Home remedies.

[Fishwhenican]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Please no more dental horror stories, those made me cringe.

My girlfriend just told me last night that zinc is supposed to help offset the coming of the common cold.

My favorite home remedy is applying glass cleaner to fire ant bites. You have to do this pretty quickly after you get bit, but the basic glass cleaner solution neutralizes the acidity of the bite, which means no itching.

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't the glass cleaner itself an acid?

[/ QUOTE ]

I could be wrong but I was thinking it was actually ammonia that had the neutralizing properties and glass cleaner usually has ammonia in it? It was also not just with fire ant bites but with stuff like bee stings as well.

[Blarg]

Maybe you're right then. I was thinking of the home version -- vinegar and water.

[tuq]

Vinegar and water...reminds me of a joke.

Anyway, remember Doc Hollywood, where Michael J. Fox was treating a kid and was treating a kid and thought he needed to crack open his chest, and then Barnard Hughes shows up, opens up can of coke, and the kid gets better because he was nauseous from swallowing his dad's chewing tobacco? Home remedies FTW baby.

[Fishwhenican]

[ QUOTE ]
Vinegar and water...reminds me of a joke.


[/ QUOTE ]

Easy now! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[dylan's alias]

[ QUOTE ]
My girlfriend just told me last night that zinc is supposed to help offset the coming of the common cold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Zinc has actually been well studied. Unfortunately, the studies have been inconclusive. Some show benefit, some don't. So far, my opinion is that a cold takes a week to get better if you treat it and 7 days if you don't.

[dylan's alias]

[ QUOTE ]
You see, that we are talking about things like nausea, headaches, etc, not threatening illnesses like diabetes, malaria, and trichinosis. That was the sole intention of this thread. Perhaps my symptoms are more severe, but any doctor would probably prefer to hear that I am using milk rather than a bottle that explicitly tells you to take no more that 4 pills a day for two weeks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a doctor. I am not pleased that you guzzle milk to soothe your stomach. Based on your symptoms, you may very well have a stomach ulcer. Yes, milk soothes the discomfort, but it comes back multiple times through the day, so obviously the problem is not being addressed. These ulcers, if not treated properly, can erode into arteries and cause massive bleeding (and sometimes death). Milk will not prevent any of these problems, but it may make you feel a little better in the interim.

So, as I doctor, you need to go see a doctor. You may need tests, possibly an endoscopy, and you should be treated for the specific problem that you have.

Plus, did you know that nausea and abdominal discomfort are a frequent symptom of heart attacks, especially in women?

There's nothing wrong with home remedies for things that go away quickly, but it is a potentially disastrous mistake to keep being your own doctor. You know the saying that the man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client - well it is much worse to be your own doctor, especially when you have no training.

[Mrs. Utah]

[ QUOTE ]
Take some cigarette tobacco and mix with a little water to make a poultice. Put that mixture on a bee sting and the pain will go away almost instantly. The swelling will be gone within 10 minutes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here is another for those who do not smoke. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

This is for any type of minor insect bite-bees, spiders etc.
Make a paste out of meat tenderizer and water, apply it to the sting for 15-20 minutes with a cotton ball.
It will neutralize the venom and reduces pain and swelling.
Baking soda is fair substitution for tenderizer.

For persistent pain and or itch massage with an ice cube.

(and for our resident MDs, if there is any sign of allergic reaction or infection seek professional help. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] )

[daveT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You see, that we are talking about things like nausea, headaches, etc, not threatening illnesses like diabetes, malaria, and trichinosis. That was the sole intention of this thread. Perhaps my symptoms are more severe, but any doctor would probably prefer to hear that I am using milk rather than a bottle that explicitly tells you to take no more that 4 pills a day for two weeks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a doctor. I am not pleased that you guzzle milk to soothe your stomach. Based on your symptoms, you may very well have a stomach ulcer. Yes, milk soothes the discomfort, but it comes back multiple times through the day, so obviously the problem is not being addressed. These ulcers, if not treated properly, can erode into arteries and cause massive bleeding (and sometimes death). Milk will not prevent any of these problems, but it may make you feel a little better in the interim.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is fascinating. I went to the hospital about one year ago for stomach flu/ food poison. I told the doctor about my acid problem because I thought this would be important to tell about because I was spouting pure acid. (sorry guys) And yes, it is called acid for a reason, believe me.

I am not trying to be a smart-ass. I am being serious. I told the doctor about my heartburn and what I do to prevent it, and I also told the doctor that I was highly concerned about this because before my "explosion," I had serious heartburn.

So, was I not properly diagnosed/ treated? I would hate to lay another law-suit on Hollywood Pres, but screw 'em for charging me 5k.

What is the proper procedure for diagnosing this problem? And why would a responsible doctor allow someone to check out after my condition if there should be further concerns?

[dylan's alias]

The truth is, I'm a lung doctor, and its been a while since I dealt with primary care for acid problems.

As I remember, there is a blood test for H. pylori (a bacteria that causes ulcers). The test only indicates exposure (which is very common, but then again, so are ulcers). A check for anemia would also be standard.

Triple therapy (two weeks of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics - I think Biaxin was one) was extremely effective in curing the ulcers. If symptoms persisted after treatment, or if the patient was high risk before treatment (anemic, complaining of bloody or tarry stool) then an endoscopy (camera in the stomach) is the next step.

Again, I'm not a GI expert, but this was the standard about 5 years ago when I last dealt with this stuff.

[daveT]

Hmmm....

Well this is starting to concern me. I will go for a second opinion soon. Thank you.