• Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 Tablespoon of horseradish in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil, for instant relief for aching muscles.

Acne

• Honey remedy for Skin Blemishes. Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a band-aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Arthritis

• Quaker Oats for fast pain relief. It's not for breakfast anymore! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.
   

Bad Breath

• Eat an orange or a grapefruit. Often halitosis is simply the result of a  dry mouth. Citrus fruits stimulate saliva. Apples work very well also.

• Hunt's tomato paste boil cure. Cover the boil with Hunt's tomato paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Broken Blisters

• Balm for broken blisters. To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

• Heinz vinegar to heal bruises. Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Minor Burns

• Aloe Vera - Rub aloe vera gel on a minor burn to alleviate pain and lessen swelling
• Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns

Dandruff

• After shampooing,  pour Listerine on your hair and wait a couple minutes. Rinse off. Will take care of your dandruff problem. Be very careful not to get any in your eyes! (Many thanks to Genine for this great tip!)
   

Dry Hair

• Mayonnaise makes a fabulous conditioner. Leave on your hair for at least five minutes before washing out.
• Mash a banana and but through hair. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse. ( Use kitchen sink with garbage disposal)
• Beer is great for hair. Put beer in a pump bottle. Spray on to hair after you shampooed and towel dried but before you blow dry. The smell of beer will disappear soon after spraying.

Earwax

• Blow dry your ears after you take a shower.
• Drop a little alcohol in each ear to complete the drying.
• Use an ear wash once a month, try hydrogen peroxide, mineral oil or glycerin. Add one or two drops of ONE of the liquids in each ear. Allow the excess to flow out of ear. The stuff left inside will bubble away at the ear wax and make it softer. Once the wax is soft, you'll need to rinse. Fill a bowl with body temperature water. Fill a rubber bulb syringe with the water, then hold your head over a bowl and squirt water VERY GENTLY into your ear canal. The stream of water should be under very little pressure. Turn your head to the side and let water run out.

• Eliminate puffiness under your eyes. All you need is a dab of Preparation H, carefully rubbed into the skin, avoiding the eyes. The hemorrhoid ointment acts as a vasoconstrictor, relieving the swelling instantly.

• Make it a point to blink your eyes 300 times everyday. Each blink cleans your eyes and gives them a quick massage.
• Shut your eyes whenever possible. When listening to music or talking on the phone or any time you are doing something that doesn't include reading or writing,  just shut your eyes. It gives your eyes a much needed rest and people who practice this say their eyes feel much better.

Fatigue

• Make a list of goals for the day. You'll find yourself less fatigued when you're running the show.
• Eat breakfast always, but not a high fat or high carb one. 
• Don't watch a lot of TV. It has a way of making us lethargic. Do anything else, it's more energizing.
• Take vitamins. You'd be surprised at how much your body is lacking in vitamins.
• Think positive. You have to think positive. Thinking negatively is actually more taxing on your mind and spirit than you know. All Champion Athletes do it, that's how they become Champions.
• Be confident. That little story about the little train that could should be your mantra. All you have to say is "I think I can" and you can. 

Fever Reducer

• Drink catmint infusion three times a day. To prepare: pour one cup of boiling water onto 1 teaspoon of the dried herb and infuse for 15 minutes.

Hand Care

• The best time to give yourself a manicure is after taking a nice warm bath. Before getting in the tub, remove all nail polish. Then, while in the tub, suds washcloth and thoroughly rub each cuticle and nail surface. This make the cuticle easier to remove and buffs the nail surface at the same time. You will find you nails look nicer and the manicure will last much longer.
• Use lip balm on dry, sore cuticles. With frequent applications of lip balm, cuticles will remain soft and pliant and will soon be healed.
• For chapped hands, use vinegar. Wash and dry your hands, pour on vinegar and then dry hands. This works great for those of us that always have dry skin.

Headaches

• Exercise during a headache, if it's not too severe. It will make it better.

• Drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately - without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers.

• Don't oversleep. Avoid sleeping in on your day off. You may get a headache from  sleeping too much.

