By Angel Nuñez
This Column has recently published several home remedies that are very practical in especially when a medical practitioner is not immediately available. Because it offers interesting extra knowledge and because most of them are proven to be effective, here are a few more tips for home remedies.
MOTION SICKNESS: Oh yes you can purchase your Dramamine at the drugstore and ingest it half an hour before getting on board. But years ago in San Pedro you were told to suck a lemon to prevent motion sickness. “So if your passenger on board says, “Estoy mareado” meaning I am sea sick, then you can hurriedly offer a lime or lemon. No wonder every Sanpedrano had a lime tree in his backyard years ago in San Pedro. Another remedy was to wash your face with sea water or salt water and not only wash the face but swallow a tiny bit. The motion sickness was sure to ease a bit and in most cases completely subside. Don’t laugh but my dad used to encourage us to jump into the sea- sort of a drastic measure. But do try the lemon.
MENSTRUAL SKIP: Many women today will skip a menstruation and are certain they are not pregnant for one obvious reason. It is the result of some hormone imbalance and will get a shot to correct this condition. Not so 25 years ago in San Pedro. There was this vine that climbed on everybody’s fence; it is called in Spanish, ‘sorosi’. Boil a good amount of this ‘sorosi’ and drink the water. It is very bitter and distasteful, but a good remedy for the skipping of a menstruation. Now menstrual cramps are very painful. A simple remedy is a hot water bottle or a hot pad on the abdomen for a few minutes and this will increase the blood flow and ease the pain. Older folks would add some salt and some baking soda to a bucket of warm water and take a towel bath. Soon the cramps vanish.
BURNS: I am sure most of you would rush to the doctor if you were to get burned with hot cooking oil, or by direct fire or touching a hot element like an iron. Burns are highly painful. Many years ago in San Pedro our parents learned very quickly that the best way to ease that pain was to flush the burn with lots of cold or fresh water. But do not apply ice as that can make the burn worse. Simply submerge your arm or hand if that is the area where the burn occurred. But listen to this. To ease the continuing pain of a burn, cover the area with condensed milk. This might not be what a doctor recommends but it was used effectively many years ago in San Pedro. I did use it several times and it worked so well. When the injured area was cleaned later on, you will notice a blister or blisters. Never burst a blister. It is nature’s way of protecting your body.
BACKACHE: “My back aches; my back pains” is a regular complaint of many people, especially older folks or people who do very strenuous work. There might be several reasons for the pain, including misaligned spinal column or a pinched nerve in the back bones. Without a doctor all you want to do is to alleviate the pain and go to sleep. So you might start as we did 25 years ago with cold water. Apply very cold packs or cold pads on the back to ease the pain… guaranteed. After a while you might want to revert this remedy to hot water compresses or a heating pad. And finally you might want to use both hot and cold treatment. This home remedy was very popular years ago in San Pedro and, I am sure, can still be used today in the absence of a fine doctor or until morning arrives. See you next week for some more home remedies.
25 Years Ago Books Can Be Purchased At:
-Ambergris Today -Lala’s Store -Chico’s Meat Shop -Pampered Paws -Ambergris Jade -San Pedro BTB Office -Aquarius Salon (Kim) -S.P. Town Library -Di Bush –Richie’s Stationery -San Pedrano’s Stationery -Rum, Coffee & Cigar House
Contact the Author at: nunez_nest@yahoo.com
