INTRODUCTION

This book brings together--for the first time--brief, pointed

tips drawn from the medical literature that are almost certain

to be of use, day in and day out, in any household.

The emphasis is on everyday concerns, not esoteric prob-

lems, and a very broad range of those concerns is covered.

They extend, for example, from a strategy for getting a good

night s sleep before a "Big Day," Cleopatra s remedy for stub-

born itching, and positions to assume to eliminate painful gas

to a simple maneuver to stop air swallowing and bloating,

getting an insect out of an ear, using stretch gloves to help

arthritic hands and cheese to aid asthma, tilting a bed to ease

chest pain, how to medicate a bottle-fed baby, and--fiat-

footed or not--using arch supports to relieve back pain.

Few people are aware of the following remedies:

~ When you burn your tongue with hot food or drink, a

few grains of sugar sprinkled on the site can sweetly

undo the misery.

~ Carsickness in a child often can be prevented by elevat-

ing the child s riding position ten inches.

~ The pain, burning, and itching of shingles can be

greatly relieved by the slight pressure of an elasticized

binder worn around the chest.

~ A migraine attack often can be aborted just by exhaling

into and rebreathing from a bag placed over the nose

and mouth.

~ While swallowing a tablet is easy with the head tilted

backward, swallowing a capsule that way is difficult

since the capsule, being lighter than water, will float