• Use acupressure - Rub the web of skin between the forefinger and thumb. Squeeze until you feel a slight pain. 

• Put a pencil between your teeth, but don't bite down.

• Skip the salt. High salt usage can trigger migraines in some people.

• Have a sense of humor. Laughter IS the best medicine.

• To help relax the tight muscles that cause a headache, inhale slowly through your nose for a count of five; then, exhale out of your mouth, for another count of five. While  you're breathing, try to think of something calming, like a warm, summer day at the beach.

• Drinking two glasses of  Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately -- without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional "pain relievers." 
   

Heartburn

• Apple cider vinegar: Put one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in 1/2 glass of water and sip during meals. This definitely works.
• Eat at least 2 1/2 hours before bedtime. This will lessen the chance of you getting heartburn.
• Loosen your belt. Some people have less trouble with heartburn if they don't have something tight around their waists.
• If you lift something, bend at the knees. If you bend at the stomach, you compress it, forcing acid upward. And it's also better for your back.

Hemorrhoids

• Witch Hazel: A dab of witch hazel on a cotton ball applied right to the external hemorrhoid works very well. It causes the blood vessels to shrink down and contract.
• Soak: The sitz bath - sitting with your knees raised in 3 or 4 inches of warm water in a bathtub - is a remedy that really works. The warm water helps kill the pain while increasing the blood flow to the area.
• Take Stoneroot: Take two capsules (375 mg each) twice a day with a full glass of water between meal for acute problems. It acts as an astringent which may be helpful to hemorrhoids.

Hiccups

• Yank forcefully on the tongue
• lift the uvula (that little boxing bag at the back of your mouth) with a spoon
• Tickle the roof of your mouth with a cotton swab at the point where the hard and soft palate meet
• Chew and swallow dry bread
• Suck on a lemon soaked with Angostura bitters
• Compress the chest by pulling the knees upward or leaning forward
• Gargle with water
• Suck on crushed ice
• Place an ice bag on the diaphragm just below the rib cage

Itchy Skin

• Prepare a strong infusion of chickweed (add 3 cups of boiling water to 10 teaspoons of the dried herb and infuse for 15 minutes); pour the solution into your bathwater.

Irritated-Bowel Syndrome

• Use lots of garlic when cooking, or take three garlic capsules, three times a day. Garlic fights infection and encourages the growth of the good bacteria that deactivates harmful bacteria in the colon.

Motion Sickness

• Take gingerroot, some experiments showed that two powdered gingerroot capsules were more effective than a dose of Dramamine in preventing motion sickness. Ginger works by absorbing acids and blocking nausea in your gastrointestinal tract.
• Olives and lemons - The early stages of motion sickness cause you to produce excess saliva, which dribbles down to your stomach and makes you nauseous. Olives, on the other hand, produce chemicals called tannins, which make your mouth dry. Hence, the theory goes, eating a couple of olives at the first hint of nausea can help diminish it, as may sucking on a mouth-puckering lemon.
• Soda crackers - they won't stop salivations, but dry soda crackers might help absorb the excess fluid when it reaches your stomach. Their secret ingredients are bicarbonate of soda and  cream of tartar.
• Drink a soda, for some people this helps. 
• Acupressure wristbands - Sold in many marine and travel shops, these lightweight wristbands have a plastic button that is supposed to be worn over what the doctors in the Orient call the Nei-Kuan acupressure point inside each wrist. The wearer is is protected against nausea by exerting pressure on the button for a few minutes.

Nausea

• Steep a few cloves in boiling water for five minutes. Strain and drink. A stick of cinnamon or 1 teaspoon of minced ginger can be used instead.

