Cold packs or ice applications are very effective for the relief of pain associated with jellyfish stings according to a report from the Surf Life-Saving Association of Australia. The treatment routine used in this study was to apply the cold pack for five to ten minutes. If the pain was still present after ten minutes the ice was applied for another ten minutes. (Medical Journal of Australia 151:625-516, December 4-18, 1989)
Copyright 1989 Phylis A Austin
An Australian physician reports that he has found the application of honey a very effective treatment for a variety of infected wounds. (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 83:127, February 1990)
Copyright 1990 Phylis A Austin
A 64-year-old man who had suffered recurrent cluster headaches for more than five years observed that stuffing tissue up the left nostril produced an immediate improvement in his symptoms. He inserts the tissue for two or three hours at the beginning of the headache.
(Headaches 27:522-523, 1987)
Copyright 1987 Phylis A Austin
A low fat diet enhances the function of the immune system. A diet high in fat suppresses the white blood cells. Several studies have shown a relationship between a high fat diet and cancer, and it known that a low fat diet reduces cancer incidence. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50:861-867, 1989)
Copyright 1989 Phylis A Austin
Plant toxicants consumed by cows may be excreted in the milk and consumed by milk drinkers. Humans may be poisoned by these toxins. Children are at increased risk because of their small size. (Journal of Animal Science 68:892-904, 1990)
Copyright 1990 Phylis A Austin
Len Crainer of Marrero, Louisana reports a non-toxic method of dealing with cockroaches. He applies a one-inch band of vegetable oil to the inside top of a glass jar and places three or four ounces of beer in the jar. The cockroaches crawl in the jar to get the beer, and are unable to crawl back out over the strip of vegetable oil. He sets the jar in a cockroach infested area, and comes back a few days later, puts the lid on his jar of trapped cockroaches, and discards the jar. (Mother Earth News, Number 121, p. 14, January-February 1990)
Copyright 1990 Phylis A Austin
Some health-conscious people are buying bottled water to avoid contaminants in ordinary tap water. However, researchers point out that it cannot be assumed that bottled water is entirely safe. Bottled water may contain the very same bacteria found in tap water, and the longer the water is stored, the greater the opportunity the bacteria have to multiply.
Bottled water is not kept refrigerated, and the warm storage temperatures provide a favorable environment for bacterial growth. Bottle caps may be contaminated at the time of bottling, and often no attempt is made to disinfect the water or the container the water is bottled in. The longer the water is bottled the greater the risk of bacterial growth.
The researchers suggest that bottled water be dated, as many foods are, so that the consumer can have some idea of how old the water is. (The Physician and Sportsmedicine 18(1)49, January 1990)
Copyright 1990 Phylis A Austin
Cold sufferers who inhaled hot, humidified air for twenty to thirty minutes reported improvement in their symptoms. (British Medical Journal 298:1280-1283, May 13, 1989)
This treatment has no known adverse effects if care is taken not to burn oneself, and may be repeated as often as desired. It is simple to do — merely place a pan of water on the kitchen stove and inhale the escaping steam. Drape a towel over the head and pan to capture the steam if desired. Hot saline nasal irrigations will do the same thing. Use one teaspoon of salt to one pint of water and irrigate with a small ear syringe from the pharmacy.
Copyright 1989 Phylis A Austin
Milk allergy may cause sleep problems in young children. Over ten percent of a group of children evaluated for sleep problems had marked improvement in their sleep habits when milk was eliminated from their diet. (Pediatrics 84(4)595-603, October 1989)
Copyright 1989 Phylis A Austin
A diet low in iron may hinder tumor growth according to a report from the Jefferson Medical College and Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Laboratory animals in their study were divided into two groups: one group received a normal diet, and the other received a low iron diet. After the animals on a low iron diet developed low blood iron levels both groups of animals were injected with cancer cells. Both groups of animals developed cancers, but the group on low iron diet had smaller, more slowly growing tumors. The researchers observed that the more iron the animals received the faster their tumors grew. (Research Resources Reporter 13(11)5, 6, November 1989)
Copyright 1989 Phylis A Austin
