10 Home Remedies and First Aid Tips

 10 Home Remedies and First Aid Tips

Dr Abe V Rotor

1. Stop that sneeze quick! 

Press the base of your nose hard and hold it there until the urge to sneeze subsides. You may do it subtlety even in the middle of a speech or conference, but don’t wait for the last minute; sneeze can’t wait. 

2. Don’t talk to the baby while feeding.

Baka masamid siya. It is bad to the baby when milk gets into his larynx and lungs. Talk to him after he is through and has burped.

3. Put oil on the bombonan, the soft suture of the skull of a baby, with oil before bathing him.

Oil seals the hair roots and forms a film on this sensitive part of the baby which protects it from sudden wetness and change in temperature. Oil also softens the dry layer of skin which sheds off as the baby grows.  

4. If the father or mother leaves the house, place the clothes he or she last worn beside the sleeping child so that he goes into deep sleep.   

This is pheromones in action. Pheromones are chemical signals for bonding in the animal world, and among humans. Like the queen bee that keeps its colony intact through pheromones, so we are attracted by a similar odor, although of a less specific one.  People are compatible through smell. Pheromones are left in  clothes and other belongings, so that a baby may remain fast asleep as if he were in his mother’s or father’s arms.  

5. Sterilize handkerchief with hot iron in the absence of cotton gauze and bandage.
In an emergency case, or for simple treatment, this is what you can do.  Get a clean handkerchief and iron it repeatedly at high temperature for a duration of five minutes to seven minutes. To save on energy, you may prepare two or three handkerchiefs for the purpose. 

6. Press the base of the jaw joint to relieve toothache.

There’s a saying that when your tooth aches, there’s nothing you can do about it except to take painkiller. Mabuti pa ang sakit ng tiyan.  At least for stomach ache you can manage to find a comfortable position, or press the painful part to secure relief.

But here is a simple remedy Dr. Vanda Hernandez, school dentist of St. Paul University QC, demonstrated which I found to be effective. There is a mass of nerve cells called Gasserian ganglion that connects the nerves of the gums and teeth, and their surroundings. Now this is how the simple remedy works.  Open your mouth wide, feel where the joint of the jaw is located. Now close your mouth and press this nerve center with the finger until you obtain relief. Do this along the side of the affected tooth. Repeat until pain subsides.  Once you have practiced the technique, you can do it discreetly even with people around when the need arises.    

7. Warm water soothes itchy and sore throat, arrest coughing.

Don’t take medicated drops or syrup for your itchy or sore throat. All you need is warm water which you sip now and then to relieve your throat and stop your coughing.  Have a thermos at hand.  Just add to tap water the same amount of hot water to come up with an approximate temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Celsius. Drink warm water liberally to replace water loss and restore metabolite balance while helping the body eliminate waste and toxin.    

8. Press the base of the nail of the large toe to wake an unconscious person.

First, place the patient in a comfortable position, loosen his clothes for better blood circulation, and be sure he gets fresh air. It is a common practice to fan an unconscious person or to keep him warm if he is cold. Using your thumb slowly press the base of the large toe and watch for signs that the patient is coming back to consciousness. First he stirs, pulls his leg away from your hold (if he senses pain), then takes a deep breath which is usually accompanied by moan. Release your hold.  Repeat until he becomes fully conscious. If he does not respond, press harder but be gentle.  Try the other large toe. If there is no response immediately sought for medical attention. Remember that prolonged unconsciousness endangers the patient to harm complications.

9. Use elbow to test a tepid bath for the baby.

When testing the proper bath temperature, immerse your elbow for a couple of seconds to feel if a bath is just right – not too warm nor too cold. The finger is not as sensitive to do this test. Next time you bathe your baby, try this useful tip.

10. Gulat ang gamut sa sinok. To stop hiccup, jolt the person.

Now and then anyone may fall into a pit of hiccup for reasons not well understood even in the medical field.  But as sudden and unpredictable it came, just by jolting the person is enough to terminate hiccup. 

This is what you can do to help your friend in a pit. The first remedy is to give him water. If this does not work, gently massage the back of his head.  If still this does not work, secretly time the interval of his hiccup.  Jolt him up real good coinciding with the next hiccup.  Pronto! The hiccup is gone. ~