Old-Fashioned Remedies That Are Scientifically-Proven to Work

When it comes to your health, some home remedies do actually work! Here are some old-fashioned tips backed by solid science, courtesy of MSN:

• The first old-fashioned remedy: Bleach eliminates nail fungus. In a study at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, bleach drastically slowed the growth of toenail fungus, reducing the thickness and yellowness of the nail. Be careful, straight bleach can burn! So, dilute one teaspoon of bleach in one cup of water, and use an eyedropper to squirt that mixture under the nail twice a day until your new nail grows in.


• Another home remedy that actually works: Rubbing antiperspirant on your feet prevents blisters. Dr. Ranella Hirsch is president of the American Society for Cosmetic Dermatology. She says that blisters are caused by sweaty skin rubbing inside your shoes. Since antiperspirant stops the sweat, it helps keep blisters from forming.


• You can treat burns with a tomato. Dr. Francesca Fusco of Mount Sinai Medical Center says that the lycopene in tomatoes is a natural anti-inflammatory - and can ease the pain and swelling of minor burns. The trick: Put a slice of tomato on a burn for five minutes twice a day.


• Crushed aspirin stops the pain and itching of insect bites. Why? Aspirin contains salicylic acid, an ingredient in acne medicine, which reduces pain, swelling and redness. The trick: Crush three aspirin in a few drops of water to make a paste. Spread on the bug bite for two minutes twice a day, and rinse with cool water.


• Finally, apple cider vinegar helps eliminate dandruff. Dr. Fusco says most dandruff is caused by an overgrowth of yeast on the skin, and because vinegar reduces the natural pH of your scalp, it creates an unfriendly environment for dandruff-causing yeast. The trick: Twice a week, add one-half cup of apple cider vinegar to one quart of water, and use it as a final rinse after you shampoo.

Study: Alcohol Tied to Nearly 1 in 25 Deaths

Alcohol May Be Related to 3.8% of Global Deaths, New Study Estimates

June 25, 2009 -- Approximately 4% of global deaths may be linked to alcohol, according to a new study.
The study, published in The Lancet, estimates the percentage of alcohol-related deaths based on accidents, alcohol abuse, and various health conditions -- including certain cancers, high blood pressure, and liver problems -- in which alcohol may play a role.
The researchers -- who included Jurgen Rehm, PhD, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto -- analyzed 2003 data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations, and other sources.
When Rehm and colleagues calculated their estimates, they considered the health risks and benefits of alcohol, as well as alcohol consumption patterns, with the highest rate of alcohol consumption in Eastern Europe and Russia and the lowest rate in the eastern Mediterranean region, which mainly includes countries in the Middle East and northern Africa.
Rehm's team notes that alcohol-related deaths were most common in men and young adults, and that alcohol consumption is rising among women and in India and China.

Chess Is Making A Comeback

Can you name a board game that’s more than 1,400 years old, and is suddenly making a comeback in 2009? According to USA Today, the classic skill game of chess is currently taking North American schools by storm. In the past six years alone, a scholastic chess organization called First Move has gone from 1,500 student members to more than 50,000! When the game’s top players gathered in St. Louis recently - for America’s so-called “Super Bowl” of chess – four of the Top 24 players were under the age of 21.
Wendi Fischer is the executive director of America’s Foundation for Chess. She says this youth movement has been spurred by a growing number of teachers who’ve rediscovered the academic benefits of playing chess. For example: One of the first things a child learns in chess is how to use a board’s coordinate system – as in “knight moves from B-1 to C-3.” That coordinate system is the basis for algebra, and more complex math skills. Students also learn to take notes during a chess match, and to study the moves of other players printed in books. Research has shown that the patience, concentration, and logical thinking required in a game of chess can help students perform better on math and vocabulary tests. Basically, experts say chess: “Teaches the mind how to think!”
There are also social benefits to playing chess. For starters, it’s a game that kids can practice at home with their parents or with friends, and that promotes social bonding in a way that no videogame ever could. That’s one reason why the game of chess has remained popular for so long. Jerry Nash is the scholastic director for the U.S. Chess Federation. He says chess survives because it’s “an equalizer.” Your success has nothing to do with your size, age, or what language you speak. All you have to do is out-think your opponent. Plus, Nash says chess is a very inexpensive game to play, and in this economy, that may be one of the best benefits of all.

