Otitis externa or swimmers ear is an infection of the ear canal. The ear canal is the tube that carries sounds from the outside of the body to the eardrum. Swimmers ear is caused by many different types of bacteria or fungi in the ear canal. In many cases swimmers ear affects people who spend much time in the water. An accumulation of too much moisture irritates the canal and allows the bacteria or fungi to get in. Of course the summer time in most areas of the U.S. is the prime time for swimmers ear.

Swimmers aren’t the only ones who suffer from this. Otitis externa can be caused by any breaks in the skin of the ear canal such as eczema or a scratch in the canal. You can even get this from cleaning your ear with cotton tipped applicators or foreign objects such as paper clips or hearing aids being inserted into the ear.

Ways to prevent swimmers ear range from holding your head sideways to drain water from your ear after swimming to blow drying your ears after contact with water. If you use a blow dryer be sure to hold it 18 inches away from your ear and set it on warm or cool for about one minute. The best defense is to keep the water out by using silicon soft ear plugs.

Treatment for swimmers ear includes using an eye dropper full of half white kitchen vinegar and half rubbing alcohol solution and putting a few drops in your ear after swimming. If your ear is already irritated substitute the alcohol with water. Other things used as remedies for swimmers ear include sweet oil or warm baby oil put in the ear from an eye dropper.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ If you have had any ear surgery or punctured eardrums including tubes in your ears do not use any of the above recommendations. Please visit a doctor for treatment.

Boils are large, reddish bumps, sometimes sore, that result from infections that are deep in the skin. They usually start as a tender spot and develop slowly. Eventually the center of a boil becomes soft and it develops a head which is filled with bacteria and an accumulation of white blood cells and proteins with the white blood cells being the body’s way of fighting the infection. This infection is also known as pus.

To treat a boil the best thing to do is apply heat through a warm washcloth compress. If a head has formed you can lance the boil with a pin that has been sterilized under a flame just be sure that the boil has been drained or you will risk re-infection. Other suggested items that may make up a compress are heated slices of tomato or tomato paste, raw onion slices, honey, mashed garlic or cabbage leaves.

The main thing to remember is to keep the infected area clean until it is healed and covered with a bandage. If you are someone who suffer from deficiency in your immune system you should always have your boils treated by a doctor.

 
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I offer this information not as medical advice but for general purposes. You should seek professional medical help before trying any of the above home remedies

Some of the most unbearable pain that a person can suffer is one that is in the stomach and it is called an ulcer. Ulcers are craterlike spots in the stomach or in the duodenum, a part of the intestine. Ulcers occur when the cells that line the stomach cannot do the job of protecting the stomach against caustic stomach acid. The only way you can find out if you have an ulcer is to visit your doctor for tests. But even though you can be diagnosed with an ulcer science is still working on predicting when the ulcer will flare up.

Of course food is the number one suspect in the cause of ulcers but not only what foods but when you eat them and with what other foods you mix. Some suggestions are to eat more frequently as food neutralizes stomach acid and by eating smaller meals more often during the day you may be able to relive some of the effects. As far as certain foods that cause ulcers and their pain it is usually an individual persons stomach and not the type of food that determines an ulcer. Some folks suffer from eating spicy hot foods while others suffer when eating things such as ice cream or milk. The best way to decide what is causing your ulcer would be to keep track of what you eat and notice when you suffer the pain. Matching these two things will determine which foods you may want to avoid.

People under stress and smokers are very good candidates for ulcers. Stress has been shown to increase the stomach acids in humans which will in turn cause more ulcers. Smokers are not only twice as likely to get ulcers as nonsmokers but studies show that ulcers in smokers take longer to heal and are more than three times as likely to recur.

Some home remedies for ulcers include:
-Eating bananas which contain an anti-bacterial substance that inhibits growth of ulcers.
-Garlic cloves which also have anti-bacterial substances.
-Cabbage is a leading remedy for ulcers whether it be raw or juiced. Many people have reported permanent relief in as little as 5-7 days.

Other suggested remedies for ulcers include plums, cayenne pepper, licorice, and the bark of slippery elm. Things that you should avoid are as mentioned before smoking and watch your alcohol intake also.

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Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I offer this information not as medical advice but for general purposes. You should seek professional medical help before trying any of the above home remedies.

In the day before computers if we wanted to talk about a subject and speak with experts or other people familiar with it we would have to watch TV, get books from the library, or read many magazines on the subject. But with the invent of the Internet most, if not all, of the legwork has been eliminated for us. One of the first and still best ways that the Internet has helped is forums. Forums give you a wealth of information on just about any topic in the world. You can subscribe to the forums and come in contact with the other members and discuss whatever the topic may be.

Natural Medicine Talk  is one of these forums and it bills itself as “a forum for those interested in all aspects of health and illness.” This forum has much information about natural and alternative ways of dealing with health problems. Some of the topics discussed are nutrition, cancer, heart health, diabetes, and other diseases.One of the interesting topics I recently was involved with concerned iodine and it’s many health benefits. Another good one was the inflammatory ratings of foods which was a very popular topic in the general discussion section. I have spent alot of time recently doing research in these health forums and have learned much about natural medicine. If you’d like to be more informed on this topic please visit by clicking here.

The pinworm whose scientific name is Genus Enterobius is also known as the threadworm or seat worm. It is a white parasitic worm about a half inch in length and normally affects children of school age. These worms live in a human’s large intestine and are the most common worm infection in the United States. During a person’s sleep the female worms lay their eggs in the anal area of the infected person. When the eggs hatch they cause itching around the anal and vaginal area and can cause discomfort and prevent sleep. In severe cases they may cause weight loss and loss of appetite due to embarrassment and nervousness. Treatment for the worms include prescriptions of mebendazole (Vermox) an anti-worm medicine taken over a period of two weeks and home remedies.

Home remedies include:
-Mashing garlic and adding honey and taken 2-3 times a day for 7-10 days.
-A tablespoon of papaya juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey followed by a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of castor oil added should be taken first thing in the morning. Do this for two days and it should be effective.
-Drink Aloe Vera juice normally found in health food stores until cured.
-Consume fresh garlic as often as possible.
-Have pumpkin seeds found in any supermarket
-Consume 1 cup of grated carrot in the morning one hour before breakfast for one week.

There are various other recommended remedies for ridding yourself of pinworms and other parasites as well as natural medicines that can be found in health food stores. Just follow the directions on the container. Avoid sharing any towels or washing utensils with infected family members to discourage the spreading of these parasites. Wash all meats, fruits, and vegetables thoroughly and wash your hands frequently, including under the fingernails, to prevent infection.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I offer this information not as medical advice but for general purposes. You should seek professional medical help before trying any of the above home remedies