Remedy Myths:

(This part of our site is to expose the false remedies that do not give the right effect; these fake remedies may even give the opposite effect and harm you, so please do not try them.

 

Myth: Put Butter on a Burn

When you slap butter on a burn, you are basically adding unclean, foreign proteins to your body. When you have minor burns, you should run cold water on the burned area for about 10 minutes, then you should apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment to the burn. Cover it with a cloth and apply a cold compress for pain control. Never put ice directly on the skin.

Myth: Throw Your Head Back to Stop a Nosebleed

You should not put your head between your knees or tip your head back when you have a nose bleed. Doing the latter is particularly bad because there is a good chance that you will breathe the blood into your lungs, also it could get in your stomach and cause you to vomit. Instead you should pinch your nose, as if you are trying not to smell something bad. Press firmly for 10 minutes.

Myth: For Cuts and Scrapes, Apply Peroxide and Leave Open to the Air

Clean the cut or scrape, then apply antibiotic ointment, and bandage it. Some people leave the wound open; however it has been found that the wound heals faster if it is protected. Small children tend to take better care of wounds when they are bandaged, because the bandage serves as a reminder to them to be careful with the area. Bandaging makes it less likely the wound will be reopened. Any cut that goes beyond the top layer of skin might need stitches to help reduce the risk of infection. A doctor should be seen if stitches are necessary.

Myth: If You Get Shin Splints, Running More Will Ease Them

 

This is called medial tibial stress syndrome. The muscle attached to the shinbone is tearing loose. The inflammation/pain is a response that ocurrs during healing.
If you are to active with the injury it will not heal. You should have it evaluated because it means your muscles are out of balance. If you run again when the pain lessens, exercices caution, shin splints can end up in a stress fracture.

Myth: Put Vinegar Compresses on a Sunburn

Apply cool compresses. Ibuprofen is great for sunburn pain and inflammation.

Myth: If You Get a Bee Sting, You Must Squeeze Out the Stinger

Squeezing the stinger may cause venom in the sac to get into your body. Instead you should scrape the stinger out with a credit card, or something simular. If the person is getting red or having trouble breathing, dial 911. This can be serious or even fatal.

Myth: You Need to Get the Venom Out of a Snakebite as Soon as Possible

 

Do not use suction, doing so can introduce more germs and bacteria into the bite. Also don't allow the victim to run for help, this speeds increases blood flow and causes the venoms effects to occur quicker.
Remove tight clothing and rings from the victim and get to the emergency department immediately. make sure the wound is immobile.

Myth: If You Get Motion Sickness, You Can Stop It by Staring at a Point on the Horizon

Try to get to the most motion-free part of the boat or vehicle and don't drink. They might vomit up the fluid. If you have motion sickness often, take Dramamine. It may make you drowsy.

Myth: A Cold Steak Can Bring Down a Black Eye

A bag of frozen vegetables is better, and it doesn't put greese and foriegn protiens in your eye, Any cold compress will bring down a swollen eye, but you will still end up with bruising.
If you get chemicals in your eye, wash with fresh water for 15 minutes. Even what seems to be a minor eye injury may become serious and may require a trip to the emergency room or doctor.

Myth: Acne

 

Acne sufferers shouldn’t worry about what they shouldn’t eat (for example, candy!). Though they should focus instead on foods that can help their skin. It has been shown that dark green vegetables such as spinach are dietary musts for people inflicted with pimples and blackheads. the reason being that they are full of antioxidants that reduce inflammation and neutralise cell-damaging agents. Try to get five or six serving of these vegatables per week plus a daily serving of orange veggetables such as carrots, pumpkin and peppers, which are rich in beta-carotene. this compound that converts into vitamin A whilein the body and heals damaged skin tissue.

Animal Myths:

There are many homemade remedies that people try in the hope that these remedies will solve their animal issues. Rarely these home remedies have the appearance of working however the results are pure coincidence. If an animal does move it is often because it was eaten by a predator, run over by a car, found a better home or any number of other reasons, than the home remedies working.

1)Moth balls:

Many people believe that putting mothballs in an attic will cause an animal to leave because of the smell. A normal sized attic would need enough mothballs to fill a 55 gallon drum and then the raccoon would probably just move into the soffit area.
Mothballs are also highly flammable and are possibly carcinogenic.

2)Radio in the attic:

Animals adapt very quickly. Loud noises will have no affect on raccoons or squirrels except to make them move to a quieter part of the attic.

3) lights in the Attic:

Animals will simply move into a dark corner or into the soffet area. Lights have absolutely no effect.

4) Ultrasonics:

To date there is no scientific proof that sound waves will drive animals away. The ultrasonic range cannot be heard by most mammals and will not work.

5) Plastic Owls:

Animals adapt very quickly. Initially it is possible a plastic owl may startle some animals but after a short period of time the animals will adapt and begin ignoring the owl. To have any chance at success a plastic owl must be continuously moved to new locations.

6) Poison:

It is a federal crime to use a poison inconsistent with the labeling on that product. There a no registered poisons to kill large animals such as squirrels, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, etc. Consider how much poison it would take to kill a 10 to 20 pound animal. Do you want to take a chance that a small child, non-target animal, or pet finds the poison? If a poison would work would you really want a large dead animal smelling up your attic, shed, or under your deck for about a month or two?


7) Amonia:

Stuffing skunk, groundhog, or animal holes with ammonia soaked rags will only work if this is done on a continuous basis. Be prepared to repeat this process on a daily basis for at least 2 weeks. Ammonia dissipates very fast and continuous treatments are necessary for any chance at success. Many times an animal will dig around the rags or dig a new hole to avoid the rags altogether. Throwing ammonia soaked rags into an attic will have no effect whatsoever. As with mothballs the animal will simply move to another part of the attic until the ammonia evaporates. Liquids tend to evaporate extremely fast in a hot summer attic.

8) Gum:

Putting gum (or Gummybears candy) into the holes of chipmunks or moles definitely has absolutely no effect. Many people believe that the animals cannot digest these foods, which then causes death because of intestinal blockage. Save your candy for Halloween and hire a professional to remove chipmunks, moles, or voles.

9) Kitty Litter:

Placing kitty litter in holes will make the animal dig through the litter or just dig around. Any result from this working is simply a coincidence.