Pick Me Up! Special

Super 7

Check out these alternativ­e remedies for common problems…

-

Honey cures hay fever

Can’t stop sneezing this summer? Try a spoonful of honey. It’s believed to relieve hay fever by using its bee pollen to desensitis­e you to the type of pollen that causes sneezing. To get the most impact, make sure you have a spoonful of honey every day, two to three months before hay fever season starts.

Spearmint fights hormones

Spearmint tea is an effective natural treatment for hormonal problems in women, including acne and facial hair. Because of its natural anti-androgen properties, researcher­s have found that drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day reduces levels of male sex hormones in the body, which is good news for women who don’t want to rely on medication for this issue.

Sugar gets rid of hiccups

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and it also helps to cure you of the hiccups. A teaspoon of sugar stimulates the vagus nerve, which makes the body forget to hiccup. Basically, if the nerve is distracted by the sugar, it tells the brain to focus on that and to stop the hiccupping. So before you try standing on your head, take a spoonful of sugar first to rid yourself of the hiccups.

Boost your immunity with dirt

Most of us try to stay away from bacteria and dirt to avoid becoming ill, but it turns out that a small amount of dirt in our lives could actually be beneficial to our health. Research has suggested that exposing ourselves to the friendly bacteria in soil helps boost our immune system. Try going on countrysid­e walks or gardening regularly to improve your health.

Sleep in the dark to boost your mood

We all feel a bit down every once in a while, but a simple solution is to turn off the lights before you sleep. A night-time light suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates moods. Go to sleep in complete darkness by investing in thick curtains and turning off any sources of light before you go to bed.

Limes ease headaches

If you often suffer from headaches but you’re tired of taking painkiller­s, try using limes. The fruit’s scent relieves headaches, and its coolness also helps to reduce pain. To naturally ease a headache, slice a lime in half and massage the fruit over your forehead or on the specific area that aches.

Vodka banishes foot odour

Spray cheap vodka into your shoes or rub it directly onto your feet to kill foot odour. Alcohol is an antiseptic so it can get rid of the bacteria that causes bad odour. Vodka doesn’t have a scent, so when it dries there’s no danger of your shoes smelling like alcohol, it will just take away the bad smell.

 ??  ?? Juice fix
Juice fix
 ??  ?? Top tipple
Top tipple
 ??  ?? Get grubby
Get grubby
 ??  ?? Sweet fix
Sweet fix
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Lights off
Lights off
 ??  ?? Fresh idea
Fresh idea
 ??  ?? Stop with a spoon
Stop with a spoon
 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom