Feel Better with Baking Soda

Baking soda has many ways of making us feel better. Soothing, cleansing and relief are words that describe it very well.

1. Soothe bee stings and other insect bites with a paste of baking soda and vinegar.
2. Anti-acid - mix 1/2 teaspoon in 4 ounces of water and drink. It will cause you to "burp," as it neutralizes stomach acid.
3. Put sunburned kids in a cool (not cold) baking soda bath for half an hour. Also works for chicken pox and mosquito bites.
4. Relieve itch from poison ivy by making a paste with water, spreading it on the affected area and letting it dry.
5. It's said that if you put a small amount of baking soda in glass of water and drink it, it will clean out your kidneys. (Note: Be aware that if your diet is salt restricted, you should not use baking soda for any internal reason, other than normal cooking.)
6. My optometrist told me to gently rub my soft contact lenses with a cream made with baking soda and water. I do this every other month. It "sweetens" them, removing the impurities.
7. From another reader: When my son was a baby he got heat rash on his face. My doctor told me to sprinkle baking soda on his sheets and it would keep him from lying in his drool - worked!
8. From the same reader: The doctor also told me it was better than baby powder to use on babies - keeps them drier and cuts sour smells from burps.
9. My two year old ran through a huge fire ant nest, and ants covered her feet. Both feet turned bright red, I grabbed a bowl of water and box of soda, we soaked her feet in it and you couldn't tell she had ever been stung.
10. Apply that and water paste to jellyfish or sea nettle stings to remove the burn.
11. I mix a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of epsom salt in a glass of water to akalinize my entire body and clean my blood stream.
12. To relieve an upset stomache put a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt into a cup of mint tea. It's not the best tasting thing in the world but it will ease and relieve an upset stomache.
13. When I get a minor burn from ironing or while baking, I take baking soda and water and make a thick paste to apply to the burn; leave on until it dries. It takes the pain away.
14. Another excellent use for baking soda is for mouth ulcers and cold sores. Simply mix a teaspoon of baking soda with 100mls of water and use as a gargle. For cold sores use the same solution. Dab directly onto the cold sore using a cotton bud. Do this at least twice a day.
15. I use baking soda to remove splinters. Make a paste of baking soda and water, and place the paste on a plastic bandage Apply the bandage to the splinter and leave for a full day. When you remove the bandage, the splinter will be sticking above the skin and can be pulled out easily. I once got a shard of glass in my toe that was so deeply imbedded that I couldn't even see it. It took three days and three changes of the baking soda bandage, but it came out. I was amazed to see that the shard was about 1 cm long!

Resource: http://frugalliving।about.com/
pic: www.fromnaturewithlove.com