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3w4dw: home remedies
Apr. 30th, 2010 01:54 pmI've been having various conversations with people about home remedies/mom-advice recently, so I figured it would be nice to consolidate and share. :D This post is in no way meant to be a universal prescriptive, as different things work for different people, so please feel free to jump in as well!
for relieving headaches:
+ Massage/pressure points: temples, eye-sockets, the spot right under the center of the lower lip, and (sometimes, for me) also the upper curve of the ear. The juncture of neck and shoulder is good for tension relief as well, whether or not my muscles are actually tight (which, let's face it, they generally are). I press hard enough to get me to the borderline of pain and discomfort while my mom presses hard enough to hurt, but either way works just fine.
+ Using wanjingyou/Tiger Balm on these points is extra helpful, although I would suggest not doing so if you are sensitive to strong smells.
+ Coffee/tea/caffeinated substances have been a solution for my mom in the past, though coffee is not a go-to for me after noon (I go to sleep late enough as it is).
for relieving menstrual cramps:
+ Ginger soup! Slice fresh ginger into a pot of boiling water & leave for ~30 minutes (this is approximately the amount of time my mom leaves it on, but longer/shorter periods should be fine as well, I think). Add sugar to taste & drink hot. Note: this can be made in large quantities & kept in the fridge to be reheated when necessary.
+ Lower back massage, if you are like me and get a horrible band of tightness around your midsection. This mostly helps me not to tense up and make the pain worse, although if I get to a certain point of relaxation the cramps will actually recede for a while.
+ Also, avoiding cold drinks/foodstuffs (such as ice cream) for the duration generally helps.
+ Also also, no swimming for the duration, if at all possible. (I have never been tempted to do this anyway, but I had a couple of friends on the swim team back in high school, so.)
for coughs/colds:
+ Lemon tea (actual tea not necessary): hot water, freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and honey to taste. I mostly use green tea if I'm in the mood for actual tea.
+ Tea with honeyed kumquats: Soak fresh kumquats in a jar of honey for extended periods of time (as in 2-3 weeks or longer); make sure they are completely covered with the honey. Over time the kumquats should sink from the top of the jar; you can then take dollops of the kumquat/honey and put it in your tea (mostly green tea for me- my family is in the habit of drinking green, basically- but we've also been known to use oolong). My mom swears by it for allergy-relief as well, as it works for her where actual allergy medications such as Claritin have failed miserably; she no longer sneezes or suffers itchy, watery eyes in the springtime. It is true that she is always making and drinking the stuff these days, but hey, it's a tasty (and healthy) preventative measure!
+ Breathing steam. I prefer to stay in the bathroom for a few minutes after a hot shower when I'm feeling congested, but you can also just boil some water and sit with your face over it & a towel draped over your head, if you like.
... why yes, you may have noticed that we use tea for, um, everything? TEA IS THE SUBSTANCE OF LIFE, OKAY. xD
eta because I have fallen off the bandwagon re: poetry month! five poems by Purvi Shah; I particularly love the last one.
for relieving headaches:
+ Massage/pressure points: temples, eye-sockets, the spot right under the center of the lower lip, and (sometimes, for me) also the upper curve of the ear. The juncture of neck and shoulder is good for tension relief as well, whether or not my muscles are actually tight (which, let's face it, they generally are). I press hard enough to get me to the borderline of pain and discomfort while my mom presses hard enough to hurt, but either way works just fine.
+ Using wanjingyou/Tiger Balm on these points is extra helpful, although I would suggest not doing so if you are sensitive to strong smells.
+ Coffee/tea/caffeinated substances have been a solution for my mom in the past, though coffee is not a go-to for me after noon (I go to sleep late enough as it is).
for relieving menstrual cramps:
+ Ginger soup! Slice fresh ginger into a pot of boiling water & leave for ~30 minutes (this is approximately the amount of time my mom leaves it on, but longer/shorter periods should be fine as well, I think). Add sugar to taste & drink hot. Note: this can be made in large quantities & kept in the fridge to be reheated when necessary.
+ Lower back massage, if you are like me and get a horrible band of tightness around your midsection. This mostly helps me not to tense up and make the pain worse, although if I get to a certain point of relaxation the cramps will actually recede for a while.
+ Also, avoiding cold drinks/foodstuffs (such as ice cream) for the duration generally helps.
+ Also also, no swimming for the duration, if at all possible. (I have never been tempted to do this anyway, but I had a couple of friends on the swim team back in high school, so.)
for coughs/colds:
+ Lemon tea (actual tea not necessary): hot water, freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and honey to taste. I mostly use green tea if I'm in the mood for actual tea.
+ Tea with honeyed kumquats: Soak fresh kumquats in a jar of honey for extended periods of time (as in 2-3 weeks or longer); make sure they are completely covered with the honey. Over time the kumquats should sink from the top of the jar; you can then take dollops of the kumquat/honey and put it in your tea (mostly green tea for me- my family is in the habit of drinking green, basically- but we've also been known to use oolong). My mom swears by it for allergy-relief as well, as it works for her where actual allergy medications such as Claritin have failed miserably; she no longer sneezes or suffers itchy, watery eyes in the springtime. It is true that she is always making and drinking the stuff these days, but hey, it's a tasty (and healthy) preventative measure!
+ Breathing steam. I prefer to stay in the bathroom for a few minutes after a hot shower when I'm feeling congested, but you can also just boil some water and sit with your face over it & a towel draped over your head, if you like.
... why yes, you may have noticed that we use tea for, um, everything? TEA IS THE SUBSTANCE OF LIFE, OKAY. xD
eta because I have fallen off the bandwagon re: poetry month! five poems by Purvi Shah; I particularly love the last one.
