Cures for the Ailments of Yesteryear

[Derek WC]

Well, butter certainly makes Lefse taste a whole lot better.

2009 July Reminisce Extra: For sore throats this gal's mother would mix Listerine, aspirin, and Mercurochrome.
She said that the Listerine killed the germs, the aspirin killed the pain, and the Mercurochrome coated the throat.
She would gargle with it for a couple days, and one way or another you'd get better.

 

[Chas]

Like the parents of the little shaver below, my mum used Gentian Violet on our cancre sores and other oral issues. It is as highly effective now as it was then- it's been around since the 1880's. Watch your clothes, though.

Toothache = Oil of cloves.

Headache = aspirin (already mentioned) and an icepack (not mentioned, I think)

Nausea = flat ginger ale at room temp. Sugar free jell-o powder in hot water does the trick, too.

Constipation: lots of herbal remedies have been around forever. Louis Armstrong was a great fan of Swiss Kriss: Satchmo's slogan: "Leave It All Behind Ya!"

We used mercurochrome too, sometimes Iodine (YEEEOWW!) and Hydrogen Peroxide. The inner masochist in me was fascinated to watch my wound fizz.

Dad used to put meat tenderizer on wasp and bee stings. It sounds crazy, but it worked.

Colds = chicken soup.

 

[HepKitty]

I know it doesn't actually do anything antiseptic -- but I always found it made it taste better when you suck on the burned place to try and stanch the pain.

lol you crack me up!

Like the parents of the little shaver below, my mum used Gentian Violet on our cancre sores and other oral issues. It is as highly effective now as it was then- it's been around since the 1880's. Watch your clothes, though.


Toothache = Oil of cloves.

Headache = aspirin (already mentioned) and an icepack (not mentioned, I think)

Nausea = flat ginger ale at room temp. Sugar free jell-o powder in hot water does the trick, too.

Constipation: lots of herbal remedies have been around forever.

We used mercurochrome too, sometimes Iodine (YEEEOWW!) and Hydrogen Peroxide. The inner masochist in me was fascinated to watch my wound fizz.

Dad used to put meat tenderizer on wasp and bee stings. It sounds crazy, but it worked.

Colds = chicken soup.

Another thing for canker sores: pineapple and or pineapple juice. Stings like mad but it works

More on jello water for nausea: my mom used to give me that but I was so little that I don't remember if it actually worked or not.

Constipation: Smooth Move herbal tea. Drink before bed as the instructions state. But what they don't tell you is not to leave the house before noon the next day.

Headache: pinch the skin between your thumb and palm. Not a grand substitute for say ibuprofen but it can help with sharp pains.

Reflexology: not a bad thing really. If nothing else a good foot massage will help you relax. Unless you hate your feet being touched of course.

What is mercurochrome?

 

[Chas]

Mercurochrome is a topical antiseptic; no longer in use because it contains mercury.

 

[HepKitty]

Mercurochrome is a topical antiseptic; no longer in use because it contains mercury.

It certainly sounded suspicious... lol

 

[Derek WC]

Some interesting stuff there Chas and HepKitty. Squeezing that skin on your palm actually works.

Dousing a cut up finger in cold water helps to stop the bleeding.

A word of knowledge: Be careful when making corncob pipes as to not stab yourself under your fingernail, as it hurts tremendously.

 

[Derek WC]

An ice cold glass of water, surprisingly, makes one go to sleep, as does a hot cup of milk and cheese.

 

[Derek WC]

Coffee takes the sharp pain out of a migraine, and often enough just do's away with the whole thing.
Shaving with a brush and soap, along with splashing cold water on your face afterwords makes for a very painless shave.

 

[CharlieB]

Anyone remember "Good Samaritan" cream? It was the best for making a splinter come to the surface. Put some on with an adhesive bandage, and in a day or so, the splinter was easier to remove.

I don't remember the last time I saw it a store, though.

 

[HepKitty]

Coffee takes the sharp pain out of a migraine, and often enough just do's away with the whole thing.
Shaving with a brush and soap, along with splashing cold water on your face afterwords makes for a very painless shave.

I firmly believe in caffeine therapy

 

[Derek WC]

Sleep seems makes one not tired, I have discovered. Despite how little I get.

On a more serious note to those of you worried about the radiation from Japan's nuclear reactors: Iodine does not magically rid your body of radiation, it takes time with a steady dose. That and no radiation is going to get to America anyway, unless they melt down, which should not happen.

 

[Shangas]

I remember when I was young, my grandmother used to swear by a dabble of olive-oil for burns and scalds.

