18 best home remedies for every ailment

“Magnesium deficiency happens to be one of the most common culprits of muscle cramping,” says Dr Carolyn Dean, a naturopathic physician and author of The Miracle of Magnesium. “Magnesium encourages relaxation within the body – including muscle tension.” Not all forms of magnesium are easily absorbed by the body, however, she says. “Magnesium citrate powder is a highly absorbable form that is fast acting and can be mixed with hot or cold water and sipped at work or at home immediately in the event of muscle cramping and throughout the day.”

Learn more about how to banish painful leg cramps.

Got chamomile tea? Get brewing. “Cold packs or heating pads on the lower abdomen or back can help relieve cramps, as can soaking a washcloth in warm water and chamomile tea and placing it on the same areas,” says Dr Jill Rabin, an expert in women’s health. If cramps are severe, see a doctor to make sure that you are doing all you can to ease your period pain.

Hands down, the best home remedies for nausea are ginger and peppermint. “Even just smelling them can curb nausea or prevent it from occurring in the first place,” Dr Rabin says. If nausea is severe and you can’t keep food down, it’s time to check in with your doctor, she adds.

Yes, prevention with a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has a sun protection factor of 30 or higher is key. But if you’ve already been burnt, Dr Freidman recommends “cool compresses, lots of moisturiser to damp skin and cold black tea bags, because caffeine is anti-inflammatory and a vasoconstrictor, which will help with redness.”

Warm salt water rinses can often help sore or swollen gums feel better due to an antimicrobial effect, shares Dr Saul Pressner, a dentist. And there’s a natural remedy for tooth pain: “Oil of cloves can sometimes soothe an inflamed tooth.” But, he cautions, “it is very important to see your dentist when these symptoms occur.”

You could also try these 11 home remedies for a toothache.

Of all the home remedies to ward off urinary tract infections, or UTIs, cranberry capsules may be the winner. In a study investigating the popular UTI treatment, researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health observed 160 women aged 23 to 88 who were undergoing gynaecological surgery. Typically, 10 to 64% of such women develop a UTI following the removal of the catheter. In the study, half of the women took two cranberry juice capsules twice a day – the equivalent in strength to around two 250ml servings of cranberry juice – for 6 weeks after surgery. The others took a placebo. Women who took the cranberry capsules were half as likely to develop a UTI as their counterparts who got the placebo, according to the study, which was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Why? Cranberries contain A-type proanthocyanidins, which may interfere with the bacteria’s ability to breach the bladder wall, reducing the likelihood of infection, Dr Rabin explains.

To remove a wart, the American Academy of Dermatology suggests sticking a piece of duct tape on the wart and then changing it “every few days to peel away layers of the wart.” A study out of Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, found that using duct tape is more effective than a doctor applying liquid nitrogen to “freeze” the wart – 85% of people in the duct tape group eliminated the wart during the study versus 60% of those in the liquid nitrogen group.

When it comes to acne you can skip the toothpaste, witch hazel, tea tree oil, lemon honey and aloe vera, as these will likely do more harm than good to your complexion, says Dr Friedman. Instead, “cover the pimple with a Band-Aid overnight,” recommends Dr Anthony Youn, plastic surgeon and author of The Age Fix: A Leading Plastic Surgeon Reveals How To Really Look Ten Years Younger. “This will help decrease inflammation to make it look much less red and swollen in the morning.” If it’s blackheads that are plaguing you, try applying Elmer’s glue to the area and letting it dry. “Then peel it off, taking many of the blackheads with it,” he says.

Here are 12 sneaky reasons you’re having an acne breakout.

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Source: RD.com