One home remedy for burns cuts the mustard
Q: I want to share a home remedy that my husband and I use for minor household burns. We get the yellow mustard out of the fridge, apply it to the burn and cover it with a cool, damp cloth. This is very soothing. My husband was skeptical at first, but it helped his burn immediately.
A: The first step in treating a household burn is to get the injured skin under cold tap water instantly. After a few minutes, there are several home remedies that may be helpful.
We first heard about cold yellow mustard from a listener on our syndicated public radio show. He told us that inexpensive yellow mustard was good for a burn. Since then, we have heard from other listeners that cold mustard can stop the pain and redness.
Other remedies include cold soy sauce, vanilla extract and even fresh onion juice:
“While I was working at a restaurant, one of our chefs was burned badly by a fryer. I happened to be in the kitchen when it happened, and the manager screamed, ‘Get me a fresh onion out of the walk-in refrigerator.’
“I didn’t ask questions; I just got it. He asked me to cut it in half and give it to him, which I did. He squeezed the fresh onion juice on the chef’s burn. What was amazing is not only that it calmed the awful pain, but also that the burned skin NEVER BLISTERED!
“The manager later explained to me that it must be a fresh-cut onion. I proved that later when, in another restaurant, I got burned and I reached for onions that were cut up that morning. They didn’t work, so then I had to cut a fresh onion. Seconds count when it comes to a burn.
“That happened back in the 1980s and I have sworn by it every time. It always works! Something about the chemical of the onion juice works wonders.”
Q: I have just read that the Food and Drug Administration will be asking some drug companies to recall metformin.
How can I tell if my diabetes medication is being recalled? My pill bottle does not list the manufacturer anywhere on the label.
A: You have discovered one of the weakest links in the drug supply chain. Pharmacies do not have to put lot numbers on the label of the amber pill bottles they dispense.
As a result, it can be very challenging to determine if a particular medication has been recalled unless the pharmacy contacts the patient directly. That often comes from the corporate office and can take weeks or months after a recall.
In the case of metformin, the FDA recently announced that some extended-release formulations had unacceptably high levels of the probable carcinogen NDMA. You should not stop taking your metformin suddenly, but you can ask your pharmacist to verify that your formulation is not contaminated with NDMA. If it is, request a refill with a product that has been tested and found to be safe.
Q: I am extremely susceptible to chigger bites. I have been spending a lot more time in my yard this spring and want to share my preventive strategy with your readers.
I tuck my pants legs into my socks and spray my shoes and socks with DEET insect repellent. I tuck my long-sleeved shirt into my gloves and spray up to my elbows.
As soon as I go inside, I throw my clothes into the laundry and wash with hot water and immediately take a hot, soapy shower. If I get a bite anyway, I quickly apply a strong anti-itch steroid gel my dermatologist prescribed. It helps prevent blistering.
A: Thanks for the tips. They all make sense.
Other readers recommend dusting shoes and socks with “flowers of sulfur.” This sulfur powder is available in hardware stores, some pharmacies and online.
One woman shared this story: “When I was a young woman and took my girls to Girl Scout camp, I would use yellow sulfur powder in a sock, and dust the girls and my shoes and pants legs after dressing. We were in the woods, the fields and picking berries. The sulfur kept the chiggers away.”
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers.
Send questions to them via www.peoplespharmacy.com