Here are some simple tips for minor health problems rather than using medications.
Headache: Tension headaches are caused by stress, lack of sleep, skipping meals or not drinking enough water. Pick up a pencil: holding it lightly between your teeth can help reduce a tension headache as it activates your 'smaile' muscles and relaxes your jaw. Worth a try: apply peppermint oil to your forehead and temples.
Hot flushes: Happen during and after the menopause or during cancer treatment. Cut out the caffeine. Swap it for decaff or herbal teas and cut out caffeinated soft drinks too. Worth a try: controlled breathing for 15 minutes a day. Inhale for count of five, then exhale for count of five; repeat for the 15 minute period. or try yoga.
Toothache: Avoid hot, cold and sweet food and drinks. If painkillers don't help, try using an ice cube to massage the web of skin between the thumb and index finger of the hand on the same side as the painful tooth. It's to do with the way pain signals are tranmitted through the body. Worth a try: clove oil can kill bacteria and numbe affected area. Or crunch a few whole cloves betweent he teeth that are hurting.
Cold sores: Once you have the heroes simplex virus, you have it for good though not everyone has recurring sores. Anti-viral creams may help, as may changing toothbrushes often to guard against repeated outbreaks. Add vanilla: use a cotton bud to apply pure, organic vanilla extract as soon as you feel the tingle of a cold sore. Because it's alcohol based, the extract makes it hard for the virus to survive. Worth a try: a cold, wet earl grey teabag placed on the sore for a few minutes several times a day may help, due to the bergamot oil and tannin.
Warts: There are over-the-counter remedies available or opt for having it frozen. Duct tape: try covering the wart with a piece of duct tape for six days, replacing it if it falls off. After six days, remove tape and soak wart in warm water and file off any dead tissue with an emery board or pumice stone. Repeat the process for up to two months. In 7 out of 10 cases, the wart disappears. This can also work for verrucas. Worth a try: apply a drop of pure undiluted tea tree oil to the wart, cover and leave on overnight. Remove plaster and wash the wart. Repeat daily till it drops off.
Clicking jaw: Your GP may prescribe painkillers or even refer you for possible surgery. Put your hand in your mouth: Gently exercising your mouth muscles may help. Place your fingers inside your mouth over your bottom teeth. With your jaw still, push down with your fingers for five seconds and then release. Do this five times, several times a day. Then close your mouth and with your teeth aligned, place your palm on one side of your face. Push gently inwards for five seconds three to five times, then repeat on the other side. Worth a try: hold a cork between your teeth to keep your jaws separated and relaxed; do this for five minutes several times a day.
Joint pain: While our first instincts are to rest, the best remedy is the opposite. Get moving: exercise is vital for anyone suffering joint pain or stiffness. It will strengthen the muscles, and lubricate the joints. Start with a brisk 15 minutes walk every day. Reach for rosehips: shown to reduce joint pain and stiffness and may also reduce cartilage degeneration. Try turmeric tea (but not if you are on blood thinning drugs): it contains curcumin which lowers the levels of two enzymes that cause inflammation. Add 1/4 tsp each of ground turmeric and ginger to 1/2 pint boiled water. Simmer for 10 mins, strain and add honey to taste. Drink two 1/2 pint servings a day.
Lower back pain: Doctors used to recommend rest but now advise that long periods on inactivity are bad for your back. Paracetamol and ibruprofen can help, and hot or cold compresses. Sit on a chair: tight hamstrings place additional stress on the lower back, so gently stretch them by sitting on the edge of a chair and stretch one leg out with toes pointing at the ceiling. Sit up straight and roll your pelvis foward, feeling a light stretch up the back of your leg. Repeat with the other leg. Worth a try: place a pillow between your knees if you sleep on your side, or under their knees if you sleep on your back.
Hiccups: Unless they last for days, it's not worth bothering your GP. Press your ear: find your tragus (the small pointy piece of cartilage at the lower front of your ear, then press it to close off the ear canal while you drink a glass of water. Worth a try: drink vinegar or lemon juice - some people find this 'shocks' the diaphragm into relaxing.
Tickly cough: a cough reflex when a cold or flu virus irritates the nerves lining the throat. Scratch your ear lightly: this stimulates a nerve in the ear, which causes a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm, which in turn should stop the irritation in your throat. Worth a try: gargle with warm, salty water which could soothe the area. Or try swallowing some runny honey.
Blocked sinuses: if the pain lasts for more than 10 days, see your GP. Use your tongue: take a long, warm shower to help relieve the congestion. Then push your tongue against the roof of your mouth and press a finger between your eyebrows. Worth a try: sniffing up a rinse of warm water and unprocessed sea salt can help wash out the nasal cavities and shrink the inflamed blood vessels.
Cystitis: drinking cranberry juice is the best known remedy. For prevention, always wipe from front to back after using the loo, and go for a wee after sex. Rub it away: best done in private, but rubbing the pubic bone can help - locate the sore spot, which is usually in the centre, and rub until the soreness is relieved. Worth a try: a course of acupuncture may help.
Feature in Good Housekeeping May 2015
