There is a lot of support for home remedies. They are cheaper and often have proof that they really work. The problem is that some can be extremely dangerous. There are home remedies that use dangerous elements and these remedies aren’t credited to the FDA, so there is no telling whether they are safe in the long run. You need to avoid or watch out for the following remedies.
Placing Butter on Burns to Soothe Them
Butter was used in the past to help soothe burns. However, there is nothing better than water to cool off the burn and limit the damage that it does as much as possible. Why is butter a no-no?
It locks in bacteria within the burn and this leads to infection within the burns. You run the risk of making it worse than it could have been without anything on it! If it’s really painful, burn creams are highly recommended.
Using Mayonnaise to Kill Lice
While mayonnaise will kill the lice, you also have the eggs to contend with. Lice have short life spans, so chances are you will always have eggs, even if you get rid of the living lice.
The best option is to use some olive oil to remove the adult lice and then wash through with white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will break down the egg casings.
Using Toothpaste on Your Acne
This is a very old wives’ tale and there are plenty of people who do it. The problem is there is nothing actually in the toothpaste that is designed to kill off the acne.
Depending on the type of toothpaste, the flavourings can irritate the skin and your zits may look redder than they were initially. If you’ve used toothpaste in the past and not had a problem, great, but if this is your first time; think again.
Drinking Orange Juice for Colds
Orange juice is full of vitamin C, so it makes sense that you should drink it when you are ill. However, orange juice is also full of sugars.
If you really want some of this juice, make your own fresh without all the additives—that’s if you have the energy for it! The best thing for a cold is sleep, so get plenty of it and allow your immune system to work its magic.
Walking Off Ankle Pain
There are times that walking off ankle pain is beneficial. If your joints are cold and you’re just getting into the warm up, a slight pain at first isn’t too bad.
However, if the pain persists or you had an ankle injury, the worst thing you can do is walk on it. You need to give your foot time to heal and this means keeping the pressure off it.
Coffee to Cure Your Hangovers
Coffee is regularly used when someone has a hangover. It’s not actually that beneficial.
The caffeine causes a sudden increase in adrenaline but will then drop afterwards. Your hangover comes back and you may even feel worse. You want water and the B vitamins to repair the damage the alcohol did.