Mustard might soothe burns, but use water first
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY
I picked up a plastic honey container that was in a pot of boiling water, and the honey squirted over my hand. I ran it under cold water, then ran to get your book because I knew there was something natural I could put on burns: mustard.
I poured it over the palm of my hand, wrapped gauze around it and left it on until the pain subsided. I didn't notice for a couple of days that I apparently didn't get any mustard between the pinky and ring finger. That is where a huge blister appeared! To me, that proves the mustard worked; otherwise, the whole palm of my hand would have blistered. Thank you.
We have heard from others that cold yellow mustard can soothe a kitchen burn. Soy sauce has a similar reputation. Cold water is the first measure to be taken. Bad burns require prompt medical attention.
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Cold weather has exacerbated my Raynaud's disease. I was told Viagra could help since it opens blood vessels.
A November 2005 article in the journal Circulation suggested Viagra might help victims of Raynaud's disease -- numbness and coldness of extremities due to narrowing of arteries feeding the skin -- when other treatments fail. A more recent review confirms the possibility that drugs for erectile dysfunction (Cialis, Levitra, Viagra) might help.
These drugs are very expensive, and more research is needed before they should be used to treat this painful circulatory condition. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved them for Raynaud's.
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist and Teresa Graedon is an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition. www.peoplespharmacy.com
