1. Rub your ears to boost energy: Instead of
reaching for another cup of coffee, give your ears a gentle
self-massage. According to Chinese medicine, stimulating the pressure
points in the ears increases blood circulation to all parts of the body, giving you an instant energy boost.
2. Cure hiccups with peanut butter: Chewing and swallowing the sticky
spread will interrupt your breathing pattern and force your diaphragm to
relax.
3. Use honey to soothe a sore throat: A natural
antibacterial and antifungal agent, honey can help coat and soothe sore
throats and alleviate minor coughs.
4. Blow-dry waterlogged
ears: Put a hair dryer on the gentlest setting and hold it a few inches
away from your ear. The increased airflow will help to evaporate the
water in your ear.
5. Make warts disappear with garlic: Garlic —
which has been shown to have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal
properties — is thought to be an effective home remedy for warts. Apply a
freshly cut garlic clove to the wart, place a bandage over it, and
leave the bandage on overnight. Repeat every night until the wart
disappears.
6. Blow on your thumb to calm jangled nerves: The
thumb has its own pulse, and blowing on the thumb will cool down the
thumb and thus calm the heart rate, as cold air can slow down your
pulse. This trick might also help simply because the act of blowing
forces you to deepen your breathing, which calms the heart.
7.
Sniff peppermint to quell a craving: Chew mint gum, sip peppermint tea
or take a whiff of peppermint oil. Studies suggest that the scent of
peppermint stimulates the brain to release appetite-suppressing hormones
and promotes a feeling of fullness.
8. Curl your toes to fall
asleep faster: The next time you find yourself tossing and turning, try a
progressive muscle relaxation technique. Begin by slowly curling and
uncurling your toes. Then, work your way up the entire body, from your
toes to your neck, tightening a certain muscle group before releasing
it.
9. Smile to make yourself happier: Scientists have found that
the simple act of smiling can lower blood pressure and release stress,
giving you an instant mood boost (yes, even forced smiles count!).
10. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to beat brain
freeze: Also referred to as “ice cream headaches,” brain freezes are
caused by a rapid increase in blood flow to the brain. After you down a
frozen treat, trythrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth —
this will warm up the palate and ease the flow of blood to the brain.
11. Rub Vicks Vaporub on feet for congestion: To temporarily relieve a
cough, try applying the mentholated topical cream on the soles of your
feet and immediately covering with a pair of socks. There is no
scientific explanation for why this old wives’ trick works, but many
stuffy nose-sufferers (and even nurses and doctors) swear by it.
12. Use ginger to prevent motion sickness: Twenty minutes before
travel, take two capsules of powdered ginger to ease an upset stomach
caused by motion sickness.
13. Shake your head to wake up
sleepy feet: It happens to all of us — you’re sitting in an awkward
position when all of a sudden your foot, hand or other body part falls
asleep. To quickly eliminate that uncomfortable tingling sensation, move
your head side to side. The movement helps relieve nerve tension.
14. Alleviate nausea by massaging wrist: Relieve nausea by lightly
massaging the pressure point on the inside of your wrist, about three
finger widths below the base of your palm.
15. Squeeze lemon to
erase pimples: Banish breakouts by dabbing a little lemon juice on
problem areas — its antibacterial properties will help kill excess
bacteria and reduce acne.
16. Dab on clove oil to alleviate
toothache pain: Apply a very small amount of clove oil to a cotton swab
and gently dab onto the affected tooth area. The essential oil has been
shown in studies to have analgesic and antibacterial properties, making
it a useful tool in treating bacteria-caused toothaches.
17. Inhale onion vapors for sinus relief: Chop up an onion, put it in
a bowl and inhale the onion fumes. The vapors help open sinus passageways, providing relief from sinus pressure.
18. Stop mouth bleeds with tea bags: To stop mouth bleeds after oral
surgery or injuries, apply a moistened tea bag to the affected area; the
tannins in tea help the blood coagulate faster.
19. Steam to
relieve nasal congestion: Steam helps to loosen mucus and clear out the
sinus cavities, providing relief from nasal congestion. A hot bath
works, too.
20. Sleep on your left side to prevent acid
reflux: Researchers have determined that leftside sleeping helps with
digestion and eases heartburn pain.