by Lois Lawrence

Created on: July 19, 2009   Last Updated: July 23, 2009

What if there were one product that would make your breath fresh, your hair sparkle, your teeth white, your skin glow, and your nails shine?

Now, what if that same product could soothe your upset stomach, cool your sun-burnt skin, take the itch out of your poison ivy rash, and even improve your kidney health?

Well, there is such a product and it costs about 90 cents for a one-pound box. It's called baking soda.

Baking Soda and Your Hygiene

Your great grandmother probably knew a thing or two about the magic of baking soda at the bathroom sink. She probably mixed it with a pinch of salt and maybe a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide to make quick and effective toothpaste. But what did Great Grandma know, right? Today we have everything from Crest to Rembrandt to ultra violet laser treatments to get the job done right.

Well, it turns out the old girl knew quite a bit. No lesser authority than the Mayo Clinic still recommends using baking soda to maintain good dental health especially during pregnancy. It's no accident that mainstream toothpaste brands like Colgate and Crest, and Mentadent tout the addition of baking soda to many of their products.

Baking soda also absorbs sweat and neutralizes odors so by all means, pack some in your gym duffle and sprinkle some in your cross-trainers.

Baking Soda and your Health

Great Grandma also probably prescribed a dose of bicarbonate and water for an upset tummy or a touch of heartburn. Right again. As long as you are not on a salt-restricted diet, or haven't just filled your stomach to overflowing with food and alcohol, most experts agree that a little baking soda mixed with water provides safe and affordable relief.

In bigger news, researchers at the William Harvey Research Institute in England recently released a study of 134 sufferers of chronic kidney disease in which they concluded that a small daily dose ofbaking soda significantly slowed the progression of advanced kidney disease and improved the nutritional status and overall quality of life of patients who took it.

While not as dramatic, but equally good to know, a simple paste made from water and baking soda applied to sunburned skin has long been used to relieve the pain and itching associated with that condition. It works as well on poison ivy and other forms of contact dermatitis.

Baking Soda and Your Good Looks

Besides giving you a bright smile, baking soda mixed into a paste and massaged

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