HOME REMEDIES
(This information is not intended to diagnose or treat ailments.  Please consult your doctor before tryin any home remedies).

A is for Aloe Vera Gel. 
Squeeze it from a tube or harvest a live plant.  It's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties soothe skin irritations, cold and canker sores, insect bites, cuts and burns.

B is for Beer.
Add 2 cups of beer to a hot bath to pamper your skin and soothe itchy conditions like psoriasis.  A glass of beer daily is said to prevent and/or alleviate urinary tract infections and kidney stones because of its diuretic effect.
You can pour beer through your hair after shampooing, rinse well and enjoy lush, shiny hair.

C is for Castor Oil.
Use the oil topically to treat skin irritations, including age sots, ringworm and warts.  Apply castor oil to eyebrows to make them grow in lusher and darker.  Warm a little castor oil and massage into joints sore from arthritis.  (Ask your pharmacist for unscented castor oil).

D is for Denture Tablets.
Follow package directions and soak unsightly yellow nails for five minutes and then rinse.  Drop your diamonds
in; rinse well and watch them sparkle.

E is for Elmer's Glue.
For minor burns, run under cool water and then apply a layer of glue to prevent blisters from forming.

F is for Fels-Naptha.
Shave off a few slivers of the soap, mix with sugar and water to make a paste, and then use as a drawing salve for boils and sebaceous cysts.  (Cover with a bandage and leave on for half an hour or so.)  Wet the end of the bar and rub on your skin to ease the itch caused by poison ivy.  If  you use it immediately after exposure, you might avoid a rash.

G is for Gin.
Take a handful of golden raisins, cover them with gin and let sit until the raisins have absorbed all the liquid. Take nine (not eight, not 10) raisins a day to eae the symptoms of arthritis.

H is for Horseradish.
Freshly grated or jarred, mixed with lemon juice eliminates age spots on your hands and arms.  Mix 1 T.
horseradish with olive oil and use as a liniment for arthritis and sciatic pain.

I is for Iodine. 
Decolorized iodine (ask the pharmacist) painted on skin tags will make them fall off painlessly after a few treatments.  To combat brittle nails, apply to tips only once a week.

J is for Jell-O.
One-third cup of powdered Jell-O dissolved in 2/3 cup of hot water makes a tasty cough syrup.  And a daily serving of gelatin helps fight arthritis and sore  joints.

K is for Ketchup.
Full of lycopene, ketchup helps prevent sun damage and prostate troubles.  Use it as a facial mask or as a treatment for hair turned geen by chlorine.

L is for Linseed Oil.
Also known as flaxseed oil (buy in the vitamin aisle, not the hardware store).  It's an excellent source of omega-3s.  For pain of plantar fasciitis, soak a cloth in warmed oil and apply to our heel until it cools off.

M is for Milk of Magnesia.
For acne, dermatitis or sunburn, apply a film and let dry, then rinse.

N is for Nail Polish.
Get rid of warts, plantar warts and ringworm by painting on clear nail polish daily until the skin is clear.  Or use it to seal painful paper cuts and hangnails.

O is for Oatmeal.
Add oatmeal to your bath to soothe itchy skin, chicken pox, shingles and poson ivy.  Cook a cup of unflavored oatmeal and massage into your hands to soothe arthritic fingers.

P is for Pets.
Take a break and pet your pet.  Pets lower blood pressure, ward off depression and keep us healthy and happy.

Q is for Quinine Water.
Drinking tonic water and its perky cousin, bitter lemon, is an inexpensive way to combat night time leg cramps.
It works for those irritating eyelid twitches we all get from time to time too.  Pregnant and nurwing women should skip this one.

R is for Rice.
Soothe sore muscles by filling an old sock with uncooked rice.  Heat it in the microwave for 1 minute and apply to the painfu area.

S is for Sunshine.
It's free and it's fundamental.  Just 20 minutes of direct sunlight daily increases vitamin D, boosts your immune system and improves your mood.

T is for Teabags.
Black or green tea will do.  Soothe an abscessed tooth by applyin a teabag, dry or wet, and keeping it on the tooth for at least 30 minutes.  This works on canker sores and cold sores too.

U is for Udder Salve.
Made originally for cows, this heals eczema, raged cuticles, chapped hands and diaper rash.

V is for Vanilla Extract.
Rub on painful gums, or add to unscented lotion for a comforting massage.  For car sickness, take 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract mixed with 2 T. each honey and water.

W is for Witch Hazel.
A cloth soaked in witch hazel eases the pain and swelling of varicose veins, bruises, hemorrhoids and puffy eyes.

