrown hairs, reversing the effects of existing ingrown hairs, and working to reduce the irritation and itching associated with chronic cases.

See previous articles on The Common Cold and Headaches, Toothaches, Heartburn and Indigestion

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Photo: thomaspudding