When I needed treatment for toenail fungus, my doctor suggested I soak my toes in Listerine for 30 minutes a night for 30 days. I sent my husband to Costco for a giant jug of Listerine. He returned with the mint one.
It's blue, but I figured that wouldn't really make a difference. It did. My feet turned blue, and no amount of scrubbing could take the color off.
After switching to the regular (amber) Listerine, my toenail fungus did clear up, but the nails themselves were very dry.
The herbal oils in Listerine, such as thymol and eucalyptol, have antifungal activity. Many readers have found that it can help fight nail fungus. The alcohol in regular Listerine (26.9 percent) might be the culprit in drying your nails.
I've had some arthritis in my left index finger. The treatments I tried helped a little but didn't resolve it. I've heard that a packet of Knox unflavored gelatin twice a day dissolved in the beverage of your choice can be helpful but might take up to six weeks to be effective. I take it with tomato juice.
Don't ever get in a hurry and just dump the packet of granules in your mouth and head out the door. It combines with saliva to create an extremely powerful glue inside your mouth. Your mouth and lips will get glued firmly together, and it will take you 20 minutes or so of dedicated work to get your mouth pried back open again.
This is certainly going to entertain your co-workers, but I really think you might suffocate if you had a cold and couldn't breathe through your nose. You will not be able to speak, so we might not figure out you have glued your own mouth shut.
Thanks for the warning! This sounds as if it comes from personal experience.
Several years ago, a reader shared an arthritis remedy. He mixes equal amounts of apple-cider vinegar and honey. One teaspoon of this mixture is added to 6 ounces of water along with a teaspoon of Knox orange gelatin for the daily dose.
I've heard that consuming too much cinnamon can be harmful, but what, exactly, is the acceptable limit? I eat 2 tablespoons on my cereal each morning just because I like the flavor. Is that too much?
Some cinnamon (Chinese or cassia cinnamon) is contaminated with a natural compound called coumarin. In excess, this can harm the liver of sensitive individuals. Coumarin also may interact with blood thinners like Coumadin (warfarin) to increase the risk of bleeding.
Two tablespoons of cinnamon daily is a very big dose. You should have your liver enzymes checked when you see your doctor. People who use cinnamon to help lower blood sugar take 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon before meals.
Unfortunately, cassia cinnamon is not labeled with the amount of coumarin it contains. This makes it hard for consumers to tell how much they are getting (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry online, Jan. 16).
Thank you so much for writing (a long while back) about IBS and coconut macaroon cookies. It works. I had chronic diarrhea for years and have been healed for the past two years.
We're always pleased to hear about success with home remedies. Donald Agar wrote us nearly 10 years ago to report that two Archway coconut macaroon cookies a day banished the chronic diarrhea he had.
We have heard from other readers that coconut helps combat diarrhea. However, not everyone with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) benefits from coconut macaroons.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: peoplespharmacy.com.