by Vicki Niedzielska

Created on: August 23, 2008   Last Updated: August 26, 2008

Summer is here, and school is out. The much longed-for family vacation has arrived. Unfortunately, at some time everyone is going to fall victim to one of these irritations. In most cases, the remedies you need are already in your kitchen cupboards, growing in your garden, or lurking in your bathroom. I am not promising that they will all work, and there are a few cases where I rather think that the cure is worse than the symptoms, but nonetheless here are some common, and not so common, remedies for nature's less enjoyable summertime experiences.

Splinters

My mother seemed to delight in plucking a needle from the sewing box and doing battle with a sliver of wood buried deep in my thumb. However, a less intrusive approach is to try to pull the splinter to the surface. Suggested methods include applying a small piece of bacon over the splinter and a band-aid. By next morning, the salt and fat will have magically sucked the offending sliver to the surface. A layer of a honey and a sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda is said to do the same thing (and might make you smell slightly nicer). Finally if the splinter has a tiny piece already poking out of the skin, apply a layer of household glue (not super-power superglue!) and allow it to dry fully, before peeling off, and the splinter should come too.

Mosquito Bites

Avoiding mosquitoes in the first place would be a good plan, so when sitting outside in the balmy summer evening, burn citronella candles to keep them at bay. If you have been bitten, ease the itching by applying heat, either hot water or from a hairdryer. A paste of bicarbonate of soda and water should also help, although if you get as many bites as I do, walking around covered in patches of paste might be a little unsightly. Lime juice, mixed with water or salt is said to work, as is Clearasil applied to the affected area. There is also the wonderful Tiger Balm, which does work wonders but smells quite powerful!

Ticks

Ticks are nasty little blood sucking creatures which bury their heads under your skin, and stay there for a while helping themselves to a tasty meal of your blood. They rarely hurt and would not be too much of a problem except for the diseases they carry. In some cases, their saliva can bring a serious infection known as Lyme disease. You will often find them on your dog or cat, and these can usually be removed with Vaseline. A traditional method of removing them from your own skin was through alcohol or burning them off. However neither of these

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>