Three Common Myths About Your Sleeping Habits

From MSN Health:
People need to get more sleep! A new study found that the average North American gets only six hours and 40 minutes of sleep each night – an all-time low! So let’s help you get more sleep by busting open three common sleep myths:

• Sleep myth #1: If I have a lot of energy, I can survive on only five hours of sleep a night. FALSE. Just because you feel wide awake, that doesn’t mean your brain is. In fact, new research from the University of Pennsylvania found that sleep deprivation puts your brain into “microsleep” mode. That means it randomly shuts down during the day for at least half a second, leaving you feeling unstable and disoriented! To find out if you’re getting enough sleep, try going to bed on a Saturday at the same time you would on a Tuesday, but don’t set your alarm clock. If you wake up the next day at your normal time, you’re fine. However, if you doze the day away, that means your body needs more rest.


• Another common sleep myth: A hard workout before bed will help me sleep better. That’s also FALSE. Studies show that strenuous exercise raises your core temperature, and it’ll take between four and six hours for your body to cool off enough to allow deep sleep! So save your workout for the morning, when you need energy the most. Then try taking a hot bath an hour before bedtime. Your body will cool down faster, and doctors say it’s easiest to fall asleep when your temperature goes from warm to cool very quickly.


• One more sleep myth: It’s no big deal if I keep waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. FALSE again. Waking up more than once every night could be a sign that you have obstructive sleep apnea. That’s where the soft tissue in your throat temporarily suffocates your breathing during sleep! When that happens, your heart pumps faster, and excess fluid builds up in your veins, triggering a natural diuretic which makes you need to pee. So to help keep your air passage clear, try sleeping on your side more. Otherwise, you’ll need to see a doctor about wearing a special device that forces oxygen into your throat while you sleep.

Are You Doing Everything You Can to Protect Your Teeth?

From WebMD:
You brush and floss your teeth twice a day, and use mouthwash. Does that mean you’re doing everything you can to protect your teeth? No! Here are a few important things you should know about your teeth:

• Sour can be just as bad as sweet. Acidic, low-pH foods like soft drinks, fruit juice, and sour candy act almost like battery acid in the mouth, and can soften teeth, lead to enamel erosion, and prevent a kid’s adult teeth from growing to full size! Dr. Martha Keels, the chief of pediatric dentistry at Duke University Children’s Hospital, says that the worst offenders are ultra-sour, ultra-sticky kids’ candies like Warheads and Toxic Waste. Even sour gummy vitamins can be bad for your teeth.
• If you can’t brush immediately after a meal, chew gum that contains xylitol and recaldent – like Trident sugarless gum. Xylitol keeps bacteria from sticking to your teeth – and may even help prevent cavities, and recaldent helps strengthen tooth enamel.
• Tooth enamel may be the hardest substance in your body – but it still breaks easily – especially if your teeth have been weakened by drilling and fillings. Most breakage is caused by chewing ice or popcorn, or having piercings in your lips and tongue. So, avoid them.
• Finally, teach your kids to use only a pea-sized dab of toothpaste. Why? Because too much fluoride is bad for their teeth. Kids tend to swallow toothpaste when they brush. Kids under age 8 who swallow too much toothpaste develop fluorosis, a condition that creates white spots on their permanent teeth that eventually turn brown. No amount of brushing or polishing will get rid of them.

Tuesday Is The Most Stressful Day of The Week

What’s the most stressful day of the week? Monday, right? After all, it’s the first day back to work after the weekend. WRONG! According to a new study, Tuesday is actually the most stressful day of the week, and to get really specific, your stress level will peak at 11:45 on Tuesday morning.
A study was done by a UK company – and they surveyed 3,000 workers and found that mid-morning on the second day of the week is when workers feel the most pressure. Of course conventional wisdom, and popular music, would say that Monday is the most “manic” day. However, according to the survey, a lot of employees coast through Monday, just sort of getting their brain back in gear and catching up with weekend gossip. A startling 53 percent of people polled admitted they don’t get much work done on Monday, and 10 percent of those folks admitted it’s because they’re spending a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter. Then on Tuesday, reality sets in. People suddenly realize how much work needs to get done by Friday and they get stressed out. It stands to reason, if you coast through Monday it makes Tuesday even worse, because your workload is bigger and your stress is greater.
Since everything comes to a head Tuesday right before lunch, the survey found that employees are more likely to work through their lunch break on Tuesday than on any other day. They’re also more likely to leave the office late on Tuesday. So what’s causing all the stress? 25 percent of workers say it’s the heavy workload, 12 percent blame their boss, and 9 percent say their colleagues are what stresses them out. If this sounds familiar to you, maybe you should try to get more work done on Monday, so Tuesday doesn’t hit you like a ton of bricks.

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