Sinusitis

• While lying in bed, hang your head over the side for a few minutes. Two of the sinuses that become clogged and painful have to drain uphill when you're standing or sitting, so this will give them a needed break.
• First thing in the morning, soak a cloth in water as hot as you can bear and hold it to your forehead and face. If possible, repeat this simple treatment 4 or 5 times a day.
• Other heat sources are also effective-hot water bottles or electric heating pads. 
• Run a humidifier and drink lots of water. The fluids prevent dehydration and keep the mucus flowing.
• Flush out the sinus cavities with a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of  baking soda or sodium bicarbonate in eight ounces of water. Use a small bulb syringe with children. Adults can simply sniff the solution.
• Try acupressure treatments. Use the following six acupressure points - one each at the inside of the eyebrows; just under the eye socket; and on both sides of the nose. The last two are especially good for clearing the sinuses.  Locate the point with the tip of a finger. You can usually tell when you're on the right spots because they are more tender than the surrounding areas. Apply pressure for a few seconds and repeat several times. Also try rubbing for 60 seconds in a circular motion for extra relief.

Snoring

• Try to sleep on your side or stomach. Most snoring is the result of sleeping on your back. Put a tennis ball in the pocket of your pajamas to remind you not to sleep on your back if you have to.
• Lose weight. Besides making you more healthy, it should make you sleep better and snore less. Overweight people tend to sleep on their backs because of the excess poundage. Also, too much weight may cause the nasal passages to swell, forcing you to take deep breaths, contributing to snoring
• Alcohol before bedtime, too many sedatives, tranquilizers or antihistamines that relax the throat muscles and the irritation caused by smoking are all factors in snoring.
• A large pillow that puts a kink in your neck could cause more snoring. Switch to a low pillow to keep your neck straight or get rid of the pillow and sleep flat. A firm mattress also helps.
• Some chronic snorers have found that by elevating the head of the bed they can minimize, if not eliminate their snoring. Try putting a couple of large bricks under the legs of the bed. Make sure the bed is still steady.
• Low humidity can cause snoring by drying out the mucus membranes. Invest in a good low-cost humidifier to solve the problem.
• Take the direct approach and spray those dry membranes with a saline solution before going to bed.
• Mix your own home remedy by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon or less of salt in eight ounces of water. (too much salt may burn your nose). Hold your head back and use a nasal aspirator to spray your nasal passages.

Sore Throat

• Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 Tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.
• Gargling is still the best home remedy, it won't clear up the infection, but it will make you feel better. Mix a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and gargle three times a day.
• Drink hot tea laced with honey or lemon juice in a large glass of lukewarm water.
• Sip a water-lemon-honey brew all day long until your sore throat disappears.
• Put a teaspoon of chamomile steeped in a cup of hot water and allow mixture to cool to lukewarm before drinking.
• Use chamomile as a poultice for treating a sore throat. For this, put a teaspoon of leaves in two cups of boiling hot water. Let it cool and steep for 5 minutes Dip a cloth into the mixture, wring it out and wrap it around your throat. Change as necessary.
• Some remedies recommend garlic highly. Try taking 10-15 garlic oil capsules daily to fight a sore throat. 
• Several drops of Tabasco sauce in a half glass of water may cut right through the throat mucus that's giving so much trouble.
• Keep your sore throat moist. This paves the way to recovery. If you don't like throat lozenges, suck on a piece of hard candy.
• Slippery elm lozenges seem to coat your throat and cut down the painful friction caused by swallowing. 
• Zinc lozenges, dissolved slowly rather than swallowed, have been known to dramatically improve a sore throat caused by a cold.
• Use a humidifier at night to keep your throat from becoming parched and dry while you sleep.
• Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey  and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the  bacteria.

  Stuffy Nose

• Before  you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious  chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints.  They'll clear up your stuffed nose. 