Whether or not that actually works, I can't remember. I do know that my father scoffed at it as an old wive's tale.

 

[LizzieMaine]

When I had a cough, a spoonful of Father John's Medicine always put a stop to it. Because it's impossible to cough when you're gagging.

When I had the colic, a spoonful of paregoric put me right to sleep. When they gave me morphine in the hospital it was like meeting an old friend.

 

[John in Covina]

Iodine does not magically rid your body of radiation, it takes time with a steady dose.

The explanation I got was that the Potassium Iodine acts as a blocker. If there is time like an incident has started, if people take the Iodine before levels get high it is more like the good iodine gets into your body and keeps the bad iodine from getting in and staying in your body.

 

[Almost Vintage]

cough-peel and cut up 1 onion (you can use garlic or ginger too). Layer in a glass jar with one cup of sugar. Seal the jar and let sit several hours or overnight. Strain out the onion and you have an effective cough syrup that really doesn't taste all that bad!

I have found the best cure for nausea for me is emetrol.

 

[JimWagner]

I remember Creomulsion cough syrup when I was a kid. What the creosote was supposed to do is a matter for speculation, but it sure tasted like medicine. I think it first hit the market in the 1920's.

 

[John in Covina]

What the creosote was supposed to do is a matter for speculation, but it sure tasted like medicine.

Maybe they thought of it as on offshoot of the pine tar stuff. Pine tar and similar tars have a skin soothing effect. Packers Pine Tar Soap and similar soaps like Granpa's Pine Tar Soap work well when I have bad dandruff. The Neutragena T-Gel has (pine?) tar in it to help with dandruff.

 

[Derek WC]

Yes, that is essentially what it does, John. I don't believe there is a cure for radiation sickness, but I haven't researched on the topic in a while. I used to be very fascinated with the cold war and spent about two months (Of course when I had time) just researching about radiation sickness and such.
Yet, sadly to my dismay, I learned during that period that creatures don't mutate like in science fiction, which was my principle reason in quitting.

 

[Zombie_61]

The only slightly odd remedy I remember from my childhood was the infamous hot toddy. I had chronic bronchitis and sinusitis (double whammy!) so I a frequent recipient. It was a mug of boiling water with some lemon juice, honey, maybe some cloves or something, and a shot of whiskey. Yep, I drank this many times as a child.

I think the only real benefit and purpose of this beverage was to simply knock the sick kid out cold with the shot of whiskey. lol

Actually, there is some slight medical benefit to drinking Hot Toddys if you have a cold or flu. In addition to containing vitamin C, lemon juice helps your body absorb water quicker, which helps to prevent or retard the process of dehydration. The temperature of the water raises your body temperature and makes you sweat--i.e., "sweating it out". The honey helps to break up any phlegm in your lungs (and is beneficial for your overall health as well). Alcohol is a depressant, so the whiskey helps you to relax which makes it easier to sleep, and your body heals itself best while you're sleeping. Granted, you'd have to consume some fairly large quantities for it to be truly beneficial, but there is some "method to the madness".

The explanation I got was that the Potassium Iodine acts as a blocker. If there is time like an incident has started, if people take the Iodine before levels get high it is more like the good iodine gets into your body and keeps the bad iodine from getting in and staying in your body.

As I understand it, the Potassium Iodide is absorbed by your thyroid gland, which is how the radiation initially infects the body in most cases. Essentially, it's like a crowded elevator--if the elevator's full, there's no room for more passengers; if the thyroid gland is full of Potassium Iodide, the radiation can't infect it. The radiation can enter the body through other means, but the thyroid gland is generally the first organ affected. This is why Potassium Iodide is used as a preventive measure. BUT--there are risks involved with ingesting Potassium Iodide, so it should only be taken when the possibility of radiation poisoning is high.

Here's an ailment/cure I haven't seen mentioned yet--hiccups. Take a teaspoon of sugar (level or heaping, up to you) and hold it under your tongue until it dissolves. I'm not saying it's foolproof, and probably not advisable for diabetics, but it works more often than not for me and everyone I know.

 

[John in Covina]

As I understand it, the Potassium Iodide is absorbed by your thyroid gland, which is how the radiation initially infects the body in most cases. Essentially, it's like a crowded elevator--if the elevator's full, there's no room for more passengers; if the thyroid gland is full of Potassium Iodide, the radiation can't infect it. The radiation can enter the body through other means, but the thyroid gland is generally the first organ affected. This is why Potassium Iodide is used as a preventive measure. BUT--there are risks involved with ingesting Potassium Iodide, so it should only be taken when the possibility of radiation poisoning is high.

Exactly!