X is for Xylitol.
Xylitol is a natural sugar used in many kinds of chewing gum.  It eases heartburn, fighs cavities and dental plaque and has a gentle laxative effect.

Y is for Yellow Mustard.
Chefs and moms reach for mustard from the frige to treat minor burns and prevent blisters.  Swallow a tablespoon of mustard to stop night time leg cramps in short order.

Z is for Zinc Oxide.
Surfers know that zinc oxide is a reliable barrier-type sunscreen.  It's also effective against diaper rash and rosacea.

NOW  YOU KNOW YOUR ABCs.  SEE HOW HEALTHY YOU CAN BE.

GREAT NEWS!!!!

Beginning Tuesday, May 28th, The Good Neighbor Show will be on the air from 10AM to Noon, Monday through Friday.  I'm so excited.  Have lots of great guests lined up so  hope you tune in.

Simple Pineapple


The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family. It is extremely rare that bromeliads produce edible fruit. The pineapple is the only available edible bromeliad today.

It is a multiple fruit. One pineapple is actually made up of dozens of individual floweret's that grow together to form the entire fruit. Each scale on a pineapple is evidence of a separate flower.

Pineapples stop ripening the minute they are picked. No special way of storing them will help ripen them further.
Colour is relatively unimportant in determining ripeness. Choose your pineapple by smell. If it smells fresh, tropical and sweet, it will be a good fruit.

The more scales on the pineapple, the sweeter and juicier the taste.

After you cut off the top, you can plant it. It should grow much like a sweet potato will.

This delicious fruit is not only sweet and tropical; it also offers many benefits to our health. Pineapple is a remarkable fruit.

We find it enjoyable because of its lush, sweet and exotic flavor, but it may also be one of the most healthful foods available today. If we take a more detailed look at it, we will find that pineapple is valuable for easing indigestion, arthritis or sinusitis.

The juice has an anthelmintic effect; it helps get rid of intestinal worms.

Let's look at how pineapple affects other conditions.

Pineapple is high in manganese, a mineral that is critical to development of strong bones and connective tissue. A cup of fresh pineapple will give you nearly 75% of the recommended daily amount.

It is particularly helpful to older adults, whose bones tend to become brittle with age.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme, is the key to pineapple's value. Proteolytic means "breaks down protein", which is why pineapple is known to be a digestive aid. It helps the body digest proteins more efficiently.
Bromelain is also considered an effective anti-inflammatory.

Regular ingestion of at least one half cup of fresh pineapple daily is purported to relieve painful joints common to osteoarthritis. It also produces mild pain relief.

In Germany, bromelain is approved as a post-injury medication because it is thought to reduce inflammation and swelling.

Orange juice is a popular liquid for those suffering from a cold because it is high in Vitamin C. Fresh pineapple is not only high in this vitamin, but because of the Bromelain, it has the ability to reduce mucous in the throat.
If you have a cold with a productive cough, add pineapple to your diet. It is commonly used in Europe as a post-operative measure to cut mucous after certain sinus and throat operations.

Those individuals who eat fresh pineapple daily report fewer sinus problems related to allergies. In and of itself, pineapple has a very low risk for allergies.

Pineapple is also known to discourage blood clot development. This makes it a valuable dietary addition for frequent fliers and others who may be at risk for blood clots.

An old folk remedy for morning sickness is fresh pineapple juice. it really works! Fresh juice and some nuts first thing in the morning often make a difference.

It's also good for a healthier mouth. The fresh juice discourages plaque growth.

Food Labels can be confusing.  Here's what  you really need to know.

*  Use-By, Best if Used By, Best By, Best Before:  These dates are found on shelf-stable products like mustard, mayonnaise and peanut butter.  They are voluntarily provided by the manufacturer and tells  you  how long the product is likely to remain at its absolute best quality when unopened. It is not a safety date.  After the "use by" or "best" date has passed, you may start to notice gradual changes in the unopened product's texture, color or flavor.  As long as  you've been storing it properly,  you can consume it beyond this date.

*  Sell-By:  Most sell-by dates are found on perishables like meat, seafood, poultry and milk.  You should buy the product before the sell-by date expires.  You can still store it for some time beyond that date as long as you follow safe storage procedures.  Milk that has been continuously refrigerated will remain drinkable about one week after the sell-by date.

*  Expires On:  This type of date is on infant formula and some baby foods and should always be used b efore this date has passed.

*  Packing Codes:  These codes appear as a series of letters and/or numbers and help manufacturers and grocers rotate stock and quickly locate products in the event of a recall.  They are not meant to be interpreted as an indicator of either food safety or quality.

For more information on how to store products, google Keep It or Toss it database.