Sunburn

• Aloe Vera Gel - Rub aloe vera gel directly on the sunburn. After a few hours, wipe off with a cool cloth and repeat. This will help the burn and help keep the peeling to a minimum afterwards. Test a small area first to make sure you're not allergic to aloe.
• Take aspirin - Two tablets every four hours will help relieve the pain and swelling. If you feel you've had too much sun but do not yet feel the burn, take it before the redness appears.
• Cold water - put come ice cubes in some water and dip a cloth in the liquid and lay it over the burn. Repeat every few minutes as the cloth warms. Apply several times a day for a total of 10 to 20 minutes each.
• Skim milk - Milk protein is very soothing for a sunburn. Mix 1 cup skim milk with 4 cups water and add a few ice cubes. Apply compresses for 15 to 20 minutes, repeat every 2 to 4 hours.
• Oatmeal - Wrap dry oatmeal in cheesecloth or gauze. Run cool water through it into a bowl. Discard the oatmeal and soak compress in liquid. Apply every 2 to 4 hours.
• Witch hazel - Moisten a cloth with witch hazel. Apply often for temporary relief. 
• Cornstarch - Add enough water to cornstarch to make a paste and apply directly to the sunburn.
• Vegetable slices - Apply thin slices of raw cucumber or potato to sunburn. They feel cool and may help reduce inflammation on small areas. Apple slices may also work.
• Lettuce - boil lettuce leaves in water and let the liquid cool several hours in the refrigerator. Dip cotton balls into the liquid and gently press or stroke onto irritated skin.
• Yogurt - plain yogurt is both cooling and soothing. Apply to all sunburned areas and rinse off in a cool shower. Gently pat skin dry.
• Tea bags - If you eyelids are burned, apply tea bags soaked in cool water to decrease swelling and help relieve pain.
• Vinegar - Mix 1 cup of white vinegar into a tub of cool water and soak for 20 minutes.
• Baking soda - generously sprinkle baking soda into cool bathwater. Let the solution dry on your skin. 
• Drink lots of water - Water intake helps counteract the drying effect of a sunburn.
• Raise your legs - if your legs are burned and you feet are swollen, elevate you legs about heart level. It will make you feel better.
• Before sleeping - sprinkle talcum powder on the burn and on your sheets to help minimize chafing and friction while you are trying to sleep. 

Swimmer's Ear

• Blow dry your ears - eliminate the moisture in your ears every time you get them wet, whether or not you suspect an infection. Pull the flap of your ear up and out to straighten the ear canal and aim you hair dryer into your ear from 18 to 20 inches away. Use either cool or warm setting but let the dry blow for 30 seconds. That will dry the ear, eliminating the moist condition bacteria and fungi find most attractive for growth.

• Warmth - a towel fresh from the dryer, a covered hot-water bottle, a heating pad set on low will help to ease the pain.

• A squirt of rubbing alcohol - First put your head down, with the affected ear up. Pull the ear upward and backward to help straighten the canal and squeeze a dropperful of alcohol into the ear canal.  Wiggle your ear to get the alcohol to the bottom of the canal. Then tilt your head to the other side and let the alcohol drain out.

• Eardrops - a solution of white vinegar or equal parts alcohol and white vinegar will kill fungus and bacteria. Apply the same way as the alcohol.

• Mineral oil, baby oil or lanolin - These can be preventive solutions before swimming. Apply as you would the alcohol.

Swimmer's Ear

• It is said that you can cure urinary tract infections with alka-seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly - even though the product was never been advertised for this use.

Toenail Fungus

• Listerine therapy for toenail fungus. Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Urinary Tract Infections

• Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly even though the product has never been advertised for this use.

Bananas Containing three natural sugars -  sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana  gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.  Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy  for a strenuous 90-minute workout.   No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.   But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.  It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and  conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst  people suffering from depression, many felt much better after  eating a banana.   This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a  type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel  happier.

PMS:
Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which  can affect your mood.

Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical  fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it  the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food  and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to  make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams  this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a  bid to boost their brain power.  Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to  make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood  sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:    
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:
Before  reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected  area with the inside of a banana skin.  Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the  nervous system.

Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads  to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at  5,000 hospital patients,  researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs.  The  report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood  sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:
The banana is used as the  dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft  texture and smoothness.  It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases.  It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of  the stomach.

Temperature control:
Many other cultures see  bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical  and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand ,  for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is  born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the  natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking:
Bananas can also  help people trying to give up smoking.  The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance.  When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels.  These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:
According to research in "The New  England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.  When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.  It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.  So maybe its time to change that well-known  phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"